6 October - “It’s a no-brainer”
It is the season for consultations. The Blackwall relief road otherwise known
as the Silvertown Tunnel now and the Gallions and Belvedere proposals in late November.
Click image for the ’Have your say’.
For
an alternative view of these proposals there is ‘Say
No To Silvertown Tunnel’.
Personally I have never been convinced by the argument that the ‘extra
resilience’ a new tunnel will provide for Blackwall will increase congestion and
not reduce it. As a regular off-peak tunnel user the unpredictability of the journey
time is a constant nuisance and turning off the car’s fresh air intake on the
approach road is a necessity.
Air pollution from diesel powered vehicles is
undoubtedly a problem and TfL’s
answer to that is that faster moving traffic will mitigate the problem.
A new tunnel would not become available until 2023 and one would hope that the recent revelations
about Volkswagen will lead to a reduction in the number of diesel engines by then. The move towards
electric power is sure to have gathered pace too.
The alternative to the various TfL
proposals is to leave the area for which it
is responsible with the same road crossing facilities as were in existence 48 years ago.
• First Blackwall Tunnel : 1896
• First Dartford Tunnel : 1963
• Second Blackwall Tunnel : l967
• Second Dartford Tunnel : 1980
• Dartford Bridge : 1991
With the Conservative Party announcing at their conference this week
a renewed emphasis
on infrastructure and the appointment of
Lord It’s A No Brainer Adonis to the new National
Infrastructure Commission the direction of travel looks pretty clear to me.
But if the tunnel is to be just another bus lane it is a complete waste of money.
Video best played with the sound off. There is no commentary and the music is pathetic.