One of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s flagship transport plans is being opposed by his own party in the capital.
The Labour London conference has voted 74%-26% in favour of a motion to cancel the Silvertown Tunnel project despite construction only just getting underway.
MyLondon reports that the motion was brought forward by local branches of the Labour Party representing Greenwich, Peckham, Lewisham, Leyton and Thamesmead. It read, “TfL will be reliant on high traffic revenue from tolling the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels to repay PFI financing at a time when reducing car usage is crucial.”
In response, a spokesperson for Mr Khan told the Independent that the Mayor is “taking some of the boldest action of any city in the world to tackle air pollution in London. Extensive modelling shows that the introduction of tolls on both tunnels at Silvertown and Blackwall will mean no overall increase in traffic and an overall improvement in air quality. The new tunnel will mean fewer idling vehicles and better local bus services, including double decker, zero-emission buses which currently can’t operate across the river because of the restrictive size of the Blackwall tunnel.”
(Picture – Transport for London)
