Will Boris keep his promise?
Boris Johnson was quoted as saying "I will reinstate the tidal
flow at the Blackwall Tunnel. The decision to scrap it was taken in haste, without
any consultation with residents or motorists." Now that we have elected him let's
look forward to a better commute!
Blackwall Tunnel Petition
Transport for London have decided to permanently
stop the tidal flow system in the Blackwall Tunnel. This system
has been used since 1978 to provide 50% extra capacity to northbound
traffic across the Thames during peak times. The abrupt end to
this, with no alternative measures in place will have a serious
negative effect for both users of the tunnel as well as 'innocent'
local residents.
The consequences of removing this system will be::
- Increased congestion and pollution on the South of the river,
including Greenwich, Eltham, Woolwich, Deptford, Shooters Hill
and others.
- Increased journey time for those travelling to Canary Wharf
and the rest of London, of approximately 20 mins
- Increased accidents and dangerous driving in the area as frustrated
drivers try to jump the queue
TfL proudly state on their website that "CCTV footage of
dangerous driving behaviour in the Blackwall Tunnel is available
from the TfL press office", this is how they justify the
decision. If they have this footage then why not use it to enforce
the law rather than an excuse to stop an essential traffic management
system. On this basis they should also completely close the Rotherhithe
tunnel as it is much narrower with permanent two-way traffic.
If safety is the real issue, why not implement average speed
check cameras through the tunnel and a higher police presence.
The mayhem that has been left on the south side of the tunnel
will undoubtably result in more accidents there instead.
Is this the Mayor deliberately trying to mess up traffic flow
in the area to ease the way for one of his other schemes? All
of these seem attractive when faced with the disaster he is causing
with this scheme:
- The proposed £3.50 charge for using the tunnel
- Extending Congestion Charging to the Docklands and Greenwich
- Thames Gateway Bridge
Click here to join the petition
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