There are just three weeks to go until the mayoral elections and with many of their minds still not made up, the Evening Standard's election panel met Brian Paddick to question him about his policies. The Liberal Democrat candidate addressed the issues foremost on panellists' minds and tried to explain why he was the man who would meet their needs.

Mark Wilkinson, 32, young professional: I drive a car which will be hit by the £25 gas-guzzling charge.What will you do about the congestion charge?

Brian Paddick: Livingstone's changes to the congestion charge are clearly about politics and not about climate change.

A £25 charge for people with bigger cars? Well he thinks those people will never vote for him anyway, then he exempts the smaller cars and all that is going to do is encourage people off the buses and Tubes and into cars.

I'm against those sorts of measures - what I propose is a £10 boundary charge to try to cut down long-distance commuting.

Verdict: I think Paddick is right in part. Livingstone's congestion charge policy is not about climate change but I'm not sure I agree with him that it's about politics. The boundary charge sounds like a good idea but why has no one suggested park and rides?

Laura Wilson, 28, fund manager: What would you do to improve conditions for cyclists?

BP: The ultimate answer is to try to make road spaces more civilised. What has happened recently is they have cut back significantly on traffic police and although people talk about anti-social behaviour on the streets the fact you get it on roads now is absolutely astonishing.

We can't get to the stage where every road has a protective cycle lane with high kerbs but where we can do that we will.

Generally, we have got to use the law more, especially against bus and HGV drivers.

Verdict: I was generally impressed by Brian's responses to my questions. I still, however, remain to be convinced that he is the right candidate to represent London on a global level.

Will Barber, 22, student: What are you going to do to make travel easier and cheaper for young people?

BP: Anybody who is a full-time or part-time undergraduate or on a full-time skills course will get a 100 per cent discount. They'll get free travel. I'm doing this because I'm convinced education is the route out of poverty and a lot of people from poorer backgrounds are wary about going to university because of the costs.

Verdict: It's fantastic news for me and certainly means I'm more likely to vote for him.

Emma Priestley, 28, media worker: Why do you support the Tube PPP?

BP: I look at the DLR and it wins awards. The way that's run is, TfL says, "Yeah, we want these trains run, we want these stations, we want this timetable, we're going to charge this fare and we'll get a private company to run it for us." It's also how every bus route in London works and how London Overground works and I'm saying, "If it works well on those things why not run the Underground like that?"

I don't know what anyone else's definition of privatise is but it certainly isn't mine. I'm not talking about selling it off.

Verdict: It's a very comprehensive answer and I'm impressed by him. He was the candidate I knew least about but now it's up to Boris or Ken to convince me to vote for them, not him.

Lynette Charles, 39, charity worker: What can you do to improve young people's behaviour?

BP: We have to get tough with the minority of young people who have free travel passes and abuse them. We need to always take the passes away from them. You wouldn't need a sustained campaign for a long time, word will soon get around. The answer is enforcement. Bus drivers have got to take responsibility for customer care - not driving away too quickly - and they have got to get out of their cabs sometimes and deal with the issues or just say, "I ain't going anywhere until you get off."

The bus drivers and able-bodied passengers, as well as uniformed officers we are putting on buses, have got to put a stop to this.

Verdict: I like Brian a lot and agree with what he has to say about the bus passes. I would like to see community support officers on problem routes.

Bridget Sam-Bailey, 71, pensioner: The Government has cut funding for lifelong learners like me. What can you do to safeguard evening classes?

BP: This is such shortsightedness. It's going out to these sorts of activities [that keep people active]. The quickest way to get people into an old home is to cut back on these activities. I'm not just talking about physical activity, it is very important to keep minds active too.

I don't know what provision there is now for funding of adult skills and learning but there could be a possibility of the Mayor funding these sorts of activities. I just don't understand Ken's attitude of saying, "Well, that's not my responsibility; I don't have any powers for that."

The Mayor has a tremendously powerful voice and he should be saying that local authorities need to be doing more.

Verdict: I'm pleased he thinks it's important and that he'll look into it, but I'm still not swayed.

Charlie Mullins, 50, businessman: What will you do to encourage business in London?

BP: I would abolish the western extension to the congestion charge zone as two out of three people in the zone didn't want it in the first place.

The Low Emissions Zone is just typical of something that hasn't been thought through. Stallholders are saying, "Ken Livingstone is driving us out of London because we can't afford to buy new lorries." The LEZ is going to decimate local businesses and markets.

Verdict: He's not high-profile or experienced enough. I would offer him a job at Pimlico Plumbers directing our fleet of vehicles.

• 

  Supersize superport: London Gateway

  London Gateway, the £1.5bn container port under construction on the Thames at Thurrock, will have capacity to unload six of the world's largest ships at one time and have as much impact on the capital as a new airport or half a dozen Westfield shopping centres

  ---

• 

  One stylish affair: Matthew Williamson

  With London Fashion Week kicking off on Friday, British designer Matthew Williamson tells Rosamund Urwin about breaking up with his ex, post-show partying and his new model man

  ---