Greenwich Silvertown Tunnel: call to pause construction

A set of councillors have asked for public transport and cycling to be prioritised in the Silvertown Tunnel.

Three Greenwich councillors have put forward a motion to repurpose the Silvertown Tunnel to prioritise public transport and cycling.

The motion has been put forward for discussion at a Greenwich Council meeting on June 28 by Labour councillors Majella Anning, Maisie Richards Cottell and David Gardner.

Council documents listed the motion as: “[Greenwich Council] calls on the Mayor of London to pause construction of the second bore of the tunnel, or if this is too late, pause opening of the tunnel until new proposals to prioritise public transport, cargo bikes and cycling have been drawn up and evaluated.”

The councillors also called for live air quality monitors to be publicly available along the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels and down the length of the A102, which will serve the majority of traffic from both tunnels. The request comes alongside Greenwich Council’s plan to reach net zero carbon emissions in the borough by 2030.

The councillors also asked for more mitigation measures along the A102 to reduce local traffic, air pollution, noise and congestion in the area. This includes previous proposals from TfL to remove the Angerstein roundabout on Woolwich Road and restrict access to the A102/A206 junction.

Greenwich Council previously voted to pause construction of the Silvertown Tunnel in March last year. In the motion for next week’s meeting, the councillors noted “with great regret” that one bore of the new tunnel had been completed without the pause and review called for by Greenwich Council last year.

Council documents noted that Newham Council voted to favour public transport and cycling over motor vehicles in the Silvertown Tunnel last October. The same month, TfL announced that two bus routes will make use of the Silvertown Tunnel. These include a new X239 express service that will run non-stop from Blackheath to Canary Wharf, and an extension to the existing 129 route, which will run from Beckton to Lewisham.

The tunnel will also reportedly have dedicated lanes for buses and heavy goods vehicles. The motion on public transport in the Silvertown Tunnel will be discussed at a Greenwich Council meeting on June 28.