The need for new river crossings in East London: consultation response

The Assembly's Transport Committee's response to Transport for London's consultation on east London river crossings called for it to be clear about the objectives for its proposed plans and to examine the result of past consultations, such as the Thames Gateway Bridge. It also suggested looking into conducting pilots of alternative ideas to cut congestion.

To feed in to the consultation process, the Committee held a seminar on the need for new river crossings on the stretch of the River Thames from Tower Bridge to the Dartford Crossing and Transport for London's current proposals for new river crossings in this area. Watch the seminar as a webcast.

The seminar

The Committee invited a range of experts from relevant organisations to speak and there was an opportunity for other people and organisations attending to contribute views and information.

The guest experts who attended were:

• Michèle Dix, Managing Director, Planning, TfL
• German Dector-Vega, London Director, Sustrans
• John Dickie, Director of Strategy and Policy, London First
• Richard Bourn, Traffic and Planning Campaigner, Campaign for Better Transport
• David Quarmby, Chairman, RAC Foundation

More information

TfL has consulted on a number of proposals for new river crossings in east London:

• A new road tunnel between Silvertown and the Greenwich peninsula;
• A new ferry at Woolwich to replace the existing service;
• A new vehicle ferry at Gallions Reach running between Thamesmead and Beckton by 2017;
• A new bridge or tunnel at Gallions Reach by around 2031 if a ferry does not address needs;
• A new bridge or tunnel at Gallions Reach, not before 2021, instead of a ferry; and
• A toll for any new crossings and the Blackwall Tunnel to pay for the proposals and help to manage traffic.

These options are contained in Transport for London's East London River Crossings: Assessment of Options (see attachment).

The Committee used the opinions expressed during the seminar to help produce a response to TfL's consultation which closed on 1 February 2013.

The seminar examined the issues relating to new river crossings including road congestion, economic, regeneration and environmental concerns and how any new crossings will be funded.