Sadiq Khan blasted over plans to hammer drivers with new charge after ULEZ
Conservative MP hits out at London Mayor over new plan to charge motorists.
Sadiq Khan was accused of "another attack on drivers" over new proposals to charge drivers to use two London tunnels.
Transport for London (TfL) has launched a consultation proposing a £4 charge for motorists to use the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels at peak times.
Tory MP Louie French, who represents Old Bexley and Sidcup, said: "This is another attack on drivers from the Labour Mayor, coming less than a year after his much-hated ULEZ expansion and snuck out just after the General Election.
"Sadiq Khan was only in Downing Street yesterday and Labour are already going after hardworking motorists.
"My constituents and people across Bexley and Bromley were clear in May when they overwhelmingly rejected Sadiq Khan and his anti-motorist agenda.
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"We must not let him get away with it and it will only be a matter of time before Labour try to further restrict the freedom of driving through higher taxes."
It comes after the London Mayor sparked a backlash with his ULEZ expansion to cover the whole of the capital last year.
The eight-week consultation is proposing that car journeys at peak times - weekdays between 6am and 10am northbound or between 4pm and 7pm southbound - will cost £4.
Under the plans, journeys at any time of day paid for by other methods will also incur a £4 charge. Auto Pay users will be charged £1.50 for off-peak journeys.
TfL is proposing that a number of types of vehicles and road users will be exempt from the charges, such as buses and coaches, black taxis, blue badge holders registered in the capital, and zero-emission capable private hire vehicles.
Construction of the Silvertown Tunnel is expected to be completed in spring next year, connecting Silvertown with Greenwich Peninsula.
It is hoped this will reduce severe congestion at the nearby Blackwall Tunnel, which is currently free to use.
TfL says it is introducing fees for both tunnels to "manage traffic and pay back construction costs" of the Silvertown Tunnel.
Mr Khan said: "Local residents and business owners currently face chronic congestion and pollution in the area around the Blackwall Tunnel.
"When it opens in 2025, the long-planned new Silvertown tunnel will help deliver quicker, more reliable journeys in east London by easing congestion and making journeys up to 20 minutes faster.
"The Silvertown Tunnel scheme has been years in the making, first developed back in 2012.
"Since I became Mayor in 2016, we have worked to improve it, adding discounts for low-income residents and local businesses, new bus services, a bespoke cycle shuttle service and free cross-river bus and DLR transport for at least the first year."
TfL director of strategy Christina Calderato said: "The Silvertown Tunnel is now less than a year away from opening and we are sharing our user charging scheme, so Londoners can have their say on the proposed charge levels and wide range of discounts and exemptions.
"Without introducing tunnel user charges for the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels, there would likely be high levels of traffic and congestion, which would lead to detrimental air quality impacts, as well as longer journey times."
