Britain's Road Tunnels

[DavidB]

When is a Tunnel not a Tunnel?

Although this recent video is more from a railway point of view, the examples shown are from disused lines and are accessible on foot.

[Scratchwood]

I always find the Rotherhithe Tunnel to be overlooked. This is quite a unique road tunnel as pedestrians can use it and until 1952, horses were allowed to use it. While overshadowed by the Blackwall Tunnel, Rotherhithe performs an important function in linking two sides of the Thames in the East End and has some quite impressive portals on both sides.

I think I'll wait until all vehicles are electric. And even then I'll give it a miss

[Glenn A]

I always find the Rotherhithe Tunnel to be overlooked. This is quite a unique road tunnel as pedestrians can use it and until 1952, horses were allowed to use it. While overshadowed by the Blackwall Tunnel, Rotherhithe performs an important function in linking two sides of the Thames in the East End and has some quite impressive portals on both sides.

I think I'll wait until all vehicles are electric. And even then I'll give it a miss

You must be quite brave to walk through it. Also it has an unusual requirement that large vehicles have to give way on bends, which probably explains why the speed limit is 20 mph.

[Helvellyn]

They discounted tunnels as operationally they'd cause major problems for things like petrol tankers. The terrain in the Lune Gorge already had a railway through it so it was deemed more environmentally sensitive to follow existing man made infrastructure than to tear up the hills.

Interesting that the M6 takes a slightly more exposed route past Shap, although in practice I can't imagine there's that much in it.

[trickstat]

I always find the Rotherhithe Tunnel to be overlooked. This is quite a unique road tunnel as pedestrians can use it and until 1952, horses were allowed to use it. While overshadowed by the Blackwall Tunnel, Rotherhithe performs an important function in linking two sides of the Thames in the East End and has some quite impressive portals on both sides.

I think I'll wait until all vehicles are electric. And even then I'll give it a miss

You must be quite brave to walk through it. Also it has an unusual requirement that large vehicles have to give way on bends, which probably explains why the speed limit is 20 mph.

Here is a Youtube video about walking through the tunnel. The guy who posted it does a lot of London videos concerning transport, particularly trains, railway/tube lines and stations. I have driven through it a few times and I don't recall ever seeing a pedestrian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWLK-64GR6c

[Bryn666]

I think I'll wait until all vehicles are electric. And even then I'll give it a miss

You must be quite brave to walk through it. Also it has an unusual requirement that large vehicles have to give way on bends, which probably explains why the speed limit is 20 mph.

Here is a Youtube video about walking through the tunnel. The guy who posted it does a lot of London videos concerning transport, particularly trains, railway/tube lines and stations. I have driven through it a few times and I don't recall ever seeing a pedestrian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWLK-64GR6c

Apparently 20 people a day use it. They must have tolerance to what could end up as some pretty horrendous lung damage

[trickstat]

You must be quite brave to walk through it. Also it has an unusual requirement that large vehicles have to give way on bends, which probably explains why the speed limit is 20 mph.

Here is a Youtube video about walking through the tunnel. The guy who posted it does a lot of London videos concerning transport, particularly trains, railway/tube lines and stations. I have driven through it a few times and I don't recall ever seeing a pedestrian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWLK-64GR6c

Apparently 20 people a day use it. They must have tolerance to what could end up as some pretty horrendous lung damage

I think it only makes much sense if either or both ends of your journey are very near to it. I assume the air would be better at night with reduced traffic but it still would be pretty polluted.

[Bryn666]

Here is a Youtube video about walking through the tunnel. The guy who posted it does a lot of London videos concerning transport, particularly trains, railway/tube lines and stations. I have driven through it a few times and I don't recall ever seeing a pedestrian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWLK-64GR6c

Apparently 20 people a day use it. They must have tolerance to what could end up as some pretty horrendous lung damage

I think it only makes much sense if either or both ends of your journey are very near to it. I assume the air would be better at night with reduced traffic but it still would be pretty polluted.

Agreed, there are better (if not slightly longer) ways to cross the river that don't mix you with heavy traffic. The real issue is a proper bridge is needed for non-motorised means nearby, but the only suggestion was the ridiculous Garden Folly.

[ChrisH]

Apparently 20 people a day use it. They must have tolerance to what could end up as some pretty horrendous lung damage

I think it only makes much sense if either or both ends of your journey are very near to it. I assume the air would be better at night with reduced traffic but it still would be pretty polluted.

Agreed, there are better (if not slightly longer) ways to cross the river that don't mix you with heavy traffic. The real issue is a proper bridge is needed for non-motorised means nearby, but the only suggestion was the ridiculous Garden Folly.

There was a cycle-ped bridge planned to cross where the Hilton ferry currently goes. Because of the navigation requirements it would have had to be a lifting bridge and have long ramps; and because it's the UK it was costed at north of £400 million

[DavidB]

Here's a video about someone running through the Rotherhithe Tunnel (just posted a few days ago):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY1FqXpiY2s

[Chris Bertram]

Apparently 20 people a day use it. They must have tolerance to what could end up as some pretty horrendous lung damage

I think it only makes much sense if either or both ends of your journey are very near to it. I assume the air would be better at night with reduced traffic but it still would be pretty polluted.

Agreed, there are better (if not slightly longer) ways to cross the river that don't mix you with heavy traffic. The real issue is a proper bridge is needed for non-motorised means nearby, but the only suggestion was the ridiculous Garden Folly.

There was a foot tunnel. It ended up being used by the East London Line.

[Chris5156]

Agreed, there are better (if not slightly longer) ways to cross the river that don't mix you with heavy traffic. The real issue is a proper bridge is needed for non-motorised means nearby, but the only suggestion was the ridiculous Garden Folly.

There was a foot tunnel. It ended up being used by the East London Line.

It was meant to be a road tunnel originally, of course, but the money ran out before the approach ramps could be dug.

The Rotherhithe Tunnel is in many ways a later attempt to provide the same road crossing at that point.

[Glenn A]

A tunnel that I did walk through and felt rather ill by the end was the Fort Regent Tunnel in St Helier that was built underneath Fort Regent and intended to provide a rapid link between east and west St Helier. Also it does resemble the sort of tunnels you see in France and Italy. being burrowed through rock.