Council calls on Mayor to scrap Blackwall Tunnel tolls after outdated ULEZ motion
By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter
Bexley council’s system for putting forward motions at meetings has been described as ‘not working’ after a call for the ULEZ expansion to be stopped was finally put in front of councillors – 14 months after it was rolled out to all of London.
Conservative councillor Cameron Smith, who put forward the proposal, said he originally tabled the motion two-and-a-half years ago, but due to such a limited time being offered to discuss motions at the monthly full council meeting, it had taken that long to make it to the table.
The topic was discussed at a Bexley council meeting on Wednesday. A rule in the council’s constitution only allows 30 minutes for motions to be considered at full council meetings. Any motions not reached within that time are then automatically deferred to the next meeting.
Labour councillor Stefano Borella said: “That motion is already out of date and I understand Cllr Smith’s frustration about that being out of date, which just shows our motions don’t work here.”
The motion was reworded as a result and instead asked for the Mayor of London to abandon plans to toll the Blackwall Tunnel.
Transport for London (TfL) revealed provisional charges for using the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels in July.
The fees range from £1.50 to £4 for car users depending on whether they use the tunnels during rush hour on weekdays, and would be in place from 6am to 10am northbound and 4pm to 7pm southbound.
Cllr Smith said: “I think we have to say enough is enough of road user charging, and since ULEZ, we have seen the Blackwall Tunnel. There is a question about when the next tightening of the restrictions is in order to bring more people into the charge.”
Cllr Borella put forward an amendment to the original motion, noting that the ULEZ expansion was done in an effort to improve air quality and that the plan to toll the Blackwall Tunnel was started by former Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
He also criticised Bexley council for spending more than £147,000 on a failed legal challenge against the ULEZ expansion last year alongside Surrey county council and London authorities Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon.
The council voted to reject the Labour Group amendment at the meeting, with the original motion, simply calling for the Blackwall Tunell toll to be scrapped, being passed.
Christina Calderato, Director of Strategy at TfL, said the Silvertown Tunnel was due to open in 2025 and would help deliver quicker, more reliable journeys in East London by easing congestion and making journeys up to 20 minutes faster.
She said: “The proximity of the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels has meant that, ever since the plans were first conceived in 2012, we have been clear that both need to be charged to ensure that traffic levels do not increase as a result of drivers seeking to use the uncharged crossing.”
The director said an eight-week consultation on the proposed charges for the tunnels was carried out this year.
She added: “The consultation closed on September 3, and we are now assessing the responses ahead of presenting our recommendation for the final proposed charges, discounts and exemptions to the TfL Board for their consideration and approval before the end of the year.”
Pictured top: Charges are planned to be added for using the Blackwall Tunnel from 2025 (Picture: Google Street View)