Susan Hall was stung with £90 fine after not paying Blackwall Tunnel charge, as she slams the payment system as ‘confusing’.
Hall was slapped with a fine for not paying the charge. (Image: Getty)
Former Mayoral Candidate and London Tory Leader, Susan Hall, has been fined for failing to pay the Blackwall Tunnel charge. Ms Hall, who serves on the London Assembly, told the Express she was caught out earlier this month after driving through the tunnel and not having an automatic payment account set up.
She went online to pay the £4 fee the next morning, setting up an online account with TfL, which she thought would then take the cash from her account. However, she later got stung with a bill for £90 from transport bosses, after misunderstanding how the system worked.
Ms Hall immediately paid the fine in full, and blasted the system in a comment to the Express.
She said: “I paid my fine in full, but many Londoners cannot. This confusing and complex system serves only to line TfL’s pockets. It’s hammering Outer London, and needs to be rethought.”
The £4 charge has proved highly controversial since its introduction in April, with critics warning it unfairly hits drivers with no alternative way to cross the Thames.
Hall said her case shows how “ordinary Londoners are being tripped up by a system designed to punish, not to help.”
Transport for London defended the scheme, saying it was already cutting traffic around the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels.
A spokesperson said: “The charges at Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnel, that have been in place since April 2025, are already helping to reduce congestion on the approaches to these tunnels. They have been extensively promoted to drivers across London and the southeast, and the vast majority of drivers are already complying.
“The income from these charges and any enforcement activity is used for operation, maintenance and repayment costs for the tunnels with any surplus reinvested back into the wider public transport network. The easiest way to pay the charge is to sign up to TfL Auto Pay, which also lets drivers access lower off-peak charges.”
The Blackwall and Silvertown charges apply between 6am and 10pm, seven days a week, except Christmas Day. Drivers have until midnight on the third day after their journey to make payment.
Charges apply to people driving through the tunnel. (Image: Getty)
Failure to pay leads to a penalty charge notice, which can be settled at a 50% discount if paid within 14 days. TfL says it also considers appeals and mitigating circumstances before deciding whether to cancel fines.
TfL figures show compliance with the new charge reached 87.7% in June, similar to the congestion charge. More than 3.2 million vehicles are now signed up for Auto Pay, compared with 2.65 million at the start of the year.
Residents in 12 east London boroughs and the City of London, as well as those on certain benefits, are eligible for a 50% discount. Small businesses, sole traders and charities based in Greenwich, Newham or Tower Hamlets qualify for a £1 discount on off-peak charges.
The charges are designed to fund the £2 billion Silvertown Tunnel project, reduce pollution and ease chronic congestion in the area. Supporters argue the scheme is already improving journey times and providing new free bus services across the river.
But Hall insisted the policy is just another Khan tax on hard-pressed drivers. She said: “This confusing system is hammering Outer London. It needs to be rethought.”
