Mayor's short-term transport plans letting London down

Labour's transport lead on the London Assembly, Val Shawcross, has criticised Boris Johnson's transport plans as "short term" and "lacking in vision or new ideas".

Responding to the consultation on the Mayor's 'transport strategy statement of intent', Val said:

"London faces significant challenges over the next twenty years: population growth, climate change, and uncertainties about economic sectors on which London has previously relied. But these challenges should also present opportunities. The Mayor should be doing everything in his power to turn the threat of climate change into opportunities for new jobs, to ensure population growth results in economic growth and to enable all Londoners to share in the city's success.

"If we fail to respond to these challenges and take advantage of the opportunities they provide, London will soon lose its place as a premier world city. London’s transport is already seriously overcrowded and congested in many areas; air quality is lethally poor and CO2 emissions are rising. If the Mayor fails to reduce our dependence on the private car, to plan for major increases in the capacity of our public transport system and to find ways to manage travel demand then London’s future will be at risk."

The response, submitted by Val Shawcross on behalf of Labour members of the Assembly:

• Calls for the reinstatement of six transport projects scrapped by the Mayor, including the Thames Gateway Bridge, the DLR extension to Dagenham and the Cross River Tram, and for work on further improvements to London's transport network
• Argues that the Mayor is failing to ensure that London's transport supports regeneration - seriously undermining his plans for growth in business and housing
• Describes the Mayor's record on improving transport for outer London as "lamentable", listing abandoned transport projects and broken promises on overground Oyster pre-pay and overcrowding
• Warns of a "climate crisis" if the Mayor continues to neglect the environment in his transport policies. The environment is placed 5th out of six Mayoral priorities.
• Criticises the failure to acknowledge, or willingness to ignore, the fatal effects on Londoners' health of the city's poor air quality, which causes around 3,000 premature deaths a year
• Laments the Mayor's failure to set any targets for getting people out of their cars and onto public transport or to consider walking or cycling
• Attacks the Mayor's lack of commitment to ensuring that London's Tube and bus network is accessible to all. The Mayor's strategy only commits him to providing step-free access at 29% of stations by 2017 - letting down older people, parents with young children and disabled passengers
• Accuses the Mayor of putting the polluter before the pedestrian in his "transport hierarchy"

In the submission, Val Shawcross calls for:

• Sustainable growth and regeneration, reducing deprivation and social inequality
• A vast reduction in car journeys and investment in cleaner technology for public transport in order to tackle climate change
• A more accessible transport system for all Londoners
• Improvements to road safety and safety across London's transport network

Read Val's full response here.