London’s brand-new Silvertown Tunnel cost £2.2 billion to build — but it didn’t include a cycle lane. So TfL launched a free “bus for cyclists” to shuttle to take bikes under the Thames.
There’s just one problem: almost nobody is using it.
Rags Martel heads to East London to count riders, speak to locals, and ask whether this £2 million-a-year service is a worthy solution — or an expensive ghost bus.
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5 Comments
Hi Rags,
I've been forced out of the habit of using my bike to cross the Thames east of Tower bridge. I used to regularly cycle to the foot tunnels then walk through to enjoy cycling along the Thames path, but got stung too many times by the tunnel lifts not working. The Woolwich ferry has some of the worst roads to cycle on to it's north so that compounds the issue. This bus has it's stops in places swirling with heavy traffic too.
Upgrade the lifts on the foot tunnels and fix the roads in Becton and North Woolwich, that's the answer.
The dual-carriageways Royal Albert Way and Royal Docks Way need to be singled, they are motorways with no destination. Sir Steve Redgrave bridge is a filthy smear on his name, I dare you to cycle across it and down to the ferry!
Why fidn't you guys count passenger numbers during rush hour. On my local bus route i'm one of the only people onboard off peak but during the peak, buses are rammed.
There was an option to add a pedestrian and cycle footpath inside one or both bores which would've cost 5% more, but instead we get this joke that costs 2 million quid, and will promptly be cancelled.
I thought it might come to this, definitely getting scrapped within a year, maybe it should become a passenger shuttle
Isn't that because it isn't sign posted and there are any cycle ways to the ends.