A new car tax fee set to massively affect commuters travelling into London has been ferociously attacked.
Keith Prince, transport spokesperson for City Hall Conservatives has slammed plans to charge one of the busiest routes in London.
London mayor Sadiq Khan could start charging drivers to use the popular Blackwall Tunnel and the new Silvertown Tunnel from 2025.
The scheme is estimated to raise a whopping £123million with daily fees expected to be issued from next year.
The Blackwall Tunnel is currently free to use but Mr Khan has previously suggested fees could start from £5.25 per day.
This means a return journey could be as much as £10.50 or an extra £52.50 per week for those travelling through the tunnel every day.
Over the course of a month, motorists could therefore be slapped with an extra £210 on their travel costs.
However, Mr Prince has accused the Mayor of using motorists to get out of financial struggles.
He explained: “Sadiq Khan is waging war on motorists to plug the £15billion black hole in TfL finances.
“Motorists will pay TfL almost £1billion this year in road user charges including unfair Ulez charges in outer London.”
Mr Prince has previously urged the Mayor to “come clean on how much motorists will pay to use these tunnels”.
According to the Mayor of London’s Office, over 51,000 motorists use the Blackwall tunnel every day.
The road is a key artery in the east end of London and provides access for commuters travelling into the capital from Essex and Kent.
However, a source close to Sadiq Khan suggested it was “utter hypocrisy” from the Conservatives.
They have claimed it was Boris Johnson who first mooted the idea for a £4 charge to be introduced at the tunnel back in 2015.
TfL said the new charge will help manage traffic effectively and deliver environmental benefits.
They have confirmed that the fee issued to drivers has yet to be decided but there are expected to be discounts for those on low incomes.
City Hall said: “The revenue projections for the first full financial year that the tunnel operates were £123million. This included income from both tolling and penalties.
“The revenue from the user charge is expected to fund the construction and maintenance costs of the new tunnels, which has been privately financed by the Riverlinx consortium.”
