Free Traffic Legal Advice

Live cases legal advice => Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on) => Topic started by: newbiedriver on February 01, 2026, 02:37:49 am

Title: Re: Blackwall tunnel charge - no pcn yet, advice needed
Post by: mickR on February 01, 2026, 12:00:39 pm

also note opening an autopay account will NOT cover previous crossings.

Title: Re: Blackwall tunnel charge - no pcn yet, advice needed
Post by: stamfordman on February 01, 2026, 11:18:29 am

Not being able to pay is a different issue.

The charge is £4 if not on Autopay - assuming the vehicle is a car/light van.

Not paying the charge is madness.

Title: Re: Blackwall tunnel charge - no pcn yet, advice needed
Post by: Grant Urismo on February 01, 2026, 11:06:27 am

Takes screenshots showing the error message, it won't cost you anything and might be vital if you're going to argue your case. For 8 quid though, I'd be inclined to pay and make a complaint asking for the difference to be refunded rather than not paying and going down the route of fighting a potentially much higher penalty.

Title: Re: Blackwall tunnel charge - no pcn yet, advice needed
Post by: stamfordman on February 01, 2026, 08:25:13 am

Yes, you only get the discounted off peak charge of £1.50 on Autopay, which you cannot set up for past crossings.
So you must pay two £4 charges for yesterday within 3 days to avoid PCNs.

Title: Re: Blackwall tunnel charge - no pcn yet, advice needed
Post by: RichardW on February 01, 2026, 08:12:27 am

Their website about the charging certainly implies that the reduced charge is only available to auto-pay customers. It's presumably still a lot cheaper than a PCN....

Title: Blackwall tunnel charge - no pcn yet, advice needed
Post by: newbiedriver on February 01, 2026, 02:37:49 am

Hi,
Last evening(31st Jan 8pm and 9:30pm) I drove back and forth through the Blackwall tunnel. I am not from London so didn't have a prior TFL auto pay account set up. When I got home past midnight and logged onto try and pay, I was perplexed by the terms.
Is my understanding correct that because I had not registered for autopay on the day of the travel(or in advance of the travel), I now need to pay the full charge rather than the discounted off-peak charge?
This sounds rather inane and unfair to not even give users 24 hours. I literally got home, put my infant to bed after giving them a meal and then got online to pay.
I haven't paid yet, and decided to seek advice. I don't have a PCN yet and I don't intend to let it get to that stage.

Fwiw, I have tried to check how much I owe on their website - https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/ but it keeps returning an error saying "Sorry, there's a problem", so I am guessing it doesn't work as designed.

Appreciate any guidance or suggestions.