Software engineer Andreas Nikolaou came up with the idea after he saw some tunnel users struggle to climb the stairs on either side of the river when the lifts are out of action.
Andreas hopes that www.greenwichlifts.co.uk will empower people to make the right decision on whether to use the tunnel, as he knows that climbing either the 100 steps on the south side or the 87 steps to the north can be a problem for people with mobility issues.
He said: “I would see older people go down with the elevator then reach the other side and see that the other elevator was not working.
“It would either take them ages to go up the stairs or they’d decide to go back the way they came from.”
Andreas lives near Canada Water and he uses the Greenwich Foot Tunnel to cycle to and from work in Canary Wharf.
A key reason he started using it is because the tunnel is one of the few free ways to cross the Thames if you live in South East London.
He said: “It doesn’t feel as accessible as when you are in Central or West London where there’s a bridge like every kilometre.
“When I started using [the tunnel], I would go to work and the north lift wouldn’t be working in the morning and then on the way back south, that one would not be working. It was very on and off.
“I ride a road bicycle which is fairly lightweight and I’m fairly fit and young. So for me, it was more of an inconvenience rather than a problem. But it’s a significant amount of effort for someone who might not be fit enough to do that.”
He then had the idea to create a simple app that would tell users of the foot tunnel whether the lifts were working.
Promoting it as a live service, he wants to encourage people who travel through the tunnel to sign up to the app and report on which lifts are working, signposting to others so they know ahead of time.
While described as an app it’s essentially a website that you log into with buttons to report the lifts’ operational status.
Andreas said: “It was so simple to have an app that would do it. So I was like, surely that wouldn’t take me more than a couple of days. Obviously, with AI tools you can develop things faster, and I knew of ways that I could host it for free so that it wouldn’t cost me very much.”
The current setup of the website only costs Andreas £8 a year. He added: “I’m not trying to make any money out of it or turn it into something else.
“It’s just like a community-based project, doing something simple with the skills I already have to just help someone who might have to redirect their journey in case they know the elevator won’t be working.”
He has shared his project with his colleagues—many of whom also cycle to work and use the tunnel—and they have been encouraging in their responses. However, Andreas did admit many of them would rather ditch the lifts and take the stairs to carry their bikes and get in more of a workout.
He said: “I guess the target demographic is not us but it’s great to know because, for example, for me to go from Tower Bridge to home is like maybe two kilometres more, but some days I just don’t want to get off the bike and have to walk through the tunnel and go up and down the stairs. So at least for me personally, if both elevators are down, I would consider going from Tower Bridge just for the sake of cycling the whole way.”
He is trying to grow the user base of the app he launched two weeks ago and has emailed those who have signed up to find out how he can improve it. Andreas has already implemented changes from feedback. One user accidentally pressed a button to say one of the lifts was working when in reality it wasn’t, so Andreas made it possible to change your submission for the first 10 minutes if you’ve made a mistake.
Andreas said: “I don’t know in what capacity she was using the tunnel. If she had mobility issues and that matters to her, or she’s a pedestrian, a cyclist or a parent.”
He’s hopeful that if more people begin to use it, he can get more feedback from different types of users of the tunnel and not just commuter cyclists.
He also considered expanding the app in the future to incorporate live updates on the Woolwich Foot Tunnel lifts as well, and felt that the idea of the app could be applied to other bridges and tunnels across London. Andreas added: “I’m just trying to get the word out as the more people that use it, the more useful it becomes.”
Andreas is aiming to get in touch with Greenwich Council to put information about the app on the notice board outside the tunnel entrance on the south side of the river. Greenwich Council does have its own dedicated page on its website updating residents on the status of the lifts, but it isn’t always regularly updated.
As of September 10, the last time the page was updated was on September 1.
The page currently states that the south lift has been in service since July 20, but the north lift hasn’t been working since June 30 as the council is waiting to receive parts to fix it.
If the foot tunnel is closed, those wishing to travel across the river can use the DLR for free between Greenwich and Island Gardens for the next year.
DLR travellers will have to tap in and out as usual but they will be refunded the fare.
Andreas is planning on implementing a banner soon to notify users of this scheme.
