We hope we’ve persuaded you that the proposed tunnel is a bad idea for the neighbourhoods near to it, and a bad idea for drivers too.
But we can’t stop the tunnel by ourselves. We need as much help from as many people as we can get. Here are some ideas about how you can help us get the message out, and let London mayor Sadiq Khan know that we don’t want more traffic and more pollution.
Make your voice heard
Firstly, and most importantly, register with the Planning Inspectorate so your voice is heard if the Silvertown Tunnel goes to a planning inquiry. Firstly, visit this website:
http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/london/silvertown-tunnel/
Secondly, scroll down, and fill in your email address on the right-hand side of the page.
This will put you on the Planning Inspectorate’s mailing list. This means that if there are planning hearings, you’ll be able to register so you can send your views on the tunnel to the inspector.
Quite simply, the more objectors who are lined up to respond, the better.
Contacting your representatives
If you live in London, you’ll be represented at different levels of government by councillors, London Assembly members and your MP. Please write to all of them, as the responsibility cuts across all of these groups. It’s vital that politicians know the Silvertown Tunnel is a vote-loser.
If you live in Greenwich, Newham or Tower Hamlets, tell your councillors you object – these are the main boroughs affected by the scheme and they are in regular contact with Transport for London.
But if you live elsewhere, please also tell your local councillors – other councils are opposed to the tunnel, including Lewisham and Hackney, and we need their support in blocking this scheme.
writetothem.com is a very useful site that will allow you to identify your councillors, your MP, and your London Assembly members, and drop them a line. Just give it your postcode.
You could also raise the issue at your council’s meetings. You can ask a public question in Greenwich or ask a public question at Tower Hamlets, while you can lead a deputation in Newham. Other councils have similar procedures – look on your council’s website (it’s usually under “council and democracy”).
Spread the word
Tell your friends and family that we don’t want more pollution on our streets, and that the new tunnel is unlikely to solve the problems at Blackwall Tunnel. Spread the word about our website! We’d like as many people to see our campaign as possible.
Perhaps you have a local amenity society or ‘Friends’ group that you think might be interested – could you mention our campaign in a meeting?
Opinions on local matters are very often best debated and explained on local news sources: you could write a letter to your local newspaper and raise the issue on any local forums or websites you frequent.
Carrying out your own research
One of the things that turned some of us from supporters of this campaign to passionate evangelists was when we carried out our own local research into the current levels of pollution.
We saw for ourselves that our roads are dangerous right now. You could carry out similar experiments in your area – perhaps you’ll find too that there’s already real cause for concern on London’s streets. Don’t rely on your local council or anyone else to do it.
Pollution levels and research into them also lend themselves well to school projects: if you’re a governor or a teacher, perhaps you could suggest that your school could look into this.
Two organisations are worth contacting if you want to carry out an air pollution study: Network for Clean Air and Mapping for Change. We’re always interested in other studies taking place, so feel free to drop us a line too.
Contact us
Want to get in touch? We’re on info@silvertowntunnel.co.uk.