Cyclists riding through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel could face “substantial” fines if an agreement can be reached with Tower Hamlets, Greenwich councillors have been told.
Dangerous riding through the tunnel has irritated users for years – and has been a source of friction between the two boroughs on opposite sides of the Thames.
Cycling in the tunnel is officially banned – although the maximum fine, set in 1912, is only £2. The rules have been rarely enforced since Greenwich dispensed with lift attendants – who could force miscreants to carry their bikes up the stairs – in 2011.
An answer given at Wednesday night’s full meeting of Greenwich Council indicated that it has given up on plans to allow considerate cycling in the tunnels after opposition from its neighbour across the river.
In 2017 Greenwich councillors agreed to change bye-laws to allow cycling in both the Greenwich and the Woolwich foot tunnels. But there have been local campaigns on the Isle of Dogs against a change, and two years ago a Tower Hamlets Labour councillor called for his borough to install fencing at the Island Gardens end of the tunnel.
In a written answer to a question from a member of the public, Rachel Taggart-Ryan, Greenwich’s cabinet member for community safety and enforcement, said: “We are in discussions with our counterparts in Tower Hamlets to agree substantial fines for cyclists failing to dismount in the tunnel. We are looking to get this agreed by the end of summer 2025.
“We will be meeting with our community support enforcement officers to ensure there are designated resources assigned within the foot tunnel.”
Taggart-Ryan said that the council had also agreed with the hire bike operator Lime that the tunnel should be a “no-go zone” for its bikes, “due to risks with people cycling and dumping bikes. This now means the electric assist will cut out and a red warning will flash on the bikes. We hope this will discourage these users from entering the tunnel on top of signage. Should this situation continue, we will consider further action with Lime Bikes.”
The resident, David Scales, of Greenwich, complained that the foot tunnel was “precisely that, not a cycle lane or velodrome”. However, he was not present to follow up his question, so the matter was not discussed further.
The Greenwich Foot Tunnel was opened in 1902 as a route for dockers to get to work and, like its sister tunnel in Woolwich, was the responsibility of London’s city-wide government. But when the Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, they passed to Greenwich, Tower Hamlets and Newham councils, with Greenwich operating them both.
Despite London regaining city-wide government when the mayoralty was established in 2000 – and the growth of commuting from south of the river to Canary Wharf – Greenwich is still operating the tunnels, despite an often fractious relationship with its neighbours.
A botched refurbishment of both tunnels in 2011 has left them both with unreliable lifts. A pressure group formed to improve the crossings – which had pushed to allow considerate cycling – folded four years ago, with its members frustrated at the lack of progress.
The north lift at Woolwich has been out of service for nearly three years, despite promises that it would be fixed earlier this year. In recent years Greenwich has indicated that it would need help from City Hall to replace the lifts, which are just 14 years old.
📩 Follow The Greenwich Wire on Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn or Threads. You can also sign up for WhatsApp alerts – or subscribe to our emails through the blue box above.
You must be logged in to post a comment.