Latest news with #AndyLord
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Silvertown Tunnel easing congestion, TfL says
Transport for London (TfL) has shared the first insights about the impact on traffic of the new Silvertown Tunnel, as part of commissioner Andy Lord's latest report to the TfL Board. Analysis of data between 21 April and 11 May shows the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels are being used by an average of about 88,000 vehicles on a typical weekday. Of these, about 20,000 are using the Silvertown Tunnel. Before the tunnel opened on 7 April, about 100,000 vehicles used the Blackwall Tunnel on weekdays. TfL said this fall in traffic had helped to ease congestion. However, it said it was aware of some increased traffic volumes at other river crossings, including the Woolwich Ferry. The £2.2bn Silvertown Tunnel stretches almost a mile (1.4km) under the River Thames from Greenwich to Newham. Motorists using the tunnel - the first new road crossing of the Thames east of Tower Bridge in more than three decades - must pay a toll to use it, as is also now the case for those using the nearby Blackwall Tunnel. Silvertown Tunnel: Who pays and why the controversy? Mr Lord's report also provided ridership data about the three bus services that operate through both tunnels: the new Superloop SL4, the extended route 129 and the 108, which already ran through the Blackwall Tunnel before 7 April. Across the routes there is a daily average of more than 20,000 passengers making use of these services, of which typically about 7,000 are crossing the river using one of the two tunnels. In March 2025, there were about 2,700 crossings a day made using route 108. Across the wider road network, the report said initial analysis showed stability in overall traffic volumes, including on the A2, A12 and A13. There is also a cycle shuttle service, enabling cyclists to take their bikes free of charge on a bus through the Silvertown Tunnel. TfL said some 100-150 people were using it on a typical day. While this is below its capacity, TfL believes usage will grow as cyclists adapt their routes to benefit from this safer crossing option. A look inside the Silvertown tunnel before opening TfL said it intended to publish quarterly factsheets on the operational performance of the tunnels' toll scheme. This will include information about how many people pay the charge, the compliance rates for vehicles using the tunnels and the number of Penalty Charge Notices that are issued. The first of these factsheets will be published later this year, but initial data shows that compliance has steadily increased, with about 90% of customers either paying a charge or benefiting from a relevant discount or exemption. Residents living in 12 east London boroughs and the City of London, and on certain benefits, could be eligible for a 50% discount. TfL said about 3,500 residents had registered for it so far. Seb Dance, deputy mayor for transport, said: "It's encouraging that initial data from TfL shows that the new Silvertown Tunnel is helping to reduce the build-up of traffic around the Blackwall Tunnel. "This means more reliable and faster journey times for thousands of Londoners during peak hours." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Silvertown Tunnel to close for 17 nights for works When Silvertown opens, Blackwall tolls start too TfL: Silvertown Tunnel
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Silvertown Tunnel usage data published by Transport for London
Transport for London (TfL) has shared the first insights about the impact on traffic of the new Silvertown Tunnel, as part of commissioner Andy Lord's latest report to the TfL of data between 21 April and 11 May shows the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels are being used by an average of about 88,000 vehicles on a typical weekday. Of these, about 20,000 are using the Silvertown the tunnel opened on 7 April, about 100,000 vehicles used the Blackwall Tunnel on weekdays. TfL said this fall in traffic had helped to ease congestion. However, it said it was aware of some increased traffic volumes at other river crossings, including the Woolwich Ferry. The £2.2bn Silvertown Tunnel stretches almost a mile (1.4km) under the River Thames from Greenwich to using the tunnel - the first new road crossing of the Thames east of Tower Bridge in more than three decades - must pay a toll to use it, as is also now the case for those using the nearby Blackwall Tunnel. Mr Lord's report also provided ridership data about the three bus services that operate through both tunnels: the new Superloop SL4, the extended route 129 and the 108, which already ran through the Blackwall Tunnel before 7 the routes there is a daily average of more than 20,000 passengers making use of these services, of which typically about 7,000 are crossing the river using one of the two tunnels. In March 2025, there were about 2,700 crossings a day made using route the wider road network, the report said initial analysis showed stability in overall traffic volumes, including on the A2, A12 and A13. 'Encouraging' There is also a cycle shuttle service, enabling cyclists to take their bikes free of charge on a bus through the Silvertown Tunnel. TfL said some 100-150 people were using it on a typical day. While this is below its capacity, TfL believes usage will grow as cyclists adapt their routes to benefit from this safer crossing option. TfL said it intended to publish quarterly factsheets on the operational performance of the tunnels' toll scheme. This will include information about how many people pay the charge, the compliance rates for vehicles using the tunnels and the number of Penalty Charge Notices that are first of these factsheets will be published later this year, but initial data shows that compliance has steadily increased, with about 90% of customers either paying a charge or benefiting from a relevant discount or living in 12 east London boroughs and the City of London, and on certain benefits, could be eligible for a 50% discount. TfL said about 3,500 residents had registered for it so Dance, deputy mayor for transport, said: "It's encouraging that initial data from TfL shows that the new Silvertown Tunnel is helping to reduce the build-up of traffic around the Blackwall Tunnel."This means more reliable and faster journey times for thousands of Londoners during peak hours."
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Transport for London launches travel announcer competition
If you live in, or have been to, London, you'll know the famous 'Mind the gap' announcement very an iconic part of travelling on the London Underground, and now some young travel fans could be in with the chance of being the next generation of for London (TfL) has launched a competition asking children aged 5-16 what their favourite way of getting around the city is and why, to be in with a chance of recording a message to play at a London station. For example, they could enjoy taking the train to see their family, or to their favourite could be about any method of travel around the capital: bus, river services, cycle hire, Tram depot, IFS Cloud Cable Car, Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line or DLR station, or coach staff of each service will choose 25 winners, who will then record their special winners will also get a tour related to their entry, so could get given behind the scenes access to tram stops, tube lines and train stations. It's to celebrate TfL's 25th anniversary, and the organisation has a whole load of other events planned, such as having lots of buskers perform at Liverpool Street transport commissioner, Andy Lord, called the competition "a fantastic opportunity for superfans to make their mark and share their stories with millions of people across the capital." Did you know? The Tube turned 160 years old in 2023Roughly four million people use the Tube every dayThe bus is London's oldest form of public transportLondon bus wheels were the inspiration for the rounded TfL logoThe Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is a network of trains without drivers
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Travel announcements to be recorded by young transport fans
Young fans of London's trains, buses and cycleways could hear their own voice making travel announcements across the for London (TfL) is running a competition for children aged between five and 16, in which they are asked to explain why they particularly like a way of getting suggests examples of the London Overground being a favourite way of going to see grandparents, a bus route to a football match, or a cycleway used by the family on a relaxing will choose 25 entrants to record special PA announcements and see behind the scenes of the city's transport operation. Winners will be chosen by the staff of each service, and will record their own personalised 25th anniversary message, which will be played at a London will also experience a tour related to their entry, such as round a bus depot, seeing what goes on at cycle hire hubs, or a Tube, tram or railway contest is part of TfL's 25-year anniversary celebrations, which also have included a special line-up of buskers at Liverpool Street station. London's transport commissioner, Andy Lord, called the competition "a fantastic opportunity for super-fans to make their mark and share their stories with millions of people across the capital."Further details are available on the TfL Travel for Life website.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lime and Forest e-bikes seized for blocking pavements - and released after firms pay £25,000 in fines
More than 100 Lime and Forest e-bikes that were blocking pavements in central London have been seized by council officials. The City of London Corporation, the local authority for the City's 'Square Mile' financial area, seized the bikes and charged the firms a fee of £235 per bike before allowing them to be recovered. It said more than 100 of the dockless bikes were removed from the streets over a two-week period because they had been left in areas where they caused an obstruction or presented an 'immediate danger to others'. This means the dockless bikes firms will have been fined in the region of £25,000 to get their bikes back. It is the latest controversy to hit the dockless bike industry, which has seen a huge growth in the use of hired e-bikes in London amid calls for the introduction of Londonwide rules to curb their numbers and tackle anti-social parking. Last year Brent council threatened to evict Lime because of issues with abandoned bikes, but eventually struck a compromise deal. According to the City corporation, the crackdown was taken 'to encourage hire operators to manage their own fleet and customers to comply with good parking behaviour'. The bikes were stored in a safe location for 24 hours, before Lime and Forest were able to collect them after paying the £235 release fee, which covered the City's cost of removal and storage. The City corporation already provides designated bays where e-bikes can be parked, such as in former car parking bays in Finsbury Square. It has added 300 more designated parking spaces across the Square Mile. But the sheer number of e-bikes being made available for hire – Lime is thought to have a fleet of 25,000 to 30,000 bikes and Forest of about 15,000 bikes – means many are dumped on the pavement. City officials said it launched the crackdown in response to the scale of complaints it was receiving about dumped e-bikes. Lime's global chief executive Wayne Ting was in London last month, and met Transport for London commissioner Andy Lord and Shravan Joshi, the City's transport chief, to discuss future regulation and how Lime aimed to 'work collaboratively' to solve the problems caused by the way some Lime riders dump the bikes carelessly. Lime has offered to fund new parking bays in the City through its parking infrastructure fund. Mr Joshi, chair of the City's planning and transportation committee, said: 'I recently met with the CEO of Lime, along with their CFO and UK Director which provided an opportunity to ensure their global senior leadership fully understands the impact. 'Lime has seen remarkable success and with 16 million journeys taken (including by me!) during London's commuting hours in 2024, their presence on the streets is undeniable, but so too are the challenges posed by bikes cluttering our pavements. 'The action plan from Lime is welcome news, particularly a funded programme that helps ensure we can continue to see dockless bikes on London's streets without causing disruption and obstacles to others. 'Alongside this, we will keep up the pressure to make sure results are quantified and meaningful, alongside Transport for London and London Councils.' Lime is making £5m available to London boroughs to create 2,500 designated bike parking bays. It has also pledged to beef up its in-house bike warden squads and will aim to move badly-parked bikes before complaints are received. TfL commissioner Mr Lord, speaking to The Standard last week about plans to regulate dockless e-bikes, said: 'We have got to have better co-ordination around how bikes are parked. 'We need to make sure they are not left in the way of pedestrians – and there is technology [that can help us do that]. 'Lime are committing to put some extra money into improving safety and their response to removing bikes that are inappropriately parked. 'Greater co-ordination, working with the boroughs, we have got a clear view that we want active travel and cycling to continue to grow, but we need to do it in a way that isn't causing issues for other road users and pavement users. 'We got a very clear view from the CEO of Lime that that is a priority for them.' Asked if he wanted to retain dockless e-bikes for hire in London, Mr Lord added: 'I think dockless bikes have got a part to play. 'Clearly we [TfL] are an operator ourselves, so we can't get into commercial issues, but I think there is a role for dockless bikes to play. 'But we need to improve the co-ordination and the ability for them to be parked in a way that doesn't cause aggravation and accessibility issues.' A Lime spokesperson said: "We fully support the City of London Corporation's efforts to ensure responsible parking of rental e-bikes across the industry, whilst ensuring that e-bikes contribute to the City's transport strategy and plans to improve air quality, reduce car traffic and increase cycling rates. 'We want Lime's e-bikes to enhance the City's transport network without causing inconvenience or hazards to Londoners. 'Currently the high demand for our e-bikes in the City of London far outstrips the parking spaces available, sometimes leading to overcrowded parking bays and mis-parked bikes. 'With our new £20 million London Action Plan we are building more parking spaces and increasing our on-street team by 60 per cent to help tackle this. 'Our CEO, Wayne Ting, recently had a productive meeting with the City of London Corporation on the topic, and we are working closely with them to ensure our bikes contribute to a cleaner, greener City of London." Alex Berwin, head of policy at Forest, said: "It is unfortunate a very small number of Forest e-bikes were collected as part of this action. 'However, we are committed to working with the City of London to ensure the hundreds of residents, visitors and commuters who rely on our e-bikes have a safe and convenient location to responsibly park their e-bike, as well as minimise obstructions for non-users. 'We look forward to continuing our partnership with the City of London and continue investing in essential infrastructure to support cycling across all boroughs."
