Boris Johnson is consulting with key groups including the London Assembly, business and borough councils on a newly published ‘Statement of Intent’ which sets out how the Mayor intends to develop and build his transport strategy for the capital.
The strategy will be published in Autumn when all Londoners will be invited to take part in a public consultation.
Launching his ‘Statement of Intent’ Mayor Johnson said: “Faced with the challenges of a growing population, an uncertain global economy and a changing climate; we need to set a new course for London’s development over the next twenty years that has at its heart a clear long-term transport strategy.
“My vision is for a London that excels among global cities – expanding opportunities, and achieving the highest environmental standards and quality of life. This document builds on the thoughts I outlined in ‘Way to Go!’, and adds further detail to the work we are doing to balance the requirements of meeting future demand, enhancing safety and security, improving air quality and tackling climate change.”
The statement has been condemned by some London Assembly politicians. Caroline Pidgeon, who leads on transport issues for the Liberal Democrats, said the document “is merely stating the bleedin’ obvious”, adding: “all it contains is a long commentary on the state of transport in London, which Londoners know only too well.”
“The key question for Londoners is what will the Mayor do to transform our daily travel experiences. One year on we still have no answers.”
Labour’s Val Shawcross said today’s document “does not tackle the real needs of London’s travelling public and is more like a journey to nowhere than a statement of intent.”
“Boris’ warm words on the importance of public transport and tackling climate change are just not backed up by actions. On the contrary, he’s dropping key schemes that would have served inner and outer London, rolling back on charging polluting vehicles and rephasing traffic lights to give pedestrians’ time to car drivers. There’s absolutely nothing new here and it raises more questions than it answers”.
