News from London Assembly Labour

“Pay more, get less” Boris drops key Olympic transport schemes

The Labour group on the London Assembly have criticised Boris Johnson as the “pay more, get less Mayor” following his abandonment of yet more key transport schemes – including two Olympic projects.

Labour Group Leader, Len Duvall, said:

“This is the pay more, get less Mayor who raises fares and wastes money on wild vanity schemes but can’t find the money for the key transport projects to see London through the recession. Everyone accepts the need for a certain amount of belt-tightening but this should focus the Mayor on the key improvements London’s transport system needs. What we are seeing is a shift in priorities away from viable, necessary schemes towards the Mayor’s eye-catching vanity projects.”

Projects scrapped in today’s TfL board papers include:

* The Greenwich Waterfront Transit scheme – as of January 2009, according to TfL, “a key part of public transport improvements to support the regeneration in the London Thames Gateway area [that] will help to improve access to employment, education, healthcare and leisure services for local communities” and “improve connections for the 2012 Games”
* Step-free access at Baker Street – a key Olympic travel plan project and part of TfL’s “commitments for the 2012 Games” to “provide step-free access” at this specific location. According to Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes: “All Paralympians, spectators and visitors must be able to participate in what London and the 2012 Games have to offer, without experiencing obstacles”

Wastage incurred includes the following:

* Boris Johnson is about to spend £3m to commission a prototype new “Routemaster”
* Scrapping bendy buses on the routes 507, 521 and 38 will cost £3.3m extra per year
* Boris Johnson’s proposal to build a new airport in the Thames Estuary will cost an estimated £40bn
* Removing the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge will cost £1.5m-£2m and £50m-£70m a year in lost revenue

Other news from London Assembly Labour

• Mayor still refuses to act against banned councillor - 5 March 2010
• Banned councillor: London Labour leader calls on Mayor to act - 25 February 2010
• Boris's broken promise "a huge blow to the Tories' plans for elected police commissioners" - 23 February 2010