Regular tunnel user Andreas Nikolaou, a software engineer from Cyprus, noticed how often people were caught out when one lift worked on one side of the Thames but the other was out of service. For anyone with mobility issues, the alternatives are stark: about 100 steps on the south side and 87 steps on the north.
“I’d see older people take the elevator down, reach the other side and realise the lift there wasn’t working,” he told BBC. “It could take ages to climb back up, or they’d turn around and retrace their steps.”
Nikolaou commutes by bike between Canada Water and Canary Wharf and uses the tunnel because it’s one of the few free Thames crossings in South-East London. Compared with central and west London, he says, “it doesn’t feel as accessible where there’s a bridge every kilometre”.
The tool - Simple, cheap, community-driven
Nikolaou’s website greenwichlifts.co.uk shows whether the tunnel’s lifts are operational so people can decide in advance whether to use the crossing or choose another route. True to its community spirit, the site costs him about £8 a year to run. He’s not monetising it.
“I’m not trying to make any money out of it,” he says. “It’s a community project, something simple with the skills I have, so someone can redirect their journey if they know a lift isn’t working.”
He’s encouraging regular users to sign up and report live lift status, creating a crowdsourced picture that’s especially valuable for those who can’t easily manage the stairs.
Photo: Lubo Ivanko
Why it matters
The Greenwich Foot Tunnel (opened 1902, 370m long) links Greenwich with the Isle of Dogs, serving pedestrians and people walking their bikes. When lifts are down, even fit riders feel the strain; for older people, wheelchair users, or parents with buggies, the impact can be the difference between an easy crossing and an ordeal.
Nikolaou himself rides a lightweight road bike and calls broken lifts an “inconvenience” for him, but a significant effort for anyone not able to manage the stairs.
A Royal Borough of Greenwich spokesperson said the 100-plus-year-old structure needs specialist maintenance. As lifts age, performance worsens and parts must be specially manufactured, which takes time. The council says it has secured the necessary parts and will carry out repairs. It also reminds the public that you may walk your bike through the Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels, however cycling is not permitted inside.
The bigger picture: Small tech, real impact
From a Cypriot coder’s side project to a public good: Nikolaou’s online tool is a modest, elegant example of how civic-minded, low-cost tech can improve urban accessibility. For South-East Londoners who rely on the tunnel, a real-time heads-up on lift status can save wasted trips, and a lot of stairs.
The online tool and Andreas Nikolaou’s idea were first featured by MyLondon and BBC News