Tonight:
8°c
Ken Livingstone's transport commissioner threatened to cut the police's budget unless they stopped talking about the dangers of bendy buses.
Peter Hendy, head of Transport for London, also attacked a Liberal Democrat MP who questioned the buses' safety as a "rent-a-mouth".
Emails leaked to the Evening Standard show that Mr Hendy, who is supposed to be politically neutral, was furious at police sources who spoke to a newspaper after Lee Beckwith, 21, was killed by a bendy bus which dragged him under its wheels for nearly a mile without the driver noticing.
Officers told the Mirror: " Pedestrians and cyclists are constantly caught out by the line taken by the back half of the bus at corners. We have seen lots of incidents where people have had feet crushed or legs broken by the rear wheels."
On 9 October, Mr Beckwith, a tiler from Brentwood, got off the Number 25 bus in Ilford High Road but fell under the wheels. His body became dislodged in Romford Road, Manor Park. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In an email to David Brown, TfL's director of surface transport, Mr Hendy said: "The statements clearly come from the Met traffic officers involved in the investigation (and are manifestly incorrect). It makes me inclined to cut support for TOCU in future budgets as clearly their support for us is limited to taking money and is one way."
TOCU is the Transport Operational Command Unit, the Met division charged with tackling road safety and bus crime. Funded by TfL, it has 1,200 police officers, community support officers and traffic wardens and is a "key part" of the Met's anti-crime strategy.
TOCU's £70million budget was not cut but Lib-Dem mayoral candidate Brian Paddick, a former police commander, today called Mr Hendy's threat "outrageous". He said: "Police traffic investigators are experts in road safety. If they are saying that bendy buses are dangerous, people should take notice."
Boris Johnson, the Tory mayoral candidate, said: "The police's job is not to 'support' Mayoral policy but to protect the public. It would be quite wrong for politics to interfere with the police doing their duty." Mr Hendy's email, written on 10 October last year, continued: "Will you make sure they [the police] know how fed up I am with what seems like complete indifference to our relationship? I will certainly raise this and the Barnet embarassment [sic] with [Met Commissioner] Ian Blair."
The "Barnet embarassment" refers to an occasion last year when police expressed "serious concerns" about the safety of a new conventional singledecker service, the 384, routed through "unsuitable" residential streets in Barnet and called for an "urgent review".
Last week, the Standard published an email from the Mayor's chief of staff, Simon Fletcher, in which he said he was "very worried" about the media appeal of Mr Johnson's pledge to scrap bendy buses. Mr Hendy replied by asking if there was "mileage" in TfL " refuting Boris's public transport ideas".
In the latest emails between the men, Mr Hendy attacked Richmond Park Lib-Dem MP Susan Kramer, who called for a review of bendy bus safety following Mr Beckwith's death in Manor Park last October - one of at least six over the past 18 months. "Susan Kramer is a rent-a-mouth," Mr Hendy wrote. "Pity the Lib-Dems are more Tory than Labour!"
Ms Kramer said today: "I haven't had satisfactory answers from TfL on bendy bus safety. There needs to be a review."
A TfL spokesman said: "Mr Hendy was privately expressing his frustration." Regarding Mr Hendy's threat to cut police budget, he said: "He was simply making clear such matters should be resolved through official channels, not the media or third parties."
PETER HENDY'S EMAIL TO A COLLEAGUE
Reader views (20)
Have you been able to launch a 'Campaign' which contains anything of a substantive issue on TFL's together website.
Please try? You will then see the power of 'moderation' at work in a public sector organization.
Perhaps a Journo should query under FOI, those which they have rejected? An interesting angle for an article as well as obvious public concern. TFL's transparent & public service nature should be called to account constructively.Is this an example of another quango that needs to be reformed and refocussed?
Maybe Boris needs a while to bed them in?
- Transport User, London
"A TfL spokesman said: "Mr Hendy was privately expressing his frustration." Regarding Mr Hendy's threat to cut police budget, he said: "He was simply making clear such matters should be resolved through official channels, not the media or third parties.""
So, why didn't he say just that then? This statement from 'an official TfL spokesman' is outrageous and deliberate deceit. Hendy's threat made no mention of 'official channels' at all.
- Chuck Unsworth, London, UK
A friend who is well informed tells me that Hendy has instructed Transport for London staff to gather information to support Kens campaign. Also GLA and TFL are assuming Boris wins and are planning for the change of Mayor.
- Pete Brown, Peebles
My brother lives and works in London. He says these buses are dangerous, and that they were introduced so they could get rid of conductors. I hear you can get on via the exit and so dodge the fare. Pretty poor really.
- Dr Nick Ashley, Huntingdon England
Mr. Hendy, I think it is time you stepped down and applied your expertise in furthering Ken's re-election.
In event of failure, I'm sure the police would welcome you as a consultant on transport matters.
- Matt, London, UK
Is London not now under a dictatorship? Time to Go Ken.
- Jason Laskey, London UK
TFL were supposed to be investigating why Lambeth highways department got Thames water to pretend there was a water main burst in "The Cut" road SE1, so they could introduce an emergency road closure in January of this year, closing the whole road (one of London's busiest), to all traffic for FOUR days, enabling Lambeth to do some road re-surfacing work. What will TFL do about this serious abuse of power by a Local Government Highway Authority? Judging by recent events at TFL, they will do nothing except brush it under the carpet. What if there had been a major fire or other emergency? Someone could have died or been seriously injured if emergency vehicle(s) could not reach them. Come on TFL, surprise us all and do something about this!
- John Walsh, Kennington, London
This one example is a complete disgrace and shows just how loony and crooked this lot really are.
- Frank H, London.
Joe, fully agree and the answer to your question is NO.
- Den, London
Bendy buses are a menace. Remember, only one person - the driver - has the responsibility for watching the road, the passengers in their vehicle, issuing tickets and dealing with the frustrations of crowded roads all day. I don't think 100% vigilance is possible under those conditions. I've had my nose clipped a number of times by a driver anxious to get his bus around a crowded turning. Accidents happen to cyclists and pedestrians all the time with large vehicles - let alone the extra long bendy ones where visibility is even worse for the driver. Get rid of the blasted things or limit them to inter-city use on motorways only.
- Nora, London
Hendy should be sacked, full stop!
- Neil Grinsell, London
This proves that Ken and his mates don't give a damn about you, me and the people on the streets. They are like the 3 monkeys see nothing, say what they only say and go deaf to real peoples concerns! that is new labour.
- Joe Sardena, Swanley Kent
Welcome to the TFL old boys network, it's the only building I've ever been in that has marble bathrooms on every floor. How wonderful it must be to build these castles in the sky with taxpayers money.
- B Bendy, Westminster
I think the question has now got to be asked ..Is there any department in ken Livingstone's town hall that he has not corrupted?
- Joe, plumstead
Dear Mr Hendy,
Perhaps if you were not so busy jumping to the required height and holding Kens drinks, you might have taken the time to read the ‘dummies guide to behaviour during the Mayoral Election Campaign’, this has been a quick link on the TfL intranet for months now!
Happy reading, I hope when Ken and you are gone decisions can be made on professional opinion and not political grounds.
Yours living in hope.
- Scarlet Track, London
Is there no level to which Ken and his cronies won't stoop? Threatening to cut police budgets because they question the safety of bendy buses is just beyond the pale. These behemoth, "free buses" are hated and feared by virtually everyone except Ken and now he's in the process of making critical remarks about them virtually illegal.
- R M, London, UK
According to the 1989 legislation all posts over point 44 on the LG Services Scale are politically restricted, that is, the holder is forbidden to take part in political activity either inside or outside their day to day work. This does not apply to activities which are necessary for the proper performance of the post holder's duties. Any decision to hold the Service to ransom by withholding funding could cause TfL serious embarrassment if the decision were judicially reviewed which led to the commissioner being disciplined.
- Jerry, London
EDITED by admin @ 15.59 on November 13 2009
- Daniel Howard, London, UK
Any long vehicle will track dangerously on turns...
The "bendy" busses need a new and very cheap Video Monitor system for the driver to be more in touch with the rear wheels. They are already available in cars and vans.
As Fuel prices continue to rise, more and more bicycles will appear on the roadway.
The time has come for more driver vigilance.
- Ron, Toronto
Londoners expect Peter Hendy to be sacked. He doesn't have the ability to be politically neutral and must go. We look forward to Paddick or Boris sacking him when they get into office.
- Anthony, London
