14 January, 2010 | By Ed Owen
London First says a toll on the Blackwall Tunnel should be imposed to pay for new crossings of the Thames in East London, such as the proposed Silvertown Crossing.
Responding to the Mayors draft Transport Strategy this week, London First said it would like to see the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) explore new funding mechanisms to allow progress on stalled schemes, such as the proposed Silvertown crossing.
The proposed Silvertown crossing could be funded through a toll on the overloaded Blackwall tunnel, allowing construction within the next ten years.
Chief Executive of London First Baroness Jo Valentine, said: Theres a lot in the Mayors transport strategy which we welcome, from the recognition of the critical importance of transport capacity to economic growth, to the commitment to build Crossrail and to improve the effectiveness of the road network.
The next few years will see a dramatic tightening in public spending, so its time for Boris to look more creatively at ways of funding improvements to Londons transport infrastructure. Many European countries have tolls on bridges and motorways, and manage to modernise and extend their public transport and road networks. There ought to be some ideas which we could apply