2-861-001 - Historic England Archive/Heritage Images

White Gates Level Crossing, Canning Town, Newham, Greater London Authority, 1920s. Vans and horse-drawn carts on the White Gates Level Crossing, and traffic queuing on Victoria Dock Road alongside the North Woolwich Railway The caption on this slide reads: "Approaches to London Docks. Traffic Congestion at "White Gates" Level Crossing on Victoria Dock Road." The White Gates Level Crossing provided vehicular access from Victoria Dock Road to the Royal Victoria Dock and Silvertown, crossing the North Woolwich Railway. In 1922 the average number of vehicles crossing White Gates in 24 hours was 2,852, an increase from 2,173 in 1904 and 2,496 in 1913. Due to closure of the gates for trains, road traffic was stopped for over 9 hours each day. The level crossing was therefore one of a number of bottle necks on the approach to the docks, which also included the narrow swing bridge at the west entrance of Royal Victoria Dock. It was not until the Royal Victoria and other Dock Approaches (Improvement) Act was passed in 1929 that work began on a new road scheme in the area.