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Livingstone bids to turn the election battle green
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor25.03.08
Ken Livingstone sought to turn the mayoral race into a "green election" today as he unveiled his environmental policies for a third term.
Mr Livingstone made clear he views 1 May as a referendum on his policies to tackle climate change and protect the health of Londoners.
Aides claimed it would be the first election in British history to be decided largely on environmental issues.
The Mayor put his plans for a £25 congestion charge on gas guzzlers at the heart of his re-election bid and claimed that neither Boris Johnson nor Brian Paddick were in tune with voters' passion for urgent action on global warming.
Mr Livingstone made a direct pitch to Liberal Democrat voters by declaring that Mr Paddick had detached himself from his own party on green issues by opposing the "CO2 charge" and the Low Emissions Zone, which fines polluting lorries.
Launching his manifesto in the Lib-Dem heartland of Richmond, the Mayor praised the local council for slapping higher parking charges on 4x4s and pleaded with the party's supporters to help him "stop Boris" from winning.
He described his Tory rival as "one of the least environmentally friendly politicians in the country", claiming that he had opposed the Kyoto treaty as well as the £25 C-charge. Mr Livingstone also said Mr Johnson had ruined his procycling image with his pledge to allow motorbikes to use bus lanes.
Among the main policies unveiled today were a £500 million package to expand cycle routes and introduce cheap cycle hire as well as anti-flooding plans to ban householders from replacing front gardens with car driveways.
Mr Livingstone wants to turn Victoria Embankment into a sandy beach for the whole of August every year from 2010 and make all residential streets 20mph zones, with speed cameras replacing road humps.
Other measures include using heat from Barking Power Station to warm 50,000 homes and expanding car clubs.
Mr Livingstone said he would be running on his record - including the fact that London's congestion charge is now being copied across the globe - as well as on his future plans for a "cleaner, greener capital for the 21st century".
He said there was a clear dividing line between him and his opponents over the plan for a £25 charge on gas guzzlers planned from October.
The Mayor highlighted a recent poll showing that 61 per cent of Londoners backed his plans, while just 29 per cent were against. He pointed out that Green Party candidate Sian Berry last week urged Londoners to vote "Green 1, Ken 2" to use their second preferences to back Mr Livingstone.
"The outcome of this election will determine whether ground-breaking policies to build on London's commitment to the Kyoto agreement on climate change will proceed or not," he said. "Boris Johnson ... is one of the few politicians in the world, and the only major candidate for Mayor, to support George Bush in opposing the Kyoto agreement. Boris Johnson's attempt to paint himself green for the purposes of being elected is entirely fake - on the environment Boris Johnson is a throwback to another age."
KEN'S MANIFESTO FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
CARS
From October, "gas-guzzling" 4x4s, people carriers and sports cars face a £25 C-charge to drive into central London, more than three times the current £8 Smaller cars will pay nothing for first time. £4 million will be spent expanding car clubs to allow half of Londoners to be within five minutes' walk of a pay-as-you go car.
CYCLES
£500 million package to create new commuter routes into the City and in the suburbs. Motorcyclists will continue to be banned from bus lanes used by cyclists. Within the Circle line zone, bikes will be rented from on-street sites.
GREEN SPACE
From 2010, the Victoria Embankment will be closed throughout August and turned into "London Beach" The Paris "plage" attracts four million visitors a year and Mr Livingstone says there will be a similar boost to London tourism. Olympic site will be turned into London's biggest new park in 200 years.
ENERGY
Plans to move 25 per cent of London's energy supply away from the national grid to local generation. The capital's only power station, in Barking, will use its excess heat to warm 50,000 homes. As 70 per cent of capital's CO2 comes from buildings, Mr Livingstone would streamline rules to let the NHS, schools and firms "retrofit" insulation and other measures. Green advice to save each London household upto £300 in fuel bills.
AIR QUALITY
Opposes all new airport expansion and may fund legal challenge to Heathrow third runway. Low Emission Zone, fining high-polluting lorries in Greater London, to be extended to lighter vehicles from this summer and vans/ minibuses from 2010. 500 new electricity petrol hybrid buses by 2010. One million trees to be planted by 2012. "Green Oyster Card" to reward those who travel off-peak or cycle once a week and give discounts on entry to nature reserves.
Blog: Will Lib Dems fall for Ken?
Reader views (22)
Please stop this man and his buffoonery! Ken's all hot air.
Is there any truth in the rumour that Ken's got his hands on Tony Blair's "Spin'll Fix-It" covert operational handbook?
- Fraser, Telford Park
They really are scared of Boris now aren't they? They are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him and bringing all the big guns in to fight him.
(Mixing my metaphors!)
- Jason Stone, Stratford, Newham
Go out into the suburbs if you really want to see congestion and air-pollution. Essex in the early hours is a nightmare and they are mostly not heading for Central London. This major is a joke he should join his comrade in Venezuela and take his cronies with him.
- Frederick, London
What? £25 C Charge for people carriers but smaller cars go free? So a People carrier containing 7 bodies is far worse than 8 single occupancy fiat sicentos?
Ken, didn't the motorcycle/bus lane studies show more than a 50% reduction in accidents?
How about saving some lives, ambulance time & Hospital beds!
- Monty, Milton Keynes
Interesting how this hypocrite, desperate to stay in power for another term, teams up with the Greens. Too little, too late mate.
Get out and leave with what little dignity you have left, intact.
- Simon Raleb, London
Ken is the only politician in this country that talks sense on the environment and whose actions match his words. So what if he wants Formula 1 in London, it doesn't happen every day and we've got to have some fun once in a while. The transport system may be slow and still quite unreliable but look where it was 10 years ago, much worse than it is today. Under Ken it's getting better. I'd hardly call the congestion charge a fiasco, it's worked at reducing congestion and making my bus journeys much quicker.
It's also nice to hear a politician talking about decentralised energy generation and combined heat and power for once. We've lagged behind the rest of Europe on this for far too long. I only wish the government could follow Ken's lead.
Ken has the ideas, the vision and the passion to make things happen. He's done a lot for London already and he'll do much more with another 4 years. He's got my vote in the bag.
- Tom Skinner, London
Mr Livingstone should have resigned, until we find out where all the money has gone that his appointed people have spent poorly.
- Brian, London, UK
Asw, Hong Kong...
Spot on, totally agree, the man is a snide and a little toad!
- George, Hempstead
Ken is insulting the intelligence of the public, if you vote for him, you vote for the continued "politics of envy", corrupt charity donations, the extention of the rip off charge east to Stratford and south to Greenwich.
The man is a despot and has been in the job for too long, get him out, lets have some fresh ideas!
- George, Hempstead
Ken, sounds good to me, I trust you to deliver.
- Graeme, London
Ken is determined to turn London into 1 giant theme park for tourists. What about helping the poor sods who have to work in London?
- Malcolm, Chingford
With the coldest Easter for 35 years Ken Livingstone is barking mad going down this route.
This Whole climate change thing is one giant scam with one aim in mind more TAX. Having the traffic lights out of sinc; on purpose was Livingstones idea to promote the congestion charge making cars sit in traffic jams burning more fuel and producing more co2.
People just need to look at their council tax bill it should be arriving any day now that is Livingstone and his lunatic idea's costing more every year.
Found the missing millions yet Mr Livingstone?.
- K Harrop, Hertford, UK
Good, Green Manifesto from Ken. Good for London. Looks like the Greens have used their influence on Ken. A great partnership/alliance. Ken should come out and say he won't stand for a 4th Term; and two years into his third, let Sean take over the reigns. At last a Green Mayor! A first for the world!
- Dhanraj, basildon, essex
Save the planet, get Ken to stop spouting hot air.
- C Byrne, Pinner, UK
Oh Dear Ken,
You should appoint your environmental advisor's on their scientific knowledge not on the ability to jump high, hold a drink and to form a bogus organisation.
Speed bumps and 20mph zones will USE MORE hydrocarbons not less given that modern engines are at their most efficient at 50/55mph in fifth gear not stuck in second!
Closing the embankment will emit more CO2 all the sand will have to be shipped in and out and the motor transport will have to go on alternative routes!
I would not waste your time making you no man plans for no one, soon you will have lots of time on your hands to go watch the newts.
- Ethel Tree, London, England
How green is Formula 1 racing? I only ask because of the following (source BBC, 2004)
"London mayor Ken Livingstone has told the BBC that the capital could host a Formula One Grand Prix by 2007.
Mr Livingstone said at Tuesday's F1 demonstration in Regent Street that he backed the idea and shrugged off claims it would cause too much disruption.
"It would probably bring two million people to London and we're really up for it," Livingstone said."
Say it all, really.
Any official Green Party statement about F1 racing in London?
- Sally R., London, UK
Sorry Ken, too little too late, you and your employees have proved that you're not up to the job and are possibly even corrupt, you can kiss that cushy little number goodbye.
- Rob Depublic, Barking
I think Ken, who took a taxi from Blackpool to London to avoid public transport, takes us for fools if he thinks we are impressed by his recent conversion to Green. More to do perhaps with his hope that he will pick up the Green Party's second preference votes...
- Johno, London
Unfortunately the new congestion charge proposals have shown that Ken's greenness can be more about posturing than reality. In order to get them through he has had to allow huge numbers of vehicles free entry to the enlarged zone, so any reduction in CO2 will probably be small in relation to the cost and inconvenience to individuals.
Still, like many others I will probably reluctantly vote for him as the least worst candidate. Then if he is re-elected we'll be forced to watch as he claims it as a great personal triumph and vindication of all he has done. Why do dislike politicians so much, I wonder?
- Tony Woolf, London UK
"Aides claimed it would be the first election in British history to be decided largely on environmental issues."
Who on earth believes this? Sorry, lovely idea and all but as a Londoner I'm actually more concerned about being mugged and a transport system which is the slowest in Europe (and not getting any better.)
I do love it when a politician - sorry "his aides" tell me what I'm deciding my vote is about. It's guaranteed to be 100% wrong as basically, the Mayor's PR machine is trying desperately to divert attention away from Jasper, cronies and corruption.
Who actually believes this rubbish ?
- Trffid, London
Only look at his huge bendy bus introduction... The guy has no clue how to manage transport or pollution in London, and the Congestion-charging fiasco. Ken has to go away!
- Georgie, Islington, London
Firstly the congestion charge was not his. This has been copied from Hong Kong, although it is not in operation at present. This was proposed years before Ken copied it. Only difference the people and businesses of Hong Kong are opposed to it and is therefore still under consideration. The authorities at least listen to the people.
Secondly, the oyster card is another copied from Hong Kong. This has been in operation years before Ken claimed the credit for London. The transport infrastructure is far superior to London. The trains run on time and are clean. The Octopus card as oppose to the oyster card is widely used for shopping and is accepted for parking meters amongst other things. There is also a loyalty reward on this.
Oh your bike Ken.. your days are numbered.
- Asw, Hong Kong
