Hundreds of bicyclist protestors forced London’s brand new Silvertown tunnel to close to traffic last week (Friday April 25th) for over an hour, as they took to the streets to express their dismay at the lack of cycling provision provided by the £2.2 billion infrastructure project, which opened earlier in the month.
Critical Mass London conducted what they described as a “mass trespass” and “took over both lanes near North Greenwich and blocked incoming motorists.” According to eyewitness reports, “The ride through the tunnel took approximately 10 minutes, before riders paused at the northern end roundabout to regroup.”
Despite the relatively brief passage of cyclists through the tunnel, “the road was closed for over an hour after they had left,” according to social media reports.
The Silvertown Tunnel has become a focal point for transport advocates due to its design decisions. The mile-long twin-bore tunnel does not permit cyclists to ride through it, instead implementing an alternative solution that has proven controversial – a ‘bike bus’ shuttle service, currently free.
The shuttle service reportedly costs an additional £2 million to operate and will run five times an hour from 6.30am to 9.30pm, seven days a week. But critics see it as a failure to provide sustainable transport solutions
“We must reduce car use by 27-40%according to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s own carbon plan,” said Victoria Rance, founder of the Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition. “So, putting bikes on a bus instead of creating bike lanes is bonkers. Please repurpose the Silvertown Tunnel, the sooner the better.”
Others suggest building the cycle bridge saying that the Silvertown Tunnel will bring more pollution and congestion and is incompatible with a responsible climate policy.
During the protest, traffic management measures were implemented to address the unexpected closure. A Transport for London spokesperson stated: “Cycling is not allowed in the Blackwall or Silvertown Tunnel for safety reasons. During this incident, we had to close the tunnel to all traffic until it was safe to reopen again, impacting drivers and bus passengers who would use the tunnel.”
The Silvertown Tunnel project has also raised concerns from residents in surrounding areas about potential traffic pattern changes with Local residents in Greenwich, Newham and surrounding boroughs saying the tunnel will bring additional noise and pollution from both expanded and diverted traffic, with motorists choosing different crossing points to avoid paying the toll.
The Silvertown Tunnel protest highlights the ongoing tensions between traditional vehicle infrastructure development and the growing demand for integrated cycling provisions in major urban transport projects. The traffic management response to the protest – an hour-long closure following the ten-minute ride-through – suggests potential vulnerabilities in contingency planning for similar facilities.
