Roughly 1,000 cyclists from the pro-cycling activist group Critical Mass London took part in a ‘mass trespass’ in the Silvertown Tunnel last Friday night (25 April) in protest against the new tunnel and its active travel restrictions.
The group entered the tunnel from the Greenwich entrance and took over both lanes, blocking incoming motorists. The ride through the tunnel took about 10 minutes, but Transport for London (TfL) stated that they were forced to close the tunnel for an hour ‘until it was safe to reopen’.
Critical Mass first began in San Francisco, USA, in 1992, with the group appearing in London in April 1994. They meet on the last Friday of every month to cycle for roughly one hour to raise awareness about the safety of cyclists and other non-motorised road users.
Image provided by X user @Auntiekay28
The £2.2bn Silvertown tunnel, which opened earlier this month on 7 April, has been criticised previously for its lack of provision for pedestrians and cyclists, who are not permitted to use the tunnel.
Instead, TfL has provided a Cycle Shuttle service that carries eight cyclists through the tunnel in both directions, runs every 12 minutes and will remain free to use for at least a year. However, campaigners have argued that this is inefficient and will be environmentally damaging.
When approached for comment, a TfL spokesperson said: 'Cycling is not allowed in the Blackwall or Silvertown Tunnel for safety reasons. A Cycle Shuttle service operates through the Silvertown Tunnel and offers a safe connection for cyclists through the tunnel between Silvertown and North Greenwich. During this incident, we had to close the tunnel to all traffic until it was safe to reopen again, impacting drivers and bus passengers who would use the tunnel.'
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers did not attend the incident.
Critical Mass London was also approached for comment.
Image credit: youtube.com/@AaronParadoxfilms
