Thames Gateway Bridge campaigners to fight on
THE MAYOR’S offer to push on with the Silvertown Crossing is poor consolation for scrapping the Thames Gateway Bridge, according to London Assembly Member John Biggs.
Mr Biggs said that, while he supported a crossing at Silvertown, the Thames Gateway Bridge was still essential.
He urged Mayor Boris Johnson to make a U-turn after his decision to shelve plans for it last week.
Mr Biggs, the Labour member for City and East, said: “The Silvertown Crossing was always in the Mayor’s strategy back in the day of Ken Livingstone.
"The aim was to build it if there was still a need for it after the Thames Gateway Bridge, as an overflow for the Blackwall Tunnel.
“It’s all very well Boris saying he wants to do that now but a huge amount of consultation needs to be done on it while the Thames Gateway Bridge has been talked about for three decades.
“However, if it’s a choice between that crossing and nothing then we want it.�
Last week, it was revealed in the Mayor’s 10-year transport strategy that plans for the bridge would be shelved due to “public opposition�.
Mr Biggs believes the cancellation of the project will be detrimental to business.
He said: “If I was a cynic I would say he wanted to take funds out of east London and spend it on the suburbs which voted for him but east London provides a bigger share of income and taking money out of there will hit everyone.�
Biggs said he and the Thames Gateway Bridge’s supporters, particularly those at Newham Council, would continue to lobby for it.
He said: “There are many in east London who don’t think the show’s over yet. Apart from the environmentalists, the Borough of Bexley were the other group against the bridge.
“However, my feeling is if you go over the council and straight to the public you will find they support it.
“We will only be happy if we can change the Mayor’s mind.�
Older/Newer
« City Airport to help launch ID cards? | Commuters hit by rush-hour tube fault »
2 Comments
Leave a comment
Read The Wharf E-Edition
The only reason that the Thames Gateway Bridge got canned is because Mayor Boris Johnson is supporting expansion at London City Airport.
He originally blocked expansion at London City Airport, because it would comprimise building of the Thames Gateway Bridge, since that area is in a Public Safety Zone (PSZ). A Public Safety Zone (basically an area around airports, with have high likely hood to cause loss of life in the event of a plane crash).
The Mayor changed his mind all of sudden to back the airport and dump the bridge. Go investigate the collusion between the airport and our govt officials!
Londoners need a Thames Gateway Bridge (TGB) like a hole in the head. Super-rich City commuters would have loved the TGB & would have caused massive increases in traffic congestion and atmospheric pollution. The TGB was strongly opposed by many ordinary people directly affected by it on the South side of the River. After the Mayor and TfL had thrown their unlimited (i.e. taxpayers') resources into a year-long Public Inquiry about the TGB, the Inspector found against them on every single count. Nevertheless, Hazel Blears, Ken Livingstone & TfL were 'minded' to force the TGB through, calling for another Public Inquiry in 2009 and completion of the bridge by 2017.
It took Boris Johnson to see the folly of this £500+ million scheme (it would probably have ended up costing £2 billion) and to axe it. He was absolutely right to axe it: the case for the TGB had been shot through with holes by objectors and was comprehensively rejected by the Inspector.