Sadiq Khan’s Shocking Tunnel Decision Leaves Londoners Stuck and Paying the Price

Local people in East London are struggling with higher travel costs and longer journeys, and Susan Hall says it’s because of poor decisions by Mayor Sadiq Khan on transport.

East London has always had too few river crossings, which has caused traffic jams and made travel frustrating for both residents and local businesses. So when the Silvertown Tunnel opened recently, many hoped it would help solve these problems. But instead of making things better, it’s made things worse.

Susan Hall says that ever since the tunnel opened, she’s been getting messages from angry Londoners. Meanwhile, the Mayor seems out of touch and unaware of what people are really going through.

Taxi drivers have reported heavy traffic on routes like Tower Bridge and London Bridge, as drivers try to avoid the new tolls. In areas like around the O2 Arena, what used to be short trips are now taking close to an hour. These aren’t rare cases—they’re becoming a regular problem across East London. Instead of reducing congestion, the new tunnel has made it worse, according to Hall. Drivers are confused by new road systems and trying to dodge toll fees, which is causing more traffic problems.

Hall argues that charging people to use the Blackwall Tunnel—something that has been free for 128 years—is deeply unfair. The idea of using tolls to fund new roads isn’t bad in itself, but the way it’s been done here is upsetting a lot of people. For decades, people planned their lives, homes, and businesses around having access to this free crossing. Now they’re suddenly being asked to pay, without enough warning or proper explanation.

This issue is just one part of a larger pattern, Hall says. She believes Khan’s other transport ideas—like Low Traffic Neighbourhoods—are also failing. These schemes push cars onto main roads, slowing down buses and making traffic worse.

A better approach, she suggests, would have been to only charge people to use the new Silvertown Tunnel, while keeping the Blackwall Tunnel free. However, both tunnels share the same entry road (A102), so tolling just one of them would cause even more confusion and traffic build-up. Hall says this was a flaw in the plan from the start, and the Mayor should have listened when people raised concerns.

To fix things, Hall says the Mayor needs to scrap the current toll exemption scheme, which hardly anyone is using. Instead, he should offer a fairer toll system like the one used at the Dartford Crossing. People living in nearby boroughs like Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Greenwich, Havering, Newham, and Tower Hamlets should get big discounts.

She also says the tolls on the Silvertown Tunnel should end once the tunnel has been paid off. It shouldn’t become a permanent extra cost for people in East London. Hall believes locals are being unfairly charged just because of where they live.

People aren’t against progress—they just want to be treated fairly. Susan Hall is urging the Mayor to take these concerns seriously and change course before things get worse.