Greenwich (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Plans are moving forward for a full regeneration of the Greenwich foot tunnels, aiming to restore infrastructure and improve pedestrian connectivity.
A plan to repair the frequently malfunctioning lifts in the Greenwich tunnel has been agreed upon with Tower Hamlets Council, according to Greenwich Council’s acting cabinet member for climate change, sustainability, and transport.
Greenwich Council shares ownership of the Woolwich tunnel with Newham and the Greenwich tunnel with Tower Hamlets. Nonetheless, both of the pedestrian river crossings must be run and maintained by the South London council.
Regular users have frequently complained about the elevators being inoperable for long stretches of time, which has led to criticism of the council’s handling of the tunnels. Greenwich has previously stated that it is difficult to obtain custom parts to repair the lifts, which has caused delays in getting them back up and running.
Cllr Calum O’Byrne Mulligan was happy to announce at a full meeting of Greenwich municipal on December 3 that the authority, along with its municipal partner north of the Thames, will be taking the lead in completely renovating the Greenwich foot tunnel and its elevators.
He said:
“The week before last I had an incredibly productive meeting with Tower Hamlets, the cabinet member for transport and some of their senior officers, and I was very glad that they agreed we could proceed to the detailed design phase for full tunnel regeneration.”
According to Cllr. O’Byrne Mulligan, the master plan that was agreed upon called for replacing both elevators with two shaft systems in order to improve “reliability and serviceability.” Along with promoting greater use of the tunnel, the proposal also called for improvements to the century-old crossing’s lighting and historic features.
He declared that he was “incredibly glad” that Tower Hamlets had approved the idea and disclosed that he had asked Newham Council to meet in order to carry out a similar plan with the Woolwich foot tunnel.
The council has been collaborating with the mayor’s office to provide “a coordinated approach for step-free travel that is reliable and fully accessible under the river for both Greenwich and Woolwich,” according to Cllr O’Byrne Mulligan.
He said:
“These are a key strategic asset for London and something we can be rightly, very proud of here in Greenwich. TfL have been clear. They aren’t going to take on the tunnels and in fact they operate a minority of river crossings in London, both under and over the river, but they are working with us to take things forward.”
A group of Greenwich residents called upon TfL to take over management of the tunnels earlier this year as they feel the council doesn’t do an adequate job of looking after them. Lifts Now, a branch of Escalate Now that effectively advocated for the installation of new escalators at the Cutty Sark DLR station, is still “unconvinced” of this recent news.
Group member Karin Tearle said:
“We note the hopes for improvements are spread out over a long period of time. Meanwhile, the Woolwich foot tunnel north lift remains out of use and the south lift is unreliable. We were told this situation would be resolved in spring this year.
We remain unconvinced by Greenwich Council’s current statement so our campaign Lifts Now will continue. We would like to thank the over 1,800 signatories so far of our petition and we will continue to advocate on their behalf.
It is public pressure that has got us this far and we believe that two vital cross river and cross borough pedestrian and cyclist routes are best run by TfL rather than three individual boroughs.”
What accessibility improvements are planned for step free access?
Greenwich Foot Lair rejuvenescence plans prioritize step-free availability through binary- shaft lift reserves, furnishing dependable, completely accessible perpendicular transport from road position to lair entrance on both Greenwich and Isle of Dogs sides.
Modern binary- shaft systems replace unreliable single lifts, enabling nonstop operation during conservation and step-free access for wheelchairs, buggies, and mobility- bloodied druggies. Waterproofing upgrades and step repairs ensure safe, dry access routes leading to lifts, addressing frequent closures( e.g., north lift detainments).
