Freddie Downing, the Conservative candidate for the London Assembly constituency of City and East, wrote again today to the Mayor of London's office to urge them to come forward with more details about plans to introduce a Blackwall Tunnel user charge.
The letter comes amidst multiple news reports that the Mayor's office and TfL are looking to charge vehicles between £4 and £8.50 per crossing. A £4 car charge to use the Blackwall Tunnel would be 60 per cent more than the Dartford Crossing charge.
Freddie Downing said:
"I am uncomfortable with plans to charge drivers to use a crossing that has been free since the tunnel opened in 1897!
We have to remember a lot has changed since plans for a user charge were first put forward a decade ago - we now have ULEZ and the Congestion Charge has increased from £11.50 to £15.
If current reports are correct, some drivers could soon be paying £44.50 a day to drive in London, or around £11,000 a year. That is a ruinous amount.
The Mayor needs to tell us what he's planning and in particular, what support he is proposing to give to families, businesses and charities who use the tunnel."