"Bruce" wrote:

Paul Bowery wrote:

On Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:55:08 +0100, "Mizter T"
wrote:
Regarding the rises in the Crossing charges, I wonder to what extent it
might push traffic seeking to avoid paying into routing via the Blackwall
Tunnel instead (i.e. via the A2 or A20 on the south side and the A12 or
even
A13 on the north side) - away from the (long) peaks, e.g. in the middle
of
the day, it could be a feasible alternative.

A2 to M11 via the Blackwall Tunnel is a good alternative at quiet
times. I often went that way at night before the Crossing went free -
distance wise it's not much further. Only a few traffic lights so it's
nearly nonstop, traffic permitting.

It isn't nonstop if the Blackwall Tunnel is closed for maintenance,
which it often is.

On a recent evening trip to Kent via central London I just missed the
last Woolwich Ferry, turned back for the Blackwall Tunnel, which was
closed, and eventually joined a queue for the Rotherhithe Tunnel,
enduring a very slow and fume-laden trip through the bore. Even with
the air conditioning set to recirculate, it still drew in some air
from the outside, and we felt rather light headed by the time we
emerged into the fresh air on the south side.

The eastern bore of the Blackwall Tunnel is undergoing an extensive
refurbishment programme which means that the Tunnel is closed to southbound
traffic between 9pm and 5am Sunday to Thursday, and it's also closed to
southbound traffic for routine maintenance on Sunday mornings between 1am
and 8am (I think this is when the maintenance is done on the western bore).

The major refurbishment work is now due to be completed in December of this
year, after which I imagine they'll return to closing it once a week for
maintenance work (I think they used to rotate between the two bores each
week, and funneled northbound traffic through the other bore - i.e. the
Tunnel was closed to s/b traffic).

I wouldn't automatically think of heading out to Kent from central London
via the Woolwich Ferry, but perhaps there were other considerations at play.

I think the best policy for the Rotherhithe Tunnel is to turn all car
ventilation fans off altogether. The people one does see walking through it
never seem to have the pained look on their face that one feels they should
do! I reckon the GBP1.40/1.30 (peak/off-peak) it costs to take the East
London Line under the river is probably money well spent.