Some weeks back, returning from Liverpool via the old tunnel one evening, we noticed a lonely walker on the other side of the tunnel, on the carriageway, trailing a suitcase and heading for Birkenhead. He had almost reached the Dock exit when we saw him.

I imagine he was a stranger who perhaps didn't speak too much English and had seen a sign for Birkenhead at the tunnel entrance. To be fair to him, I don't think there's a sign saying 'No Pedestrians' but I could be wrong there.

Presumably the cops would have spotted him on CCTV and picked him up shortly after. It was certainly a dangerous thing to do. I hope he survived unscathed.

Seems he is not alone!
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/more-800-mersey-tunnel-walkers-7012919

And from that link, there is also a problem with drug dealers on bicycles.

Quote: " Cyclists also cause problems for the tunnels operators, with some attempting to peddle under the Mersey."

Maybe he was a lost asylum seeker and thought it was the Channel tunnel

Occasionally my son has to open up a shop in city centre to take a delivery but I have to drive him over to Liverpool for 5am because no public transport through the tunnel at that time. Not going to pay £25 taxi fayre.. The old tunnel had a bit of a guarded walkway but they have taken the guard rails down.

Sideline for tunnel police giving lifts through after public transport stopped

Back in the 1980s, one of my mates attempted just that. Stuck over the river, drunk and penniless he made his way into the tunnel. Police picked him up, took him back to Liverpool, and he spent the night in a cell. It was Christmas Eve btw.

Well, I am surprised it happens that often. Although I think the 'immediate' despatch of a police car bit is somewhat exaggerated. The chap I saw had clearly entered at the Liverpool city centre and was nearly at the dock entrance. He'd obviously walked the length of Dale St and probably a bit of water street too by then without anyone coming to pick him up! Perhaps they had laid bets as to how far he'd get!

But I expect he arrived at Lime St. and walked out of the station and down the hill to the tunnel entrance. If you don't know the city its a natural thing to do I suppose and seeing a tunnel with a sign saying 'To Birkenhead' You take it, marvelling at how the locals accept such a risky way of travelling.

I have even seen more dangerous practices there though. On one occasion some lunatic was swapping lanes at high speed - he changed lanes to overtake me, but shortly after, swerved briefly into the OPPOSITE carriageway to overtake someone. He got away with it too, but not for long. There was a welcoming committee of grim faced Birkenhead police interviewing him at the exit when I left!

Its a pity there isn't a walkway under the tunnel for pedestrians, I'd pay to use it.

And Id pay NOT to lol. The thought of being underground for that long fills me with horror!

I only recently discovered that there is a pedestrian tunnel under the Clyde. The road tunnels are the same as our Wallasey tunnels ie. twin bore two lane jobs. Directly under the roadways (North and South) are well lit pedestrian and cycle tracks. It takes about 12mins to walk from one side to the other. Shorter and thus more steeply graded than the Mersey Tunnels. Double security barriers with intercom/buzzer release to let you in AND out !! (Think Airlock!) Free of charge. After a recent refurb. they are brightly lit and free of graffiti and litter.

With all the services under the B'head tunnel, it's not really possible to do that now. Maybe the Wallasey bores, but not that handy to get to after a night on the bevvy in the city centre

It doesn't take that long to walk through the Birkenhead tunnel even with three small kids in tow,think it took less than an hour.before anyone starts panicking about walking in the tunnel with the kids it was one of those special event things.

Its a well repeated myth that its chocker, there is loads of space and walkways are already there for escape from the refuges.

Under the River Tyne there is a walking cycling tunnel in its own right.

They were closed for a year to replace the escalators

I keep saying I'm going to do that tour again sometime

used to get wheeled in a pushchair in the 60s under the Thames in London. Near Greenwich Woolwich or sometimes take the Woolwich ferry ...just like crossing the Mersey.

Wear a fluorescent jacket, helmet and a clipboard.

I don't think this will ever happen.

The original idea was to run trams under the road deck. The trouble with a walkway this length is policing it. It would rapidly become a drug dealers/mugger's paradise.

You have to ask, too, how many people want to go from the centre of Birkenhead to the centre of Liverpool and back. I think most of the cars going through the old tunnel are bound for the outskirts of Birkenhead or even further via the A41. The new tunnel is largely motorway traffic.

Have you seen the queues coming in from Wallasey in the mornings, there are many disgruntled drivers that would disagree with you.

Yes, policing would be a problem but some sort of pre-registration (ID) and/or pre-payment scheme could help towards that. It works in other places and while we are the centre of the universe there is no reason it couldn't be made to work here.

One under the Tyne too:

http://www.tynepedestrianandcyclisttunnels.co.uk/

With a nice free service while work is going on: