Morning:
14°c
Like everything else, public transport is affected by recession. That is why I planned ahead and ensured London's transport system had large financial reserves to cope with such a situation.
Then Boris Johnson came in and ran down the reserves with gimmicks and commitments to throw away income. As a result, he is now planning big fare increases in January to fill the hole he has created in the Transport for London budget.
The chaos in City Hall yesterday over whether the abolition of the western half of the congestion charge zone is to be postponed is a symptom of the resulting confusion and incompetence.
First, the Mayor's transport adviser gave a statement to this paper saying that abolition was just an aspiration that would now be postponed. He was crushed by the City Hall media bulldozer by yesterday lunchtime. Nevertheless, it seems impossible to get a straight answer from the Mayor about what exactly is going to happen and when.
Most Londoners polled last year favoured keeping the western extension, either intact or with modifications. Against the facts, this was spun by City Hall as a majority against the charge. Now, as a hole opens in the transport budget, no one can find out what will happen.
The only way out of this situation is to adopt a rational transport policy that protects the environment, reduces pollution and makes the worst polluters pay. Instead, since his election Boris Johnson has subsidised the polluters at the expense of ordinary Londoners. But why should a bus or Tube passenger subsidise a “Chelsea Tractor”? And why should they pay for ridiculous gimmicks like a new Routemaster that will probably never carry a single passenger?
Motorists driving the worst gas guzzlers have been let off the planned higher C-charge of £25. In addition, the Mayor's plan to halve the congestion charge zone would lose London another £55-70 million a year.
Meanwhile, small lorries and vans are being let off heavy fines if they don't meet higher air-quality standards, because the Mayor suspended the planned next phase of the London-wide, clean-air low emission zone. This is despite the fact that, thanks to this move, we face £300 million in fines for exceeding EU emissions limits; thousands of Londoners die unnecessarily every year from respiratory illnesses because of some of the worst air quality in Europe.
City Hall has created a vicious circle. Revenues have been thrown away, pollution and congestion get worse and Londoners will pay through higher fares and lower investment in public transport. Because the net result is that Boris Johnson is planning big fare increases in January.
Here's what the Mayor should do to put transport policy on track and stop ordinary farepayers subsidising polluters. He should keep the western extension of the congestion charge. That would restore up to £70 million a year in the transport budget's projections. He should reinstate the £25 charge on the worst polluting cars driving into central London, which would bring in around another £50 million a year.
And then he should stop wasting money on gimmicks. Getting rid of bendy buses costs more, cuts capacity and means more congestion, because more buses are needed. On two routes where the Mayor has replaced bendies, he has provoked an outcry from passengers stuffed in like sardines — if they can get on one of the new, smaller buses at all. And that's before the so-called “new Routemaster” has to be paid for.
These steps are the bare minimum. The alternative is years of rising fares, worsening congestion and unnecessary deaths caused by falling air quality. And we can't afford that.
Reader views (36)
Ken you have put a lot of bad ideas in a lot of bad politicians heads.
Congestion charges have been thoroughly pooh poohed here but there is a systematic and unyielding perseverence by city governments all in the name of Global warming, Climate Change, Carbon Offsets whatever fantasy the people will believe to relieve us of ever more tax.
I wonder, depending on who you listen to, the carbon emissions from vehicles are said to amount to somewhere between 2% and 6% of the total carbon problem world wide ( I don't believe any of this nonsense) and yet the hapless motorist as usual is footing 100% of the cost. Low hanging fruit aren't we.
- W.Palmer, North Vancouver, Canada
I wholeheartedly agree Ken. BoZo's transport policy seems to revolve around a couple of purely populist policies. Getting rid of bendies and buying in brand new single deckers is enormously costly, but that pales into insiginificance at the cost of the bespoke design and production of a new Routemaster! What a complete and utter white elephant! Meanwhile his other populist policies, abolishing the western extension of the CC zone and £25 CC for the biggest polluters has dumped the cost of BoZo's bus folly firmly on TfL passengers. Come back Ken, you had the courage to penalise polluters for the benefit of public transport travelling passengers.
- Mcw, London
Ken
Go away...
Please
- Garry Morrill, Brighton
The congestion charge has been such a success that every other city that has asked it's electorate if they want one in their city has voted massively against it.
- Kate, London
I think Livingstone must be clinically mad if he thinks we believe anything he says.
- St, London
thank god red ken has gone or else we would have the charge in east london by now with the olyimpics to blame with a review after some hope i dont think so, boris to stay for the sake of london ,red ken to return help us all
- Bruce, london essex
Given that PM10 or particulate from Diesel is the worst problem in London it would make far more sense to focus efforts on Commercial traffic, Taxi's and Buses.
The 'Chelsea Tractors' that Ken was so keen to single out are ironically much more likely to be equipped with a particulate filter or comply with a higher EURO emissions standard than the humble London CAB!
- Jon, London
Strange that Ken talks about the wonderful Congestion Charge which he brought in.....strange that most of the congestion is actually in the east of London not where he put it.
Could it be because those areas are Labour controlled boroughs,so he could put the charge on Tory Boroughs.Ken it was all part of the usual Socialist idea of taxing the richer boroughs,all wrapped up in your usual spin.
You were voted out because most of us had had enough of you and your administration...get over it
- Grumpy As Hell, wimbledon
The Scrappage scheme money spent on keeping motor car importers and cigarette lighter component manufacturers afloat should have been spent on tooling up Brompton and a mobility scooter company to provide a free bike/mobility scooter for every Londoner. This plus the cycle hire scheme would mean that buses, traffic lights, taxis and private cars in central London could all be banned. Less public transport expenditure, less NHS expenditure, fitter people, lower CO2, more London employment, less air pollution, little traffic noise.
- Charlie, Kennington, UK
The mess that Johnson made so far is slowly unraveling. Come back Ken and show the buffoon how to do the job.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK
Is it April 1st? Ken Livingstone left TFL with large reserves to cope with a recession? Last time I saw, it was £500mio in the hole. Who is the greater fantasist these days, Gordon Clown or Red Ken? This article takes my breath away. How long will this country put up with socialist morons whose only ability in life is spending other people's money........
- Jacob, London, UK
Come back Ken - before it's too late
- Kevin, Stoke Newington
David, N10 - I agree totally with you it would have made more sense to extend the 76 to Victoria (where it used to run!) via Victoria Street while the 211 would have been diverted via the 507 route. The big benefit would have been that the 76 would have also helped passengers on route 521 which also has sardine can replacements.
As for those in West London well Ken had a mandate from ALL London it is not a question just for a couple of streets to decide as the congestion affects areas outside your little empire!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
I hope you're enjoying your leave, Ken. There'll be a lot more cock-ups to sort out when you get back to work in 2012. The chap you left in charge simply isn't up to administrating, I'm afraid.
I second the notion of giving Ken a regular column. I'll actually start buying the Standard again then.
- Carl, London
'He should reinstate the £25 charge on the worst polluting cars driving into central London, which would bring in around another £50 million a year.'
Do you really think that 8000+ drivers would pay £25 per day for the privilege of driving into central London?
That's the problem with 'green' taxes, they don't raise money if they succeed in changing behaviour.
And on the subject of pollution, why does EVERY major world city use natural-gas powered public transport to reduce urban pollution? You had 8 years to meet the EU pollution regulations and you did next to nothing to meet them.
You obsessed over Co2 - a harmless gas in cities - and ignored soot and Nitrogen Oxides.
- J H Holloway, London
@Rob, London - Sure:
"With his characteristic braggadocio, Ken Livingstone has left a £2.25 billion black hole in TfL's finances - and all because he didn't have the guts to be straight with the voters."
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-mayor/article-23550944-commentary-rise-will-fix-kens-tfl-black-hole.do;jsessionid=7C0262098A626CC5E07305FDF6FB60F6
Slash TFL staff and introduce driverless tubes. It would save a fortune in the long run and think how happy commuters would be knowing no more pernicious strikes.
- Andy Davids, London
The congestion charge is a sham and an easy money making con.
Has anyone noticed the so called reduced traffic levels yet ?
- Joe, Swanley Kent
In 2001 Ken said that "Only a de-humanized moron would get rid of The Route Master"
Guess who got rid of it?
Stay away!
- Macdangler, Wimbledon SW19
"But why should a bus or Tube passenger subsidise a “Chelsea Tractor”?
Ken how about telling it the other way round which is the real truth, why should people with cars subsidise public transport users?
You say it's about the worst polluters, but when it was introduced, it was about congestion, make your mind up.
More double speak from a typical socialist, the CC is nothing but an envy tax, a spite tax in fact.
- P Staker, Londonistan.
I agree with Livingstone on the issue of gimmicks. The routemasters idea was a nifty attempt by Team Boris to give the impression that they have a genuine interest in London's bus services, which - as anyone who has stood at Victoria and tried to board the super-tiny new 507s will attest - the patently do not.
- Mike, London
Ken Livingstone is going to teach us about reducing congestion, the man who admitted putting 10,000 plus new sets of traffic lights into central London, and changed the signalling on a lot of others. Did he not think these actions would slow down his buses or the resulting traffic congestion cause more pollution?
Then he had the multi million pound public consultancies on the western congestion charge, which came out strongly against it, but Ken said it was for our own good, overruled the outcome and went ahead anyway.
What an utter hypocrite this man is.
- Steve M, London
Well Said, Nobby and Peter!
Don't fool yourself Ken, people got RID of you as much as they voted for Boris. No matter how you want to try and spin this in your favour. |I voted AGAINST you because of the congestion charge and FOR Boris because of the congestion charge, and while maybe the majority of London were for the CC (which I completely question), it is utterly NOT the case for the consitutents of Kensington and Chelsea whcih represeents the VAST majority of the Western extension., We DON'T want it and the consultation held by K&C made it Crystal Clear to you and Boris. Nevetheless you didn't mind IMPOSING it. And this my friend might be tolerable in your dreams of an authortiarian regime, but NOT in our London DEMOCRACY. May you NEVER come back as a mayor, and if Boris fails at scrapping it. then SO MAY HE.
Oh and By the way, is this a congestion charge? Or a pollution charge? Or a transport tax? Which is it, Ken ? Or does any excuse go to grab our money and strangle our local businesses? Tssss
- Jay Grand, London Golborne Road w10
Red Ken do us all a favour and crawl back to the stone from whence you came. Your bitter diatribe only serves to highlight the fact that you were beaten at the polls by the better man. The fact of the matter is that the Congestion Charge is an unmitigated failure and the Western extension was another Left Wing plea for Class War. Regent Street is still a virtual carpark and there is virtually no change to the amount of traffic on the streets of London. All the Congestion Charge is, is a Stealth Tax that has filled the taxman's coffers and for what benefit???????
- Tim, Wimbledon, London, London, UK
So good old Ken knew there was going to be a recession, that's why he made sure there were reserves, ha ha ha ha, what a laugh, you and your comments are not welcome Livingstone.
- Terry, london
A bit rich coming from the bloke who made the mess in the first place and then left a huge hole in the finances.
Move on Ken - the rest of us have.
- Suzy, London, UK
Is this the first time that the Standard has given Ken Livingstone space to express his views? Livingstone is a born and bred Londoner, writes well, seems to know a bit about our city.....why not give hime a regular column?
- Sceptic, London
Everybody knows Ken left a big black hole in TFL finances when he left
- Andy Davids, London
I didn't know that, can you provide a source, please, for saying that.
- Rob, London
It would not have been so bad had BoJo replaced the bendies on route 507 with double deckers, but no, back to old single decks - those who face the crush from Waterloo and Victoria know what I mean. The new Routemasters are not showing signs of progress. How exactly is he intending to replace the £70m funding from the Western C-Charge - that is, if he actually drops it?
- David, N10
The Congestion Charge and other similar systems are there to create fairness: people pay for what they use or the damage they cause.
If it doesn't do that then it needs tweaking but it's time to accept the concept. All city centres will charge for car access in the future - there's no going back.
- Andrew, London
Everybody knows Ken left a big black hole in TFL finances when he left, bit rich for him to criticise now he has no responsibility.
- Andy Davids, London
Bring Ken back, he knew how to run a public transport system.
- Tom, Brixton, UK
Peter, Harrow - Ken sought and got a mandate from ALL the people of London BEFORE introducing both zones!!!
All Boris said he would hold a consultation and apart from the usual gimmick consultation he held when elected Mayor he has done nothing about holding the real one.
Fact is removing the Western C-Charge will cost hundreds of millions more in the congestion it will course and dreams of cycling in High Street Kensington will turn into nightmares.
Boris needs a mandate to remove any part of the charge and should seek this in the 2012 election.
He is already wasteing £3 million pounds on 3 Artic bus routes and wants to remove the rest so how much will that cost? We dont know because Boris is to busy writing newspaper columns to get on with this work.
Goes to show the mess that arises when you put Tories in charge!!
(ps if Boris wants to save money he should introduce more Artic routes in fact they are so popular compared to all the empty sardine cans he has introduced. Well passengers on former Red Arrow routes have voteed with their feet and decided to sit on another bus. What was that about A seat for every commuter!!)
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Absolutley right Ken, How I wish people could open their eye's and see the mess Boris Johnson is making.
- Adam, Soho London
Ken Who?
- Robin, London
The CC is all about reducing traffic levels; if it reduces emissions, then that is possibly a good thing too, but since London gets as much pollution from Rotterdam, Paris and Manchester, we needn't worry too much about a few Tonka toys dropping off Tamsin and Tarquin.
And unfortunately, the CC has completely failed to reduce traffic levels. Traffic is up and jams are worse than ever. I walk from Fleet St to Charing X every evening, and can get there quicker than any car or bus. However, this is not caused by volume of traffic, but poor management of the traffic that is there. Livingstone failed to introduce any legislation to prevent multiple holes being dug up in the same area. Livingstone ordered the installation of traffic lights every 100 yards on main roads to help pedestrians and frustrate motorists out of their cars.
Unfortunately, like the government's addition to road tax and fuel duty, TfL is now dependent on whatever income it can get from road pricing. This means the CC is being used primarily as a revenue source for a quango, rather than as a means of alleviating traffic.
And as for Livingstone: you lost Ken - get over it and leave us alone.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
The congestion charge mess was caused by Ken Livingstone introducing it in the first place.
- Peter, Harrow, UK
