What is the difference between the tunnel charge and the Congestion Charge?

The Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel charge is a separate scheme under the River Crossings Charging Scheme Order, introduced in April 2025. The Congestion Charge applies in the central London zone and is governed by its own Traffic Regulation Order. The two charges are distinct and are billed separately by TfL. A single journey can incur both charges where the route passes through central London and then the tunnels. The PCN process is similar for both: informal challenge within fourteen days, formal representation within twenty-eight days, and adjudication at London Tribunals.

Can I appeal if Auto Pay failed?

Yes. Submit your Auto Pay account history, bank statement, and any TfL email correspondence with the informal challenge. Where the failure was due to expired card details that TfL did not flag, or a system error at TfL's end, the PCN is usually cancelled. Where the failure was due to your card change that you did not update in the account, TfL still frequently cancels the first PCN as a discretionary measure provided the rest of the account is in good standing. Always challenge before paying because payment is treated as acceptance.

Are motorcycles charged for the tunnel?

Motorcycles are exempt from the tunnel charge under the River Crossings Charging Scheme Order. If you have received a PCN for a motorcycle, the issue is almost certainly a camera misclassification or a registration misread. Submit a photograph of your vehicle showing it is a motorcycle, together with the V5C, and request that TfL cancel the PCN as issued in error. The cancellation should be straightforward. If TfL refuses, escalate to London Tribunals and the adjudicator will cancel on the same ground.

How do I get a copy of the TRO?

Submit a Freedom of Information Act 2000 request to Transport for London at foi@tfl.gov.uk asking for the current Traffic Regulation Order for the River Crossings Charging Scheme and any associated signage schedule. TfL must respond within twenty working days. The TRO will state exactly where the scheme operates, which signs are required at each entry point, and which vehicles are exempt. Compare the requirements against the signs on your actual route, photograph any discrepancies, and submit them with your representation. Discrepancies between TRO and on-the-ground signage are a recognised adjudication ground.

What happens if I ignore the PCN?

Ignoring the PCN is the worst option. After twenty-eight days the charge increases by 50% to £270, and TfL will issue a Charge Certificate. If still unpaid, TfL can register the debt at the Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton and apply to enforce it through bailiffs under the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. Each step adds cost. Challenge the PCN within fourteen days to keep the discount, or pay the £90 reduced rate if you accept the charge. London Tribunals adjudication is free and independent.

Can I argue I did not realise the tunnel was charged?

Ignorance of the charge alone is not a winning ground, but ignorance combined with poor signage is. Section 1 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and TSRGD 2016 require schemes to be communicated through compliant signs. If the signs on your route were missing, obscured, faded, or non-compliant, you were not given lawful notice. Photograph the signs on the actual approach you took. Where the signs fail the regulations, the adjudicator at London Tribunals will cancel the PCN on Moseley v Greenwich grounds, which dealt with the legal requirement for compliant signage.

Blackwall Tunnel PCN Appeal: Beat TfL 2026

Since April 2025 Transport for London has charged drivers using both the Silvertown Tunnel and the Blackwall Tunnel under the River Crossings Charging Scheme. The standard charges are £4 peak and £1.50 off-peak for cars, with Auto Pay providing a slightly discounted rate. The scheme is administered by TfL under the Greater London Authority Road Traffic Order 2003 and the relevant Traffic Regulation Orders that bring the River Crossings Charging Scheme Order into effect. If you do not pay the charge by midnight the day after travel, TfL issues a Penalty Charge Notice. The PCN is a statutory civil penalty, not a private parking charge, so the appeal route runs through TfL's representations process to the independent adjudicator at London Tribunals. Most early-stage appeals succeed where the motorist can show Auto Pay failure, missing or unclear signs, or scheme-specific exemptions.

Grounds that work for Blackwall Tunnel pcns

Auto Pay failure or payment not registering

If you were enrolled in TfL Auto Pay, the charge should have been collected automatically. Auto Pay sometimes fails due to expired card details, address changes, or system issues at TfL's end. Pull your Auto Pay account history, your bank statement showing the relevant period, and any email correspondence with TfL. Submit these with the representation and state that you had a reasonable expectation the charge would be collected. Where TfL accepts that Auto Pay failed through no fault of yours, the PCN is cancelled. Even where the fault is partially yours, an informal challenge within fourteen days often results in cancellation under TfL's discretionary policy.

Signage non-compliance with the TRO and TSRGD 2016

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 set out the technical standards for road signs in England, including charging-zone boundary signs. The Traffic Regulation Order for the River Crossings Charging Scheme defines exactly where the scheme operates and what signage must be displayed. You can request a copy of the relevant TRO from TfL under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Where the signs on your actual approach are missing, obscured by foliage, faded, or non-compliant with TSRGD 2016, the contravention cannot be substantiated because you were not given lawful notice of the charge. Photograph the signs and submit them with the appeal.

Vehicle exemptions and concession entitlement

The River Crossings Charging Scheme exempts certain vehicles, including blue badge holders registered with TfL, taxis with current TfL licences, emergency vehicles, and motorcycles for the tunnel charge. There are also concessions for residents in the London boroughs of Greenwich, Newham, and Tower Hamlets who meet the eligibility criteria. Check whether your vehicle or status qualifies and submit the relevant documentary evidence in the appeal. Even where you should have registered for the exemption in advance and did not, TfL frequently cancels the first PCN as a discretionary measure where the underlying entitlement is clear.

TfL camera or system error

Charging cameras occasionally misread plates or attribute a journey to the wrong vehicle, particularly where similar registrations cross within a short window. Request the camera image from TfL and compare the registration against your V5C. If the recorded plate differs from yours, the PCN has been issued to the wrong keeper and is void. ANPR can also fail to recognise foreign plates, motorcycle plates, and personalised plates. Where the registration matches but the vehicle in the image is not yours, submit photographs of your vehicle alongside the PCN image and state that the matching has produced a false positive that breaches the underlying scheme order.

Notice timing and procedural defects

Under the Greater London Authority Road Traffic Order 2003 and associated regulations, TfL must serve the PCN within the prescribed period after the contravention. If the notice arrived materially late, request a service chronology from TfL and challenge the validity of the notice. The motorist's representation must be considered on its merits, and if rejected TfL must issue a Notice of Rejection that explains the next step. If the procedural steps are not followed, request that the case be referred to an adjudicator at London Tribunals on procedural grounds alone. Adjudicators routinely cancel PCNs where the procedural framework has been breached.

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Local detail: Blackwall Tunnel

Standard car charge is £4 peak, £1.50 off-peak; PCN is £180, £90 if paid in fourteen days
Pay the charge by midnight the day after travel using the TfL website, app, or Auto Pay
Auto Pay enrolment is the simplest way to avoid PCNs and offers a small discount
Residents of Greenwich, Newham, and Tower Hamlets may qualify for concessions
Blue badge holders must register with TfL in advance to claim the exemption
Appeal informally within fourteen days to keep the 50% discount available if rejected
London Tribunals adjudicator decisions are independent of TfL and binding on both parties

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