Silvertown Tunnel in London was the scene of a “mass trespass” on Friday night, hundreds of cyclists riding through the tunnel in protest at the newly opened £2bn route’s lack of cycling infrastructure, riders instead told they must take their bikes on a “greenwashing” bus to shuttle them through.
The tunnel was reportedly closed for around an hour after cyclists taking part in Critical Mass London’s monthly ride cycled through it, the ride part of the wider global movement of Critical Mass events reclaiming the streets from motor traffic and highlighting the need for safe active travel routes.
In this case, Silvertown Tunnel was singled out for its lack of access or safe alternative for cyclists, the £2bn project having recently been completed and bicycle riders told they must either cross the river via a lengthy detour or catch a free shuttle bus that has been put on at a further expense of £2m.
The idea that cyclists must, rather than be provided a suitable direct route to ride between Greenwich south of the river and Newham to the north, catch a bus before resuming their cycled journeys on the other side was already branded “ridiculous” by campaigners when the plans were announced.
Accusations of “greenwashing” have been prominent throughout, the Silvertown Tunnel project reportedly costing in excess of £2bn but lacking an option for cyclists that does not either involve a massively longer journey or taking your bike on a bus that then drives through the tunnel. Criticism peaked when it emerged in January that the cost of the bike bus — which will be free to use for “for at least 12 months” and will run five times an hour from 6.30am to 9.30pm, seven days a week — will be £2m.
It was to that context that Friday’s Critical Mass ride saw hundreds on bikes defy the ban on cycling and travel through the tunnel, videos from participants showing the sea of two-wheeled traffic and Critical Mass’s standard carnival atmosphere.
One participant explained to us how “cyclists swarmed the entrance near the O2, and took over both lanes of the tunnel, which has no regular provision for cycling and walking”.
“Incoming vehicular traffic was blocked to allow for safe passage of the main body of the ride, which made its way to the northern exit at Silvertown,” they continued. “The ride through the tunnel took approximately ten minutes, before riders paused at the northern end roundabout to regroup and then move off towards Poplar.”
Social media reports suggest the tunnel remained shut for around an hour after the ride had passed through before it later opened to traffic again.
Throughout the planning and construction stages, campaigners raised concerns about the potential impact the new tunnel, which charges drivers £4 to use at peak times, will have on traffic levels and emissions. On top of that, the lack of safe and accessible cycling and walking routes as part of the £2.2bn project was repeatedly raised as a major concern.
However, the ‘solution’ for cyclists is Transport for London awarding bus company Stagecoach a £2m contract to run a shuttle service through the tunnel, cyclists told to make a long-distance detour or catch the bus through the tunnel, a service that will remain free for at least a year.
At the time the bike bus was announced there was much discussion about it on social media, one user calling the idea “ridiculous”. Another called it “embarrassing” that London is “a city which cannot afford to build a dedicated bridge or tunnel for cycles and pedestrians, but dedicates countless billions to new infrastructure for more cars”. It also attracted accusations of “greenwashing”.
Victoria Rance, a local teacher and the founder of the Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition, commented: “This is 2023. The climate is at a tipping point. We must reduce car use by 27-40 per cent according to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s own carbon plan. So putting bikes on a bus instead of creating bike lanes is bonkers. Please repurpose the Silvertown Tunnel, the sooner the better.”
“Repurposing the tunnel would be so much better. Or building the cycle bridge,” argued the Greenwich branch of the London Cycling Campaign. “All Silvertown will bring is more pollution and more congestion. It is incompatible with a responsible climate policy in its current form.”
Commenting on the “mass trespass”, a Transport for London spokesperson said: “Cycling is not allowed in the Blackwall or Silvertown Tunnel for safety reasons. A cycle shuttle service operates through the Silvertown Tunnel and offers a safe connection for cyclists through the tunnel between Silvertown and North Greenwich. 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.”
68 thoughts on ““Mass trespass” sees hundreds cycle through controversial Silvertown Tunnel where cyclists have to catch “greenwashing” bus due to lack of bike route”
Awesome. Devastated I missed
Awesome. Devastated I missed it
lukei1 wrote:
Me too! I have joined CM at times but didn’t hear anything about this one, did they keep it quiet deliberately? I would definitely have been there if I’d known.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Me too! I have joined CM at times but didn’t hear anything about this one, did they keep it quiet deliberately? I would definitely have been there if I’d known.— lukei1
Kept secret so anyone with their eyes on CM social media channels didn’t know that the ride would end up there.
Me too. I’ve ridden through
Me too. I’ve ridden through Blackwall and Rotherhithe tunnels. I’ve walked my bike through Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels. Gotta tick Silvertown off the list.
You cycled through the
You cycled through the Blackwall tunnel? That must have been awful. I’ve done the Rotherhithe tunnel – by mistake. By the time I realised I was committed so just kept going.
It was indeed horrible. It
It was indeed horrible. It was in around 1990. Traffic was nose to tail the whole way.
And all TfL have to say is
And all TfL have to say is the protest impacted drivers.
The tunnel wasn’t closed for
The tunnel wasn’t closed for an hour. It was finally open for an hour.
Someone who went told me they
Someone who went told me they’re frustrated that they don’t feel it’s a good idea to say publicly that they went. Anyway, they also told me that they had a great time, and would happily do it again, and that they love riding Critical Mass 🙃
We’re now faced with the real
We’re now faced with the real prospect of far right dogwhistle politicians winning control of dozens of English councils in the next few weeks. There have already been promises to remove unpopular cycle routes in order to gain votes, so it’s odds on that there’ll be an all out attack on England’s cycling infrastructure. Surely it would be better to focus on defending existing routes. If critical mass, or anyone else wants to defend them they should be organising regular rides along their local paths to highlight the fact that (a) they are being used regularly and (b) cyclists’ views and votes count as well. The more we can get out the bigger the impact.
Let’s make the Rotherhithe
Let’s make the Rotherhithe Tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists only.
Just checking that every
Just checking that every single one of those “mechanically propelled vehicles” (ie bicycles) has been identified, and it’s rider has paid the relevant toll charge for it’s direct passage through the tunnel?
After all, if investment is needed in cycling infrastructure, then those tolls are vital to fund it…
If it’s the Road Traffic Act
*Pedantry* If it’s the Road Traffic Act definition I think “mechanically propelled vehicle” (of which they define “motor vehicles” as a subset of) would only applies to bicycles with motors which (AFAIKS, not being a lawyer) are not EAPCs either e.g. here. Someone else can fill in the detail for e-scooters…
Whether or not non-“mechanically propelled vehicles” (bicycles, roller skaters etc. as seen in video) are liable for a toll there I have no idea. Presumably they’re not meant to be there anyway?
Bikes don’t pay the tunnel
Bikes don’t pay the tunnel fee though. Same as in the Mersey Tunnel.
It’s obvious really because the bike bus is free through the tunnel.
In law a pedal cycle is not
Although in law a pedal cycle is not mechanically propelled e.g. propelled by an engine or a motor,, it is propelled by a human, and humans are not mechanical, pedal cycles can be propelled by other animals. e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJ28V4xGG8.
Pedantically (to the law,
Pedantically (to the law, rather than to you), both are propelled via a mechanism (or rather, multiple mechanisms). The difference is in the source of power. The bicycle is powered by the human, but the motor vehicle isn’t ‘mechanically powered’ – it’s powered by fuel combustion or electrical impulse. The legal language of ‘mechanically propelled’ is a bit of a nonsense here.
Ah – a bold move! Legal
Ah – a bold move! Legal pedantry … and you may already have stumbled. “Mechanically propelled” it says – “powered” may another thing.
Of course – where do they define “mechanically propelled” or indeed “mechanical” or “propel”? I can’t see it – though it claims here it is indeed a reference to being driven by (a mechanism) powered by “petrol, oil, steam or electricity” – which seems to invite people to come up with exceptions (corn cob-powered cars, nuclear skateboards). And elsewhere EAPCs are defined as equivalent to normal bicycles, despite having some fraction of “mechanical power”…
Governing electric bikes are
Governing electric bikes are the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles ( EAPC) regulations which classify those that comply are to be considered bicycles – requiring no insurance or licence, and which anyone can ride. These are mechanically propelled. Those that do not fit into the EAPC are electric motorcycles and are illegal on public land. Same goes for bought scooters.
That Pogačar a bit of a
That Pogačar a bit of a machine mind…
I’m not aware of a charge in
I’m not aware of a charge in the schedule applying to pedal-cycles !
That would be like President Chump’s proposal to put a tariff on illegal fentanyl being smuggled in from Canada. 1) How does he find the trafficker. 2) It is a figment of his imagination, anyway.
Do critical mass rides only
Do critical mass rides only attract young males? I feel they’d be more impactful politically if there were more women, and with shopping bikes, cargo bikes, trailer bikes, other adapted bikes, and kids on their own bikes. After all, cycling infrastructure benefits these groups more than it does able-bodied young men who are generally more confident to mix in with vehicular traffic anyway.
As well as being primarly
As well as being primarly male, judging by the video, it wasn’t very ethnically diverse either. And the presence of the sort of cyclist that does wheelies down the roads and doesn’t have any bike lights is unlikely to attract sympathy from the wider public.
We can’t make people do this.
We can’t make people do this. People of all preferences are more than welcome.
Since when has the colour of
Since when has the colour of your skin been a ‘preference’?
Older Cyclist wrote:
Again, there’s always someone complaining about the manner of people protesting. They’re always protesting the wrong way or with the wrong skin colour or something.
hawkinspeter wrote:
It’s straight out of the Nigel playbook as I recall, pretend that you are concerned about diversity and equality but in fact you only care about it as a means of attacking something you don’t like – where the participants very likely care a lot more about equality and diversity than you do.
Older Cyclist wrote:
I can see quite a few black people on the video, in any case ethnic minorities are underrepresented in cycling in London so that’s a wider problem, not a problem with Critical Mass. The people doing wheelies were doing nobody any harm and were perfectly safe given that there was no motor traffic in the tunnel – I just wish I could do them like that. Lights, fair enough, although the vast majority of riders had them. It sounds more as if you disapprove of the protest as a whole and are looking for things to pick on rather than genuinely concerned about those issues.
Rendel Harris wrote:
I reckon the UCI would have handed out a few €250 fines to them though.
That’ll be 235 CHF
That’ll be 235 CHF
I’ve done kidimass rides in
I’ve done kidimass rides in York which are a true reflection of bike users. Still get angry drivers (and bizarrely, pedestrians) when it’s families making up most of the mass. People are going to dehumanise cyclists whatever happens. I guess young males just have more confidence to put themselves in harms way.
A nice lady gave me a card
A nice lady gave me a card for the Reading one on the train yesterday.
Last Friday of the month, now that the weathers good I might give it a go, more inclined to when I’m not freezing when I get back home.
Wheels up, knives down.
alchemilla wrote:
A good question. Since the idea is “it’s just a group of cyclists who happened to gather and ride together” (politically and perhaps in the hope of decentralising culpability / decreasing severity if the law decided to disapprove) … as others said all and any could attend.
EDIT: Who should attend? Not that we can pick, but perhaps successful movements need both suffragists on the inside and more radical suffragettes? (At least some of those were terrorists, we should recall – bit like some of the protestors in The Netherlands)?
As to who they *attract* … it seems they vary a lot. Probably like the roads we ride on that does depend a bit on deciding “who for” at the outset (even though it’s “any and all”). Prior reputation, timing and locations chosen probably play quite a role. If it’s later and possibly “actual trespass” that will put some off and attract others?
The Edinburgh one often has a substantial number of women and some children (and dogs … no cats seen yet though). I’d definitely say more men but that’s not surprising given “who cycles on the roads” outside of e.g. mass cycling countries anyway. It’s definitely less “yoof having a party” than e.g. some of the events I’ve seen in videos – much less wheelying, more cargo bikes with children / dogs / those with disabilities.
BUT … the idea of “taking over the streets” – or even “taking on the traffic” – perhaps has more (young) male appeal in general?
Article here on behaviours seen at a London one of these.
Too right Alchemilla.
Too right Alchemilla. Organisers obviously have a closed user group, no other groups aware of the event. A truly mass event like the London free ride would do it. And a comment on air quality, we can’t compare the new tunnel to blackwall surely? There must have been progress on air extraction and filtering since good Queen Vic’s time!
Derek S wrote:
See response to a question of mine below, in this single instance the event was kept quiet because obviously if it had been publicised the police would have taken steps to prevent it. Usually the rides are well publicised on social media well in advance and anybody is welcome, last Friday of every month. The next one is May 30, meet at 7 pm on the Southbank underneath Waterloo Bridge. They are good fun, I’d recommend giving it a try.
I think that rides may be
I think that rides may be promoted but never organised.
If there are no organised rides, there are no organisers.
If there are no organisers, there is no consipracy to commit an offence.
If there’s no conspiracy, you either prosecute them all or none.
Bullshit. The facebook group
Bullshit. The facebook group is open to anyone to join, as is the telegram channel. Just because they didn’t explicitly say where they were going this month, it does not mean it’s a closed user group. Take your misinformation elsewhere.
If once every 15 minutes they
If once every 15 minutes they stopped traffic for 5 minutes, they could let cyclists through as groups. If it’s a toll I’d happy pay a small amount.
I presume the issue is both
I presume the issue is both fumes and accidents in an enclosed space? In a world where people followed the rules I’d happily wait at a light until there were ten of us and feel perfectly safe from accidents. Could use physical barriers and a 30 second head start would make me feel pretty safe on my own, barring the first car let in after me wanting me dead.
It’d be interesting actually to see what the usage numbers would be.
I’ve mentioned before Tony
I’ve mentioned before Tony Robinson did an interesting documentary on how they clean the Blackwall tunnel, and how its basically considered a toxic to humans work environment,
You’d not want to be regularly cycling through those tunnels if you realised what you could be breathing in.
Meeperton wrote:
Both are likely to be worse for motorists than cyclists.
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/in-car-pollution-equivalent-to-passively-smoking/
I think the reason it’s a
I think the reason it’s a motor-vehicle-only tunnel is because they are the only group of road users they can realistically fleece money from
Jesus is that really the
Jesus is that really the tunnel? Bit shit for £22Bn no, even for the Drivists?
Secret_squirrel wrote:
It doesn’t exactly match up to those wonderful Victorian railway and canal tunnels where there are intricate brickwork patterns even though nobody will ever see them, does it? See picture below of what it could have been…
Jeez, what a mess. I wouldn’t
Jeez, what a mess. I wouldn’t want to go through that total mash up of ghastly colour. It’s a tunnel, not a vomit wall
Circles wrote:
That’s certainly the big issue here, for sure. Tell you what, give us the tunnel and we can negotiate on the wall painting.
You want a nicer tunnel for
You want a nicer tunnel for active travel? What about this?
That’s a lot prettier than
That’s a lot prettier than the tunnel under the Maas we have here…but at least it’s a dedicated bike/ped tunnel.
I like the extra “human
I like the extra “human dimension” thought which goes into (much) Dutch tunnel / underpass / route under a bridge design.
Not just basic “usability and convenience” e.g. limits on gradients *, perhaps having additional shortcuts (stairs) for able-bodied pedestrians (see eg. here – reusing the “emergency access” stairs). Not just (mostly) providing separate space for cyclists (who will speed up going down) and pedestrians. Not just social safety e.g.:
– no “hiding places” in / around the tunnel
– should be able to see all the way through (see here for a “fail”)
– tunnel should be well lit with light-coloured walls / ceiling (e.g. as was addressed in the Rotterdam Maastunnel renovation)
… but things like it should have e.g. some art / decoration (e.g. here) – and that should cope with humans who like to e.g. graffiti or try to smash things. Perhaps it should have a design which absorbs sound so it doesn’t have lots of echo (e.g. see here) etc.
* Including where routes for both cyclists and motorists e.g. go under a bridge – cars can get steeper gradients while cyclists – needling less head room – can stay at a higher level. See e.g. here – this also means cyclists feel further from motor traffic (nice).
Secret_squirrel wrote:
Yeah, but it was actually a ‘mere’ £2.2bn – course they could have made it nice with 22!
At least one illegal bought
At least one illegal bought scooter ( get them off the road, please, police) and some illegal electric motorcycles too ( get them of the road, please, police). Only electric bikes allowed are those which comply with the EAPC regulations, although at least one other supposed authoritative cycling website erroneously calls them EPACS !!! Doh !
Transport for London
Transport for London spokesperson said: “Cycling is not allowed in the Blackwall or Silvertown Tunnel for safety reasons.”
Where is the danger coming from?
Benthic wrote:
They’ve obviously cut a bit off the end of the sentence, it should read “Transport for London spokesperson said: ‘Cycling is not allowed in the Silvertown Tunnel for safety reasons because we deliberately constructed it so that it wouldn’t be safe for cyclists even though we could easily have done it differently.'”
Will that bike bus take a
Will that bike bus take a bike with a trailer? Is it reasonably frequent. If so, I’d go for it, even though I accept the arguments of the locals that cycling should have been designed in?
Quote:
WiLl NoBoDy ThInK oF tHe MoToRiStS!!!
“Commenting on the “mass
“Commenting on the “mass trespass”, a Transport for London spokesperson said: “Cycling is not allowed in the Blackwall or Silvertown Tunnel for
safetystupidity reasons.”FTFY
Car fumes are not a stupid
Car fumes are not a stupid reason.
Quite brave of them. Not
Quite brave of them. Not advocating this by any means but whats to stop the organisers getting the Extinction Rebellion treatment? It maybe smaller and shorter duration but they are essentially doing the same thing. Blocking the roads for our glorious drivist brethren.
Well yes … but also “we
Well yes … but also “we were just suggesting to other cyclists they might meet up to carry out a lawful activity (cycling on the road)”.
(EDIT like GMBasix said “promoted but not organised”.)
Of course it goes downhill from there in terms of “no offense” e.g. if you “reclaim” something you’re not supposed to have. Or the (fairly standard) Critical Mass safety policy of (politely) blocking cars and pedestrians from getting into the mass, and also continuing to cycle together as one body (which means continuing to cycle through red lights if they change while the mass is passing) (See here for attempts to be “nicer cyclists” while doing a mass ride…)
Again different groups seem to have different behaviour / be more or less radical / confrontational. To be debated (as we have here before) – if your protest troubles nobody at all is it an effective protest – or will any “disruption” just alienate those not involved? To what extend can we legislate away such disruption without infringing on free expression etc.?
Pretty much all social change
Pretty much all social change has come via protest,
The whole point of protest, which is an integral part of a democratic society is to cause disruption to make an impact.
An attempt to ban Critical
An attempt to ban Critical Mass London has already been made almost twenty years ago by the MET police. It did not go so well for them. Here’s the article from 2008:
https://archive.ph/vxd6u
“A service that will remain
“A service that will remain free for at least a year” and then what? I’m a pretty law abiding person by nature, so I’d probably make do with the bus if it stayed free. Think quite a few others would do the same.
Looks like TFL’s fault to me,
Looks like TFL’s fault to me, they didn’t supply enough busses to cope with the demand!
The buses already there do
The buses already there do not meet the basic TFL accessible bus requirement.
It is beyond nuts.
Our accessibility reviews of the Silvertown cycle shuttle bus service found that it has poor accessibility and is unsafe for most Disabled cyclists:
– We consider this service inaccessible and unsafe to use for most Disabled people using non-standard cycles and do not consider it a viable way to cross the river.
– We consider this service unlikely to be accessible or safe to use for many Disabled people using standard bicycles, especially for people using heavier e-bikes or if carrying cargo (including additional mobility aids) or children.
– Shuttle bus staff are not permitted to assist cyclists: We suggest Disabled cyclists interested in trying to use the shuttle service bring a non-disabled companion who is able to help them and their cycle on and off the bus.
and
To use the shuttle bus, people need to:
– Ride up a steep, standard bus ramp 0.88m wide, which has no side rails to prevent falls: We consider this to be a significant safety risk for non-standard cycle users and others unable to dismount and walk.
– Reverse down the same steep, narrow standard bus ramp: We consider this to be a very high safety risk for non-standard cycle users and others unable to dismount and walk.
– Cycle backwards, including around corners: There is not space to turn non-standard cycles around on the bus nor is there roll-straight-through boarding and disembarkation. Users will need to be able to perform complex manoeuvres and need to reverse in tight spaces – most non-standard cycles do not reverse easily or at all.
https://wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/tfl-silvertown-tunnel-cycle-bus-wfw-comments-on-access/
If its not accessible to
If its not accessible to disabled riders does that make the whole Silvertown tunnel system illegal?
It’s criminals like these
It’s criminals like these that give cyclists a bad name they should have all been arrested and had there bikes confiscated. We really do not need such selfish idiots.
Codfather123 wrote:
The inability to punctuate and to differentiate between there/their/they’re really is quite the shibboleth, isn’t it? Just a question: when the farmers block the motorways and large parts of London in protests against what they see as unfair treatment, do you think that they are selfish idiots who give all farmers a bad name and who should have had their tractors confiscated? Just curious.
The same system of a free bus
The same system of a free bus taking cyclists through a tunnel exists in the northern German city of Travemunde. Im not surprised its what was put in place in the UK….the country is absolutely pathetic when it comes to cycling infrastructure.
As for critical mass….Im not sure clogging up the streets with our bikes wins over any sympathy from motorists. Or gets the message across. I’d love to see a trial where we clogg up not just the city streets but motorways in our cars with bikes attached (maybe a mix of both)…..clearly visible hanging off the back or clipped on the roof. I know its not what we believe in using a car but most cyclists own a car. And maybe it would make the point more to the “moron jeromy clarkson ideology” .
I’ve cycled in nearly 50 countries and the UK attitude to cyclists is by far the worst. I lived my first 25 years near liverpool. And the following 30 in Australia. Australian motorists are not alot better than UK motorists but there is a huge amount more on road cycle lanes to keep the two parties apart. Because that’s what it comes down to. Theres also far more visible suport and action from government on all levels. Motorists think they own the road because they pay road tax. But that only covers administration. The other costs of running a car go to private corporations ….insurance and fuel. Roads are built with tax payers money. And cyclists are tax payers.
Local authorities need to think more out the box and build more multi user paths than footpaths. I came across a country path in the middle of the British countryside a few years ago along a busy A road. It had been rebuilt complete with concrete curb. No use to a cyclist. Its opportunities like this that are wasted.
I often read cc and the issues surrounding british cycling and pull my hair out at the attitude of the British public and how British cyclists persevere. Just across the Chanel in france is another world. A place where a british pro can train with out being persecuted by motorists and win the tour but the irony is lost on the millions of British motorists that feel a sense of pride at the win.
reading through the negative comments u have to wonder. Britain really is a lost cause. Over crowded and bigoted. Just glad I don’t do my cycling there any more. Think I would of given up years ago.
Quote:
We have our problems, just like any other country, that’s for sure. However, take a look at the countries with which you are unfavourably comparing us: France and Germany, both of which have come within a whisker of electing neofascist governments in recent years, and Australia, which recently rejected a proposal for its long-oppressed indigenous peoples to be recognised in its constitution and to have an advisory body to work on redressing the historical wrongs done to them. No country is perfect; Britain is nowhere near as bigoted as many.