Khan’s £123m toll bounty to ‘plug hole in TFL finances’

SADIQ KHAN has been accused of plugging a “black hole in TFL finances” with a £123million raid on motorists.

City Hall has said it expects Transport for London (TFL) to generate the sum from a toll on two sets of London tunnels, which will come as another blow to drivers following the Ulez expansion.

TFL, which is chaired by the Mayor of London, announced that it will charge motorists to use the previously free Blackwall Tunnel and the new £2billion Silvertown Tunnel from 2025.

In October last year, it emerged Mr Khan proposed setting the Blackwall toll at £5.25, with a return trip costing as much as £10.50. TFL insists fee levels have yet to be decided.

The body has said that charges for both tunnels are required so that traffic is not attracted towards one disproportionately, which means that the toll needs to be the same for both.

The charge will be used to cover the Silvertown Tunnel construction costs, which will be paid by TFL once it is in operation, with any leftovers reinvested in the transport system.

City Hall said: “The revenue projections for the first full financial year that the tunnel operates were £123million. This included income from both tolling and penalties.” Keith Prince, the City Hall Conservatives’ transport spokesman, said: “Sadiq Khan is waging war on motorists to plug the £15 billion black hole in TFL finances.”

But a source close to Mr Khan said the Blackwall Tunnel toll was in fact the “brainchild” of Boris Johnson.

A preliminary report on the Silvertown Tunnel scheme, published by City Hall and TFL in Oct 2015, when Mr Johnson was mayor, proposed a toll on both crossings.

A source close to Mr Khan said: “This is utter hypocrisy from the Tories. Tolling the Blackwall Tunnel is the brainchild of Boris Johnson, agreed by central government. The Government’s own Lower Thames Tunnel is proposed to be paid for using a toll.

“Sadiq has been clear that no decision has been taken on the level of Boris Johnson’s charge, but he wants to do far more to support local residents.

“While Johnson’s plans for a toll had zero mitigations for local residents, Sadiq has asked TFL to go away and work on a substantial set of discounts for people living in the area.”

A TFL spokesman said: “The purpose of introducing a user charge for the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels is to manage traffic effectively, and deliver the expected environmental and economic benefits.”