Tunnel Running

Background and history

Tunnel running, or "tunneling", originated as a social activity amongst TVR enthusiasts in 2004. Some sources state it was originated by one person, Eddie Wharram, others that it started with a group of "six enthusiasts." Autocar states that six people "turned up" following a suggestion. Eddie Wharram stated in an interview that the initial motive was simply the "unbelievable" noise caused by echoes of a large displacement engine within the confines of a tunnel. Tunnel running has since evolved into a much larger 'membership' where runs are organised in a democratic manner with no overall leaders. Out of this unwritten rules have been created whereby participation and mutual appreciation of others cars are the aim instead of any perceived competition.

Semi-regular meetings have since followed, often at night or pre-dawn to avoid congestion and gatecrashing by people who may not care for the safety of others. At times runs could comprise more than 200 cars. Late-night start times allowed participants unfamiliar with London geography to follow in convoy. Since forming, The London Tunnel Runners have visited areas such as Wales, the south coast of England and as far as Paris.

On all runs, route and logistical information is often provided by the organisers, themselves enthusiasts. Due to the size and nature of the group, traffic jams have been known to occur by passers by trying to take photographs. An example of this is the run to Paris where a minor traffic jam occurred near the Eiffel tower as locals stopped to take pictures but, whilst the police attended shortly after the jam started, their action was for the most part limited to curiosity and chatting with Tunnelers.

Since November 2007, Missbanzai, a Japanese sports car club, has organised tunnel runs through central London for Japanese car enthusiasts. These events have had up to 450 modified Japanese cars in attendance from Nissan Skylines to Honda Preludes and have raised over £15k for charities such as Royal London Hospital Kidney Patients Association and the London Air Ambulance.

Vehicles

While it is not a requirement to have a particular type of car in order to attend, due the nature of the group, an attendee's car tends to be one of the following:

1. A recognized high-performance vehicle;
2. A recognized classic vehicle;
3. A vehicle considered to be unique enough to attract interest;
4. A performance version of a standard car. (e.g. Golf R32, BMW M3)

Membership

The criteria for membership is stated by the organizers to be one of maturity, respect for others and their property. The runs are organized within a restricted internet forum to prevent them from being gatecrashed by unwanted parties, who may not have the same core beliefs, and bring the London Tunnel Run into disrepute.

International aspects

There are a number of international members who drive to the UK so they can join the runs. From 2007 onwards, a group of Dutch members have joined Tunnel Runs on more than one occasion. They will usually arrive early on a Saturday morning to be met by a number of the UK Tunnel Runners where they may go to an event before the tunnel run.

Safety issues

The original group maintains active relations with the Metropolitan Police Service to make sure that inconvenience to the general public is kept to a minimum. Many other groups have been founded since tunnel running has become more popular, as a result of this, some groups who do not maintain the same respect for the law have caused negative feelings towards tunnel runners. To combat this, the London Tunnel Runners liaise with the police before every run, to enable the police to deal with genuine complaints that may be made towards the group, such as the complaint from Islington London Borough Council.

Complaints and criticisms

"Modified cars racing through east London's tunnels are endangering motorists and making life a misery for residents," says Poplar and Limehouse Member of Parliament Jim Fitzpatrick. The Labour MP said "Up to 400 cars are congregating in Dartford and Essex and racing along a route which covers the Blackwall Tunnel and the Limehouse Link." Mr Fitzpatrick, who has written to Tower Hamlets Police and the council demanding action on the organised events, also said the cars are using the tunnels at Westferry Circus to regroup and film stunts. He pointed out a YouTube video from October 20th 2012 which saw an estimated 265 Japanese fast cars gather in the roads under the Canary Wharf estate.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: "These cars use the tunnels and the route for no other purpose than to showcase the sound and speed of their cars. Videos posted online show dangerous and loud street car racing which belongs in a Hollywood movie and not the streets of east London. As well as causing a disturbance to residents the fast cars endanger motorists on the road. We need these tunnels runs off the road which means a dispersal zone and barriers on race nights."

The MP, who has received numerous complaints from constituents, sent a Twitter message following the October 20 meet which read: "@MissBanzai Well, another #TunnelRun draws to a close. 3hrs from Start to Finish for most, 10 Tunnels, 265 Jap Motors woke up #London, one more time."

In late 2006, complaints by Islington London Borough Council led to contact from the police. This was caused by Tunnel Runners who had developed a predilection for the underpasses under the Barbican Estate. The reason for this was due to the fact they are wide and spacious meaning multiple cars can be in the tunnels at once. The complaint centered on the problem that they are above ground and act as underpasses for a 2000-apartment central London housing estate, meaning the noise would reverberate through the apartment block. This combined with the time of the runs caused some tenants to complain

The council named the problem group as the "London Tunnelers", in doing so, they described them as a "clandestine group of sports car enthusiasts" and stated that they were "quite notorious in certain circles" due to their choice of location and activity. The Police when commenting on the matter stated that "It seems the idea [of the runs] is to make as much noise as possible, using high-powered sports cars. But there have been no allegations of speeding or dangerous driving."

London Tunnel Run in the Media

The programme "Vroom Vroom," aired on mainstream satellite channel Sky One carried a report on the tunnel run where presenter Emma Parker Bowles was invited to join the run. YouTube videos available here. Throughout the event the presenter changed between cars experiencing the many different aspects of a run.

A video of a Tunnel Run has also been made by a tunnel runner so people can appreciate the experience, this can be seen here (the main run begins around 6½ minutes into the video).

Channel 4's 4car website produced an article on the event detailing the event. The channel also created a gallery of photos, they are available here.

Redline Magazine produced an article on the group in December 2007.