Stop the Silvertown Tunnel

The Issue

STOP THE SILVERTOWN TUNNEL

Greenwich residents have been unhappy with the planned Silvertown Tunnel under the Thames for years, and with the new awareness of the Climate Emergency this unhappiness and indeed anger about the lack of response to our concerns is spreading quickly.

We call upon the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to delay and re-evaluate this scheme in light of the current climate emergency, and for London Assembly members to support our request.

Our arguments are these:

When a new road is built, new traffic will divert onto it. Many people may make new trips they would otherwise not make, and will travel longer distances just because of the presence of the new road. This well-known and long-established effect is known as ‘induced traffic’.

The new Tunnel has a dedicated HGV lane which fits larger vehicles, drawing them through Greenwich along major roads next to over 40 schools and nurseries where 16,000 children play inside and out. Our roads are already illegally polluted and we need to prevent motor traffic not encourage it. Asthma and other major health problems are known to be caused by pollution, and have the effect of shortening lives.

Flooding in Greenwich is a concern with climate change. Building a tunnel on a floodplain where there is only one flood defence and now a huge amount of residential properties seems misguided. One storm surge combined with high tides, large amounts of rainfall leading to a high water table is all that is needed to cause a massive flood and even a possible breach of the flood barrier defence.

We feel that building the new Silvertown Tunnel is a very expensive mistake. Motor traffic is detrimental to the health of the population born and unborn, and in order to ensure public health and climate stability we need to sharply reduce car use across London - so building a tunnel that could never be fully used, because it's a potential pollution bomb, is a massive waste of public money.  We are in a climate emergency and suggest that instead of spending £1bn of Londoners' money on a new road tunnel at Silvertown, we should invest this money into the much neglected public transportation system in South East London.

Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition

Twitter @SilvertownTn

avatar of the starter
Izzy HickmetPetition Starter
Media enquiries

855

The Issue

STOP THE SILVERTOWN TUNNEL

Greenwich residents have been unhappy with the planned Silvertown Tunnel under the Thames for years, and with the new awareness of the Climate Emergency this unhappiness and indeed anger about the lack of response to our concerns is spreading quickly.

We call upon the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to delay and re-evaluate this scheme in light of the current climate emergency, and for London Assembly members to support our request.

Our arguments are these:

When a new road is built, new traffic will divert onto it. Many people may make new trips they would otherwise not make, and will travel longer distances just because of the presence of the new road. This well-known and long-established effect is known as ‘induced traffic’.

The new Tunnel has a dedicated HGV lane which fits larger vehicles, drawing them through Greenwich along major roads next to over 40 schools and nurseries where 16,000 children play inside and out. Our roads are already illegally polluted and we need to prevent motor traffic not encourage it. Asthma and other major health problems are known to be caused by pollution, and have the effect of shortening lives.

Flooding in Greenwich is a concern with climate change. Building a tunnel on a floodplain where there is only one flood defence and now a huge amount of residential properties seems misguided. One storm surge combined with high tides, large amounts of rainfall leading to a high water table is all that is needed to cause a massive flood and even a possible breach of the flood barrier defence.

We feel that building the new Silvertown Tunnel is a very expensive mistake. Motor traffic is detrimental to the health of the population born and unborn, and in order to ensure public health and climate stability we need to sharply reduce car use across London - so building a tunnel that could never be fully used, because it's a potential pollution bomb, is a massive waste of public money.  We are in a climate emergency and suggest that instead of spending £1bn of Londoners' money on a new road tunnel at Silvertown, we should invest this money into the much neglected public transportation system in South East London.

Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition

Twitter @SilvertownTn

avatar of the starter
Izzy HickmetPetition Starter
Media enquiries
Support now

855

The Decision Makers

Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London
Responded
“Dear Petitioner, Thank you for the petition submitted on the Change.org website about the Silvertown Tunnel. The current situation at the Blackwall Tunnel cannot be allowed to continue. It was first opened 120 years ago and was not designed to cope with today’s traffic. As a result, it is highly susceptible to incidents which often require it to be closed at very short notice and the lack of viable alternative crossings east of Tower Bridge compounds these problems. On a normal day, queues of up to two miles can occur with stationary vehicles pumping out noxious fumes. This situation needs to be urgently addressed to improve the local environment. Transport for London (TfL) explored an extensive range of different options to address the situation including walking and cycling options, public transport options, road, bridge and tunnel options and demand management and charging options. These are set out in The Case for the Scheme (https://bit.ly/2R96dde) which was submitted as part of the Development Consent Order (DCO) and was considered in detail at a six-month public examination. The option TfL is proceeding with will effectively eliminate congestion and deliver an overall improvement in air quality. With regard to HGVs, TfL’s analysis shows that the new crossing with user charges leads to a small reduction in HGVs forecast on the approach roads, as a proportion will divert to use the M25 rather than pay the daily user charge at Blackwall or Silvertown. At the moment, where HGVs have a choice between using the Dartford Crossing and Blackwall, one is free and the other incurs a charge. This will clearly be equalised as a result of the new charges and hence, the comparative attractiveness of Blackwall will be reduced. In addition, all buses, coaches and HGVs using the crossing would be subject to ULEZ, LEZ and Direct Vision Standards to encourage the greenest, safest vehicle. With regard to schools, TfL’s analysis of sites that currently exceed the Air Quality Strategy objectives shows that where there is a perceptible change due to the Silvertown Tunnel, two schools see an improvement in air quality, and none see a deterioration. I note your concerns about the risk of flooding in London. I can assure you that the Environment Agency has been closely involved throughout the planning of the Silvertown Tunnel. Where appropriate, improvements are being delivered as part of the scheme to prevent possible flooding. This includes measures such as improving flood defences and providing Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems. The procurement model that TfL has adopted brings in private finance and means that the scheme is not competing for funding with other transport priorities or redirecting any of the significant investment TfL is making across London to encourage walking and cycling. Payments will not be made by TfL until the new tunnel is open and the direct construction and maintenance costs will be covered by the user charging income. Finally, it is important to note that the Mayor’s Transport Strategy includes an ambitious target for 80 per cent of all trips in London to be made on foot, by cycle, or using public transport for 2041. The Silvertown Tunnel will help us achieve this target by allowing a step-change in cross-river bus services and encouraging Londoners to make more sustainable travel choices. Yours sincerely, Public Liaison Unit Greater London Authority”
The Royal Borough of Greenwich Council
The Royal Borough of Greenwich Council
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Petition created on 23 May 2019