Silvertown tunnel: Still abysmal for Greenwich pedestrians and cyclists before opening?
With the Silvertown tunnel just days away from opening it seemed an ideal time to see how a recently installed bridge and approach streets are looking for cyclists and pedestrians.
While Transport for London have been keen to show off the tunnel to elements of the media, not many are looking beyond that immediate area into how things are looking for other street users.
To give an example there’s been a lot of coverage of the cycle bus – but scant mention of how cyclists are supposed to reach it.
Just today TfL put out promotional video, but somehow forgot to include streets needed to be used by many to reach the cycle shuttle. Shall we look at why that may be?
Legacy of neglect
For many years approaches on either side of a footbridge which connects parts of Greenwich to the peninsula across the tunnel approach have been barely in abysmal condition and barely maintained, if at all.
This site looked at how bad it was back in 2022 when much of Tunnel Avenue appeared a dumping ground.
A new bridge for cyclists and pedestrians was installed in 2023 and heralded by Transport for London, though the old bridge was never really the problem. It was the dire, neglected approach routes either side.
Yet in 2023 streets in the area remained an uncared-for mess but here we are just days away from the £2.2 bn tunnel. Has anything improved?
Well, yes. But it’s merely gone from utterly abysmal to not at all enticing. There wasn’t the mounds of dumped rubbish left for months, but the footways, footbridge and cycle path are still far from good.
A lack of routine cleaning is clearly evident. It still looks like a forgotten backwater.
Broken signs and footways remain in poor condition.
The area has a shared cycle and footway so both groups can enjoy such quality surfaces and facilities.
Flooding and poor drainage have always been an issue and remain so.
This was some time after the last rainfall but the substantial puddle covered much of the crossing.
Lorry depot
A newly built lorry and van distribution depot – which an eye firmly on the new tunnel – has recently completed along Tunnel Avenue which will do little to make it more appealing.
The Tunnel Avenue route heads from Blackwall Lane then across the A102 before reaching Boord Street and the cycle lane bus stop on Millennium Way.
It also functions as a pedestrian route between thousands of new homes on Greenwich peninsula and Greenwich’s shops and attractions, while also offers a link between residents in other parts of Greenwich and North Greenwich station and the o2.
It should – and could – be a popular and appealing link connecting various busy parts of Greenwich seeing ever more housing and amenities constructed. It isn’t.
It also acts as an alternative to an even worse link between either side of the A102 beneath a flyover and approach roads where pedestrians and cyclists are very much treated as an inconvenience, left to dice it out with few crossings (and what is there is poorly located), no cycle lanes and yet more neglected public realm.
Footbridge
The bridge itself isn’t in great shape. It’s often strewn with rubbish and has the saddest plant pots I’ve ever seen.
Obviously no plants ever appeared to have been planted once the media announcements were complete.
It’s always quite amusing how when an authority want to do a quick, slap-dash “improvement” they stick up another Legible London sign, and so of course one has been installed here.
It won’t be fixed or replaced when broken.
North side of the road
On the peninsula side of the bridge not a great deal has changed.
Excessive street clutter remains at the junction of Millennium Way.
No cycle lane has been built along the dual carriageway to reach the cycle bus stop.
To the north no footpath still exists for pedestrians heading north.
£2.2 billion cost
Given the vast expenditure of Silvertown tunnel and its contentious nature you may have expected there to be some public realm benefit for Greenwich if only as a sop. Just a modest amount to improve some shoddy, decades-old out of date street design to at least try to show they’re interested in active travel?
After all, for many years Greenwich Council were strong supporters of the tunnel under successive leaders yet somehow didn’t manage to gain very much of anything to improve some pretty desperate areas. That’s in contrast to Newham over the river who have seen TfL splash the cash. It may have helped that Newham were willing to also put up funds. Greenwich havn’t.
But nothing. It speaks volumes about TfL and Greenwich’s real effort and motivation.
Remember the recent report before a planning meeting for a major Greenwich development recently? It featured an Active Travel assessment with a range of pedestrian routes, yet somehow forgot to mention this one which is one of the few linking populated areas of Greenwich either side of the road. Funny that. It meant no Section 106 revenue was allocated for improvements.
TfL do point to the new bridge across the A102 which is slightly flawed given:
- A new bridge was needed anyway
- The design obscures views of those on it when approaching due to extensive mesh across the main span thus hardly likely to entice pedestrian usage
- The old bridge was fine and not the main problem. It was the approach streets that was were and are off-putting.
Of course the tunnel is now set to open and many media outlets will buy up TfL’s PR and rehash the press releases wholesale. Few will ever bother to look at how poor the wider area is and has gained so little.
Hopefully by highlighting this at least some are aware of how areas in Greenwich have been almost entirely ignored in the midst of £2.2 bn being spent. After all, TfL and Greenwich Council certainly havn’t shown any interest beyond press statements.
I tried using the new footpath once, hoping it would make getting across the peninsula easier, but honestly, it was a huge letdown. You’re walking right next to the busy road, through industrial zones, and it just doesn’t feel safe or welcoming. It’s uncomfortable, cramped, and feels like there’s no thought put into making it a pleasant or practical route for pedestrians. I haven’t bothered with it since.
The only option that really works is the underpass, but even that’s not ideal. It’s the only path that feels like it actually gets you somewhere without dodging traffic, but the crossings are terrible and the whole area just feels neglected.
Now with the Silvertown Tunnel opening, we’re about to get even more traffic and pollution, but still no real improvements for residents. There’s always talk around Greenwich about encouraging active travel, with consultations and plans for better pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, but nothing ever seems to change. Despite all the money going into the tunnel for cars, there’s been no investment in making this area more livable for people who actually live here, just more noise, more congestion, and no real benefit for us.
I don’t really understand what the vision for the peninsula is supposed to be. It’s mostly a residential area, but there’s little in the way of proper shops or amenities for people who live here. The O2 is great for events, but it doesn’t meet the everyday needs of residents. Getting to the shops or other amenities often means navigating busy roads or having to travel further away, and it really feels like the peninsula is an island cut off from the rest of the community. It’s hard to feel connected to the area when basic things are a hassle to get to.
The main issues of contention are:
1. No North to South major public transport routes. East to West are well-represented but try to get to Hackney from Maze Hill (bus to North Greenwich|Tube to Canada Water|Overground) and it becomes a miserable little run. By conparison a car takes barely fifteen minutes once you hit the tunnel.
2. Increased use of HGVs for construction. Never a minute you won’t find a Sivyer truck going through the tunnel.
3. Increased use of home delivery services such as Evri, DPD and the independents.
4. High saturation of Uber drivers. Uber needs to maintain high availability or people will make other arrangements.
Much of these factors are beyond even Greenwich’s ability to affect – the result is the total paralysis of long-term planning. If anything the approval for a ‘last mile’ warehouse shows Greenwich is more than happy to prioritize the status quo as long as it generates a quick sale. The pedestrian? Only on the rendered images.
Dont forget woolwich foot tunnel lifts don’t work and haven’t worked for 3 years now, despite commitments to get them working by August 2024, then December 2024….. greenwich council should just be merged into Southwark or something.
You always have got the Greenwich Foot Tunnel that isn’t too far. Despite people with bikes aren’t allowed to ride whilst using the foot tunnel. But I have watched a video on YouTube on how the Silvertown Tunnel could have been built.
With pedestrian footpaths and cycle lanes that would make it lot easier to get to and from both sides of the tunnel. Instead of taking the longer route via the foot tunnel or the Woolwich Ferry.
I think the Silvertown Tunnel could have been better thought through to cater for motorist cyclist and bus users. If they want to encourage people to walk cycle and use public transport more then they need to improve public transport and bus services through both thevSilvertown and Blackwall Tunnels, improve pavement space for pedestrians and make cycle lanes and roads safer for cyclists and motorists.