An open letter addressed to the capital’s Mayor welcomed his declaration of a climate emergency and his approach to moving forward with an ultra low emission zone to help reduce air pollution.

'We are concerned, however, that allowing TfL to build the Silvertown Tunnel would threaten much of your good work on improving air quality, and position London’s carbon emissions on a pathway that is not consistent with the Paris Agreement and contributes directly to climate breakdown,’ the group led by the Stop Silvertown Tunnel Coalition says.

The project would increase overall traffic, carbon emissions and air pollution, the group adds. It calls on the Mayor to increase travel by more sustainable modes by implementing London-wide smart road pricing.

‘We believe that you could start to implement smart road pricing as early as 2021, if you take advantage of the camera enforcement system that is being put in place to manage the expanded ULEZ,’ the letter reads.

One of the letter’s signatories, Dr Audrey de Nazelle of Imperial College London’s Centre for Environmental Policy, commented: “Large investments that facilitate vehicular travel take London in the direction of more car travel. We need to rethink cities so that car travel is discouraged and walking, cycling and public transport are encouraged.”

However a spokesman for Sadiq Khan said: “The Mayor has put tackling the climate emergency at the heart of his work. That’s why when he became Mayor, he worked with TfL to make significant changes to the Silvertown Tunnel scheme to better protect the environment and ensure there is a greater focus on walking, cycling and public transport.”

“The Silvertown Tunnel will tackle congestion, reduce idling cars standing in traffic, and importantly increase cross-river bus services.”

Campaign group London First’s director of strategy and policy John Dickie backed the Mayor’s position and said: “The Silvertown Tunnel is a vital piece of new infrastructure for London and can’t come quickly enough.

“Between Tower Bridge and the M25, the only road crossing the Thames is carried through two low capacity tunnels last updated in the 1960s. As a result, the Blackwall Tunnel is currently a hotspot for congestion and poor air quality, which will only get worse due to population growth in the immediate boroughs. The Silvertown Tunnel will connect communities, alleviate congestion, and open up opportunities for jobs, homes and growth.”

(Image: Transport for London)