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Sustainable Economy > Published by Guest, January 21st 2012 at 7:00 pm

The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge

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Darren Johnson AM represents the Green Party in the London Assembly

From the media coverage of the Mayor of London’s proposed new Thames crossing at Silvertown, you will have been left with the impression that the choice is between a Boris tunnel, or a Ken bridge. The reality is that Londoners have a choice between a big new road and solving our chronic air pollution problems.

The current mayor wants to build a two lane tunnel next door to the Blackwall Tunnel. It is an old fashioned road building scheme that increases capacity and allows a lot more cars and lorries to travel through the same area. I will just list a few of the more obvious flaws in this idea.

London’s traffic is declining and has been for the last decade. People are switching to public transport as their preferred way of getting around. As the mayor himself says, if Londoners hadn’t made such a switch in the last eleven years there would be an extra million vehicle trips per day. So why are we building a new road to cope with less car trips?

The Silvertown tunnel was actually the second scheme in the queue, when Ken Livingstone was mayor.

The package of three river crossings put forward in his first term of office, included the Thames Gateway Bridge at Gallions Reach and the DLR extension.

It is worth considering that we now have the DLR extension to Lewisham, a cable car starting up in May, plus the east London extension has come south of the river and will soon be completing London’s orbital railway.

Crossrail will further increase that eastward penetration of public transport. Londoners’ ability to cross the river east of Tower Bridge have increased considerably, only you have to leave your cars at home.

Air pollution is already well over the European limits for NO2 throughout the area covered by the Blackwall Tunnel and its various feeder roads.

The previous mayor lost the support of the Inspector at the public inquiry (pdf) into the Thames Gateway Bridge partly because of the environmental arguments. The evidence about the health impacts of air pollution has grown even stronger in recent years and the failure of the Government to reduce pollution has become ever clearer.

Even if we accept the argument that the Blackwall Tunnel is a localised problem of too much demand and too little supply, then will a new tunnel, or bridge, do the trick?

Both the previous Mayor and the current one argue that there is suppressed demand from individuals and businesses in east London for more roads across the Thames.

TfL may well be able to argue that the jams at the Blackwall Tunnel are untouched by the seven per cent decline in London wide traffic since 2000, which could well be (on current trends) 15-20 per cent by the time the bridge is built.

However, there is a lot of research to suggest that if you build roads to relieve traffic jams, then after a few years they just clog up again and make bigger traffic jams. Is it worth spending £700 million to test that theory?

Where the money is coming from is of course the big question mark. The previous mayor was planning to toll (pdf) the Thames Gateway Bridge in order to provide most of the £450 million cost. Will the current mayor suggest doing the same for the £700 million Silvertown Tunnel?

The problem with tolling the new tunnel is that most people would simply avoid it and use the old one – as long as it was fairly free moving.

The only way of guaranteeing regular, substantial toll revenue is to toll the Blackwall Tunnel as well. That idea was quickly shelved when TfL suggested it as a way of paying for the TGB and I suspect that it won’t be one of the options mentioned in the forthcoming consultation.

The other ways of paying for the road, is either through the government giving London the extra cash, or TfL borrowing and paying it back out of general income, i.e. fares. I assume in these cash strapped times that the government won’t be paying for it all.

But if TfL is paying for it, then why a new road, instead of doing things like making the tube system accessible? £700m is more than double what this mayor has spent on cycling in the last four years. So, does the mayor want to annoy motorists with tolls, or hard pressed public transport users with fare increases paying for a new road? Tricky.

See also:

• Exposed: Boris Johnson’s efforts to evade air pollution rules – Darren Johnson AM, October 4th 2011

• Boris can take the lead on entry-level jobs for the young unemployed – Darren Johnson AM, July 14th 2011

• It’s time pay inequality became a priority – Darren Johnson AM, February 16th 2011

• Firefighters’ strikes: Tory Brian Coleman “addicted to conflict” – Darren Johnson AM, January 12th 2011

• A ratio cap of 20:1 won’t make pay fairer – Darren Johnson AM, December 3rd 2010

  • http://twitter.com/leftlinks/status/160808309790748674 leftlinks

    Left Foot Forward – The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/tOroksjP

  • http://twitter.com/activlizm/status/160809605436407808 Liz Moran

    #UK : The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/ooSP6tNV

  • http://twitter.com/hitchinengland/status/160814317493694464 Hitchin England

    RT @leftfootfwd: The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge, writes @darrenjohnson: http://t.co/QyTR976q #NewsClub

  • http://twitter.com/envirobizdaily/status/160823871749099520 Enviro Bizdaily

    The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/E7rSWG2e #eco

  • http://twitter.com/crisisdigest/status/160831562173263872 World Crisis

    The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/9bmPnQ3E

  • http://twitter.com/sianberry/status/160835403832758272 sianberry

    The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge, writes @darrenjohnsonam: http://t.co/jyg3bUZq

  • Nick Leaton

    London’s traffic is declining and has been for the last decade

    ==========

    Good. Time to remove the congestion zone then.

  • http://twitter.com/easi4c/status/160848474718486528 Ian Hanton

    RT @leftfootfwd: The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/Yc72ccGR

  • http://twitter.com/Newsbot9 Newsbot9

    “instead of doing things like making the tube system accessible”

    Is that what pricing poorer people put of using it is called. Neat-o.

  • http://twitter.com/save_your_green/status/160947627951783936 Save Your Green

    The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge …: Darren Johnson details the problems with Bor… http://t.co/3eyGCtUh

  • http://twitter.com/hens4freedom/status/160987602613321729 Hens4Freedom

    RT @leftfootfwd: The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge, writes @darrenjohnsonam: http://t.co/tBKF3Xz3 #NewsClub

  • Mr. Sensible

    We really need to get away from road widening. It doesn’t work.

  • http://twitter.com/georgereadings/status/161377812983455744 George Readings

    Green Party LA member's article on river crossings in E London completely ignores cyclists #fail
    http://t.co/EEHkFxLW via @leftfootfwd

  • http://twitter.com/darrenjohnsonam/status/161401288876244992 Darren Johnson

    Both a Boris Tunnel & a Ken Bridge are bad for air pollution & environment. My latest article @LeftFootForward http://t.co/erHAH8OH

  • http://twitter.com/southwarkgp/status/161402899639959552 Southwark Greens

    The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/Y7vMB1EI

  • http://twitter.com/greenldn/status/161405703939035136 Green London 2012

    The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/Y7vMB1EI

  • http://twitter.com/islingtongreens/status/161408824719319041 islingtongreenparty

    Both a Boris Tunnel & a Ken Bridge are bad for air pollution & environment. My latest article @LeftFootForward http://t.co/erHAH8OH

  • http://twitter.com/camdengp/status/161476597600366592 Camden Green Party

    Neither the Boris Tunnel nor the Ken bridge are the answer: http://t.co/Vs3Pbb9O

  • http://twitter.com/darrenjohnsonam/status/161478502724546560 Darren Johnson

    Election – not just a choice between Boris Tunnel or Ken Bridge http://t.co/erHAH8OH @guardianeco @TreeHugger @StopCityAirport @se1

  • http://twitter.com/staircase2/status/161478980472537088 Stephe Meloy

    Election – not just a choice between Boris Tunnel or Ken Bridge http://t.co/erHAH8OH @guardianeco @TreeHugger @StopCityAirport @se1

  • http://twitter.com/zapaman/status/161480371190497280 Dominic Zapaman

    Environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/CRrXz0Bd @BBCTomEdwards @simonharrisitv @davehill @john_vidal

  • http://twitter.com/billlinton1/status/161480886435586048 Bill Linton

    Environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/CRrXz0Bd @BBCTomEdwards @simonharrisitv @davehill @john_vidal

  • http://twitter.com/tko/status/161483242199973888 Tommi Komulainen

    but it's a bypass. you've got to build bypasses. http://t.co/gcByOwvB .. well, good to see someone seeing through Boris/TfL spin

  • http://twitter.com/nowisinsideout/status/161492746413150208 Andrew

    And the battle continues… http://t.co/4ESrr9F1

  • http://twitter.com/jon_bartley/status/161495997040697345 Jonathan Bartley

    Lots of sense from @darrenjohnsonam on clear choices facing Londoners around traffic http://t.co/TEKYXZQo

  • http://twitter.com/soapysudsuk/status/161533604416073728 Patrick Sudlow

    RT @leftfootfwd: The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/vdF1Dm2G

  • http://twitter.com/dj_akasha/status/161592579002085377 Elisa Simone

    Environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/CRrXz0Bd @BBCTomEdwards @simonharrisitv @davehill @john_vidal

  • Anonymous

    One thing that isn’t addressed is why people would do such journeys. In my view one blocker is that public transport doesn’t have an equivalent of the M25, there is no fast perimeter system because it is all focused on a Rome principal (as in all routes lead to the centre of the Empire). For many journeys there is no choice but to traverse zone 1 at rush hour just to cross the river. London Overground looks like a solution but in reality it is just the equivalent of the North Circular, is just as packed and just as slow.
    London desperately needs a fast service between key stations around zone three/four. Cross Rail may address the Essex and East London crowd who daily migrate up to West London, but the perimeter and South-North commuter isn’t accounted for.

  • http://twitter.com/bobdvb/status/161726698201690112 Bob Hannent

    Environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge http://t.co/CRrXz0Bd @BBCTomEdwards @simonharrisitv @davehill @john_vidal

  • http://twitter.com/dj_akasha Elisa Simone

    There needs to be another way to cross the Thames especially when there are problems with the Blackwall Tunnel and the Woolwich ferry, which for some reason they seem to be synchronised. When this happens the whole of the East of London comes to a standstill on both sides of river. It once took me four hours to get from one side of the river to the other. I use public transport whenever I can, but sometimes it isn’t an option due to time restraints.

  • mk

    You also completely forgot to mention that a lot of us like to walk and cycle (and hopefully in the case of the latter, our numbers will grow in the near future). Where are we supposed to go? Currently, from where I live in New Cross, I have to cycle to Tower Bridge to cross the river, as there are no bridges further east (I believe there are 16 or so bridges west of Tower Bridge).

    You also failed to mention that the idea of a tunnel is a lazy way of appealing to motorists in suburban south-east London, when what the SE postcodes have long been crying out for is better transport infrastructure. The quality of public transport here still doesn’t compare to the rest of zone 1-2 London.

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/02/no-one-uses-tfl-tory-users-should-pay-except-when-they-are-my-voters/ “No one uses TfL” Tory: Users should pay, except for my voters | Left Foot Forward

    [...] The environment trumps the debate between a tunnel or a bridge – Darren Johnson AM, January 21st [...]

  • http://twitter.com/darrenjohnsonam/status/170552508354273280 Darren Johnson

    Read why #Silvertown crossing bad idea http://t.co/erHAH8OH & say no here http://t.co/uipmVz94 <ignore leading tfl questions #badairday

  • http://twitter.com/greenjennyjones/status/170559406231138304 Jenny Jones

    Read why #Silvertown crossing bad idea http://t.co/erHAH8OH & say no here http://t.co/uipmVz94 <ignore leading tfl questions #badairday

  • http://twitter.com/roads2nowhere/status/171644112745934848 Roads to Nowhere

    Read why #Silvertown crossing bad idea http://t.co/erHAH8OH & say no here http://t.co/uipmVz94 <ignore leading tfl questions #badairday