Blackwall tunnel drivers in south London 'ghetto' protest

Motorists have organised a protest meeting over the night-time closure of the Blackwall tunnel amid claims that south London is being "ghettoised".

The crossing will undergo a £70 million upgrade until December 2012, resulting in a ban on southbound traffic between 9pm and 5am on weekdays, with more closures at weekends.

The Blackwall tunnel protest group will meet at the Nag's Head pub in Welling on Sunday night. They want north-bound and south-bound traffic to share the second two-lane tunnel unaffected by repairs. At present only northbound traffic can use this.

Musician Doug Harper, 48, says his journey time between Tottenham and Plumstead has tripled to 90 minutes. He said: "We want to speak to Boris and prove to him that he is wrong and that they haven't thought this through."

A Transport for London spokesperson said:
"The vehicle fire in the Blackwall Tunnel in November highlighted that safety in tunnels is absolutely vital.

"A head on collision involving a HGV and the potential for a catastrophic fire, dramatically increases the risk to people using the tunnel. The safety of road users is our absolute priority and because of this, a contra-flow will not be implemented during the refurbishment works."