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Rant on Blackwall and rotherhite tunnels

Posts: 4,903 Forumite
The area needs river crossings really bad. It's literally crippeling the economy of East London, for many people the South and the North of the river might as well be as far apart as London and Birmingham because people only cross if they really have to.

I can understand why Rotherhite tunnel was built the way it was - I beleive it was designed for horse drawn carts. But why on Earth did the enginners build Blackwall tunnel with just 2 lanes either side?

I think it would have needed at least 5 lanes either side to allow for fast and free moving traffic as well as contingency for accidents and breakdowns in the lane which costs businesses [possibly] millions of pounds a month from delays occurring in the crossings.

The things the government wastes money on. These poxy Olympic village apartments add nothing to the area. It was a complete waste of money, the area needs river crossings which the comunity in East London would benefit from for hundreds of years to follow. I reckon it would have cost a fraction of the price to build a 5 lane tunnel in East london than it would have cost for the Olympics.

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Comments

  • Posts: 12,287 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Nice rant........been stuck in the tunnel traffic have we? :D
  • Posts: 7,175 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Loving the new Tyne Tunnel crossing. :p
  • How old are the tunnels and much traffic was about when it was built?

    That's your answer as it why it was built that way.
  • Loving the new Tyne Tunnel crossing. :p

    Good ain't it. ;)
  • Posts: 21,637 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    How old are the tunnels and much traffic was about when it was built?

    That's your answer as it why it was built that way.

    115 years ago for foot and horse traffic.
  • Posts: 4,903 Forumite
    vaio wrote: »
    Nice rant........been stuck in the tunnel traffic have we? :D

    not quite, once you're in the tunnel, it's fine - its smooth sailing from there on. Nice open roads.

    It's when you're approaching a tunnel that's the problem because traffic is controlled by traffic signals to stop people getting trapped in the tunnel. So there's a backlog of traffic for miles on end.
  • Posts: 4,903 Forumite
    How old are the tunnels and much traffic was about when it was built?

    That's your answer as it why it was built that way.

    blackwall tunnel was built fairly recently, and the designers would have looked at the trend for road use over time and should have anticipated how bad it was going to get. Unfortunately now that it's already built it's taken up a very valuable location so another tunnel cannot be built there, nor can it be widened now. SO they have to build a new one,in a completely diferent location maybe 2-3 miles down.

    I'm surprised no constructions firms have decided to build a toll bridge or tunnel by now. They're always funding vanity projects like Olympic stadiums - but I guess a bridge or tunnel isn't very glamarous.
  • Posts: 21,637 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    not quite, once you're in the tunnel, it's fine - its smooth sailing from there on. Nice open roads.

    It's when you're approaching a tunnel that's the problem because traffic is controlled by traffic signals to stop people getting trapped in the tunnel. So there's a backlog of traffic for miles on end.

    The main use for the Southbound traffic lights is to allow traffic from joining roads to go through the tunnel.
  • Posts: 12,287 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    from wiki...
    ....The tunnel was originally opened as a single bore in 1897 by the then prince of Wales, as a major transport project to improve commerce and trade in London's East End, and supported a mix of foot, cycle, horse-drawn and vehicular traffic. By the 1930s, capacity was becoming inadequate, and consequently a second bore opened in 1967, handling southbound traffic while the earlier 19th century tunnel handled northbound.....
    I guess they could repeat the 1930-1967 expansion and build another two which would then give two tunnels each way but if they did you'll probably find yourself paying a fiver to get through
  • Posts: 403 Forumite
    The government should fund it the same way they did with the m25 toll bridge.

    Tell the public the toll charge will only apply until the cost of construction has been repaid then stop.

    Oh wait...!!!
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