Coaches, buses and other vehicles with nine or more seats will be exempt from user charges to be introduced at the Blackwall tunnel and the new Silvertown tunnel from 2025 under proposals outlined by Transport for London (TfL) in a consultation.
Such a position is part of wider support measures for the planned charges that TfL says are “green and fair” and have been created “to help residents and businesses, and to support people to use new public transport connections.”
The Silvertown tunnel will open in 2025 and provide relief to the Blackwall crossing. Charges from then at each tunnel between 0600-2200hrs will be necessary to manage traffic flow and cover construction, maintenance and operational costs of the former, TfL says.
Other vehicle classes such as those driven by blue badge holders and taxis registered with TfL form part of the planned exemption or 100% discount programme. HGVs will pay £5 off-peak or £10 during peak hours.
The proposals note that owners of exempted vehicles will not need to apply for that status and that if the vehicle is registered with DVLA in the necessary category, the exemption will be granted automatically. No geographic restrictions on the addresses of registered keepers of exempted vehicles will be in place.
Among other supporting measures for the introduction of user charges at both crossings is the operation of 15 bus journeys per hour via the Silvertown tunnel and six via Blackwall. All will use zero-emission vehicles. Among two routes using Silvertown will be new Superloop service SL4, which is to be operated by Go-Ahead London.
The Silvertown tunnel will also see a previously announced free cycle bus provision for at least 12 months. It will carry cyclists and their bikes for free and operate to a high frequency.
The consultation will run for eight weeks and close on 3 September. After that, approval will be required from the TfL board. Submissions can be made online or via email, phone, or post.
