Freddie Downing is the Conservative Candidate for City and East in the London Assembly Elections in May.
Over 1,500 people have now signed my petition opposing Sadiq Khan’s plan to charge drivers to use the Blackwall Tunnel. It’s time to end the Mayor’s war on drivers and his repeated cost of living hikes.
The Blackwall Tunnel – connecting Tower Hamlets and Greenwich – has been free to use since it first opened in 1897. However, Sadiq Khan is now planning to introduce a Tunnel Tax to cover the cost of building the 1.4km Silvertown Tunnel.
There’s a real issue of equity here. Fundamentally, it’s very difficult to justify charging drivers to use a crossing that’s been free to use for more than a century. It’s especially difficult when we remember that the Blackwall Tunnel is actually one of the few crossings east of Tower Bridge, compared to many free crossings in Central and West London.
Recent reports suggest drivers may be charged between £4 – £8.50 per crossing (possibly even higher, if charges are adjusted for inflation, as the Mayor has hinted). On top of the Congestion Charge and ULEZ, that’s a potentially ruinous amount for families, businesses, and charities. Some drivers could end up paying up to £44.50 a day, or around £11,000 a year, just to drive in London.
Last year, I wrote to Sadiq Khan to make clear my concerns and press him to set out more information as soon as possible, including what financial support he plans to make available to local people.
His office refused my request, saying they wouldn’t provide further details until next year when the Silvertown Tunnel is expected to open.
Of course, this refusal doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. TfL knows how many vehicles pass through the tunnel every day (c. 100,000). They also know the cost of building the Silvertown Tunnel (c. £1.8 billion). It shouldn’t be hard, therefore, for TfL to set out how much it wants drivers to pay, rather than delaying this information for a year.
It’s hard to escape the conclusion that Khan is deliberately holding off the release of this information until after the May elections.
This effort to avoid scrutiny isn’t surprising given numbers don’t add up. TfL needs to pay about £65 million a year for 25 years to cover the cost of the Silvertown Tunnel. Yet City Hall admitted in October that it hopes to raise £123 million a year from the Tunnel Tax. That is almost twice what TfL needs.
Herein lies the reality of the situation.
Khan’s Tunnel Tax isn’t about paying for the Silvertown Tunnel. Instead – like the recent ULEZ expansion into Greater London – Khan’s plan is about squeezing money from drivers to plug the budget holes he’s created through poor management.
The Silvertown Tunnel typifies Khan’s woeful decision-making record. It’s one of the worst conceived infrastructure projects in recent memory. The new tunnel will mean more vehicles driving through Newham, which is already one of the worst polluted areas in the UK. Further, despite spending almost £2 billion building the tunnel, little has been done to improve the approach roads so that they can actually cope with increased levels of traffic.
With all of this in mind, Khan’s supporters almost always fall back on one argument: the user charge was first put forward during Boris Johnson’s time as Mayor.
Yes, it’s true that a user charge has been on the table since the Silvertown Tunnel was first proposed more than 10 years ago. But let’s remember, the idea for a tunnel not only pre-dates the introduction of the £12.50 ULEZ charge; the Central London Congestion Charge has also increased by 50 per cent since January 2011. The facts have changed and when the facts change, we’re entitled to change our minds.
Also – and I can’t believe I still have to point this out – Boris Johnson left City Hall eight years ago. The decision to push forward or not with the Tunnel Tax rests with one person – Khan, the Mayor of London.
None of this is to deny that issues exist. There are too many delays at the Blackwall Tunnel. Often this is because lorries try to use the crossing when they shouldn’t. Better signage could prevent this.
If we want to get drivers out of their vehicles, we need to offer them a viable alternative. This means regular and reliable public transport, rather than trying to squeeze even more tax out of people.
And now that the Silvertown Tunnel has been built, it does need to be paid for. Sadiq Khan seems to be able to find money at the drop of a hat when he wants it. Outside of Khan’s fantasy world, a crackdown on fare evasion, which cost TfL £130 million last year, would more than cover the annual repayment charge.
The Tunnel Tax captures almost everything that’s wrong with Khan’s time as Mayor. For eight years, he’s punished drivers and repeatedly hiked the cost of living. Widespread opposition to Khan’s plan for a Blackwall Tunnel user charge shows East London drivers are fed up with the present Mayor treating them like cash cows. I will continue to campaign tirelessly to stop his Tunnel Tax.
The post Freddie Downing: The Blackwall Tunnel has been free to use since it first opened in 1897. Khan is now planning to introduce a Tunnel Tax. appeared first on Conservative Home.
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Author: Freddie Downing
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