Seeking your views on improving river crossings

Overview

Update 3 December 2015

Click here to go to the latest consultation on river crossings

Following a 2014 consultation on east London river crossing options, the Mayor asked Transport for London (TfL) to progress options for new bridges or tunnels at both Gallions Reach and Belvedere. Taking account of the responses received, over the last twelve months we have been undertaking various pieces of work on:

• The likely impacts of these crossings, including impact on traffic flows
• The public transport network and options for public transport provision on each of the crossings
• Environmental considerations and impacts
• The economic benefits of new crossings
   

This consultation will help to progress the project and ensure our decisions take account of the views of the public and stakeholders.

We would like to know whether you support the crossings, how you think you would use them and the destinations you would like to be able to get to by improved public transport connections.

We appreciate your time in reading about our project and providing us with your feedback.

Update ends

August 2014 update

This consultation has now closed.  To read about TfL’s latest proposals for new river crossings, please see www.tfl.gov.uk/new-river-crossings

September 2013 update

The information on this page relates to a consultation on TfL’s River Crossings programme that was undertaken from 29 October to 1 February 2013. 

We have now considered all of the issues raised in the responses we received during the consultation.  We have prepared a report responding to each of the issues raised.  Download a report responding to the issues raised in the consultation.

Next steps

The comments we received during the consultation were very helpful and have informed the development of the River Crossings programme in a number of ways:

• Demonstrating a range of ideas from the public and stakeholders for new river crossings, whilst also highlighting issues that TfL needs to address in the ongoing development of the River Crossings programme;

• Demonstrating the range of opinions for replacing the Woolwich Ferry, and highlighting that further consultation would be necessary;

• Making clear that there is a strong appetite within the public and stakeholders for TfL to consider crossing improvements for cyclists, pedestrians and public transport users;

• Highlighting potential issues associated with a user charging regime, including how it might work, when it might apply and who would pay; and

• Highlighting the nature of the information the public would like to receive during future consultations.

Having considered the public consultation responses we have decided to continue to develop the River Crossings programme. From this point, we envisage that while we continue to work to identify a solution for replacing the Woolwich Ferry, proposals for a new tunnel at Silvertown would be progressed separately but in tandem in light of the clear linkages between the two issues. 

In the coming months we will undertake further work to determine the traffic, environmental and regeneration impacts and benefits of the possible new river crossings, building on the initial assessments we have undertaken to date. We anticipate a further consultation later this year on options for replacing the Woolwich Ferry, including the options recently consulted on, allowing stakeholders and members of the public to consider the findings of our impact assessment work and enabling a decision to be taken on a way forward in the summer 2014.  The continued development of the Silvertown Tunnel would need to take account of the findings of that consultation, and hence we anticipate that a consultation on the detail of the Silvertown proposal and its effects could be held in summer 2014, once there is confirmation on the preferred option to be taken forward as a replacement for the Woolwich Ferry.

If you have any questions, or would like to register to receive further information about these proposals, please contact us at rivercrossings@tfl.gov.uk.

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May 2013 update

The information on this page relates to a consultation that was undertaken from 29 October to 1 February 2013.

The consultation has now closed.  Download a report summarising the results of the consultation.

You might also find useful our briefing to the Mayor, summarising the findings of the consultation.  Download our briefing to the Mayor.

Next steps

We are now looking in detail at the points raised during the consultation.  We will publish a further report later this summer to set out our response to each of the issues raised. 

We will write to everybody who replied to the consultation again later this summer, once we have published our report into the issues raised during the 29 October to 1 February 2013 consultation.

If you have any questions, or would like to register to receive further information about these proposals, please contact us at rivercrossings@tfl.gov.uk.

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The Mayor has asked TfL to seek people’s views on ways of making it easier to cross the River Thames in the East of London.

This follows a consultation we held earlier this year, in which we asked members of the public, businesses, and other stakeholders to tell us about the need for more river crossings, and give us their views on two infrastructure projects which build on proposals set out in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy:

• The “Silvertown Tunnel”: a road tunnel running between the Greenwich Peninsula and Silvertown, and
• The “Gallions Reach Ferry”: a new vehicle ferry running between Thamesmead and Beckton

In that consultation we also asked people to tell us about any other options we should be looking at. View the February 2012 consultation.

Responding to what you've told us so far

We received nearly 4,000 responses to our last consultation, and over 90% of those who responded agreed that there is a need for more river crossings in East and South East London.

Over 80% of respondents supported the Silvertown Tunnel, and over 60% supported the Gallions Reach Ferry. Some people also made suggestions for other improvements they would like to see, such as alternative crossing options at Gallions Reach.

In some cases, people also highlighted concerns over aspects of the proposals – for instance their potential traffic impacts – and people offered views about how we could manage and fund the improvements.

The projects outlined in this consultation aim to respond to all of these issues.

Why we are proposing improvements

Find out why we are proposing these improvements by clicking the buttons below.

What we are proposing

We are considering two possible infrastructure projects which could help to address the four problems described in 'The problems we are trying to solve'.

The following click buttons provide information on the improvements we are considering. It is important to note that all the crossings described are at an early stage of development. Our decisions about whether and how to develop the projects further will be informed by your responses to this consultation, and there will be further opportunities to comment on all of these projects if we subsequently propose them formally.

If we implement a ferry at Gallions Reach, we would also need to consider the future of the Woolwich Ferry, which we currently have a legal obligation to operate. Read about closing the Woolwich Ferry and other options below.

Further information

The information provided on this site is also available to download. Download information in a printable format. To request this information in large print or audio, or in another language, please call 0843 222 1234.

More information on proposals and background

This section is where, during the course of the consultation, we have made available further information about the proposals we are consulting on.

The first document is a report on the results of our previous consultation on the River Crossings package. The second document is a summary of evidence concerning the need for intervention to improve the highway infrastructure in this area. The third, and final document, provides more detail about how we selected the options we are consulting on.

Your views will help shape our proposals

This consultation closed on 1 February 2013.

The responses to our last consultation have guided our thinking and helped us develop the options set out in consultation. In turn, your response to this consultation will help inform decisions over how we proceed with our plans to improve river crossings in East and South East London.

We are keen to hear your views. You can tell us your views by completing our online survey below, by clicking here to download a printable version of our questionnaire and sending your response by post (no stamp required), or by emailing your views to rivercrossings@tfl.gov.uk.

Find out more - public roadshows

We are holding a series of roadshows during the consutlation period to give people the chance to come and discuss the proposals with us. Details of roadshow locations and dates.