How will London’s next mayor answer the transport question?
James Sloan, Political Consultant
| Dods Monitoring
In a round-up of the transport commitments featuring in the main London mayoral candidates’ manifestos, Dods Monitoring examines the proposed futures of the capital’s essential infrastructure.
A city the size of London requires an effective working transport infrastructure, so it is no surprise that alongside housing and planning, investment in the transport network is high amongst the pledges made by candidates vying to be London’s next mayor.
Crossrail 2 has received the support from the Conservative and Labour candidates, with Zac Goldsmith confirming the Conservatives would develop a mechanism to capture the windfall in property prices when TfL invests in new infrastructure.
Both Labour and Conservative candidates also agree on the devolution of suburban rail services to TfL control, with Labour’s Sadiq Khan pledging to freeze all TfL fares for four years.
Pollution levels in the capital have been targeted by all the candidates. Labour would introduce clean bus corridors, and increase the cycling budget prioritising Quietways. The Lib Dems would increase the congestion charge with a higher levy placed on diesel vehicles, whilst the Greens would extend the congestion charge to cover the whole of London.
For HGVs, the Lib Dems would introduce a rush hour ban, whilst Goldsmith has pledged to set new standards on freight delivery, and the Greens would cancel plans for new road-building schemes, and remove vehicles from Oxford Street.
Although the mayoralty does not have control over aviation, the big debate around expansion in the South East could play a part once the Government make a decision on additional capacity. Both Goldsmith and Khan are opposed to Heathrow expansion, but Khan has outlined his support for a second runway at Gatwick. Liberal Democrat candidate Caroline Pidgeon opposes expansion at both Heathrow and Gatwick, alongside London City, but would support the use of larger aircraft to increase capacity.
Whoever wins the contest, the next mayor will inherit a growing population that needs to be transported around the city; challenges for transport networks in how to develop a sustainable future will be at the forefront of the agenda for the next four years.
The Dods Monitoring team has also produced sector round ups of all the manifestos published by the main candidates in the London campaign. Please find them at the following links:
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