TAKING ITS TOLL
Britain’s newest tunnel opens TODAY with millions of drivers to pay up to £20 a day at peak times
Drivers will have to pay each time they use the tunnel
BRITAIN'S newest tunnel has opened today - but millions of drivers will have to fork out up to £20 a day to use it.
Silvertown Tunnel will connect Silvertown with Greenwich Peninsula in London running under the River Thames.
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It is hoped the new 1.4km (0.9-mile) crossing will reduce the severe congestion around the nearby Blackwall Tunnel.
The Blackwall Tunnel has been free to use since opening more than a century ago.
But charges will apply for both the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels between 6am and 10pm from Monday.
Car drivers will be charged up to £4 per journey with discounts for automatic payments and travelling at off-peak times.
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Although some people may qualify for a discount or exemption, most drivers will pay a minimum of £1.50 to use each tunnel.
This payment rises and falls depending on the weight of your vehicle.
For example, motorbikes will have to pay £2.50 at peak times where HGVs will have to pay £10 at peak times.
Drivers will have to pay each time they use the tunnel, which means they could be charged several times a day.
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Failure to pay the charge will result in a Penalty Charge Notice worth up to £180.
That fine will be reduced to £90 if it is paid within two weeks.
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TfL said charges will help manage traffic levels, repay construction costs and cover ongoing maintenance and operation fees.
The Silvertown Tunnel was built by the Riverlinx consortium, which is made up of private financial companies.
As of 2022, it had secured £1.2billion of private finance to build, operate and maintain the tunnel.
TfL's accounts indicate that its total repayments over a 25-year period could exceed £2billion.
How much will the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel toll be?
During peak hours, which are 6am to 10am northbound and 4pm to 7pm southbound on weekdays, car and small van drivers will be charged £4 each way.
During off-peak hours, which are at other times and weekends, these drivers will be charged £1.50 each way.
At night, between 10pm and 6am, there will be no toll fee.
These fees will slightly change for motorbikes (£1.50 off-peak, £2.50 peak), large vans (£2.50 off-peak, £6.50 peak) and HGVs (£5 off-peak, £10 peak).
The same payment system is currently used for the ULEZ.
The Silvertown Tunnel will be the first new road crossing east of Tower Bridge since the Queen Elizabeth II bridge - part of the Dartford Crossing - opened in October 1991.
A number of types of vehicles and road users will be exempt from the charges, such as buses and coaches, black taxis, blue badge holders registered in the capital and zero-emission capable private hire vehicles.
New bus routes will serve the Silvertown Tunnel, which will be free for at least the first year.
There will also be a bus shuttle service for cyclists.
This will run for at least three years and be free for at least one year.
Green Party London Assembly Member Caroline Russell declared that people in the capital "deserve so much more than this".
She added the crossing should have been "a proper route across the river for people walking and cycling".
Ms Russell said: "We need river crossings that prioritise clean air, safe walking and cycling with affordable public transport rather than this traffic-inducing road tunnel."
She noted that Sir Sadiq Khan has claimed to be the "greenest" Mayor of London, but the tunnel is "the opposite of anything green".
She continued: "To make matters worse, the Mayor's clunky cycle shuttle service is a half-baked impractical solution strapped onto a project that people have campaigned against for decades."
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the Silvertown Tunnel will "transform travel" by enabling "faster, more reliable journey times for thousands of Londoners, reduced congestion and improved air quality".
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City Hall made a "series of significant improvements" since the original plans for the tunnel were developed in 2012, she said.
"This includes ensuring there are discounts and concessions in place, and reserving, for the first time ever, a lane for zero-emission double-decker buses and an innovative free cycle-shuttle service, which will encourage more people to switch to greener modes of transport."
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