London Councils' response to Mayor's Transport Strategy - Statement of Intent

London Councils has responded to the Mayor’s proposals for developing a transport strategy for London.

In preparing our response we have considered how well the objectives and recommendations which were adopted as London Councils’ policy for the new transport strategy in June 2008 are addressed in the Statement of Intent (SoI).

Our response highlights the issues that we still need to be addressed in the revised strategy and we look forward to continuing to work closely with TfL and the GLA as work on the new transport strategy develops to ensure that these issues are taken into account.

The areas where we feel that further work is particularly needed are as follows:

• Integration with other policy areas and with strategies outside London – it is still not clear how the MTS takes account of changes in health, education and business policy which affect travel patterns
• The needs of local vs. long distance travel – London Councils believes that local transport services should be prioritised and the MTS needs to set out how this will be achieved.
• Clarity about what is achievable and deliverable within the timescale of the MTS - the strategy should set out clearly which schemes are funded and which are in development stages and should also indicate the priority the Mayor assigns to future transport projects in lobbying government for funding.
• Encouraging modal shift - the transport strategy should encourage people to make smarter travel choices following a sustainable hierarchy of transport modes: putting walking above cycling, cycling above public transport and public transport above the private car.
• Encouraging polycentric development - the MTS should support transport which recognises and values the needs of Outer London and encourages polycentric development around existing town centres across London. London Councils would like to work with the GLA and TfL to ensure that the transport implications of the Outer London Commission’s recommendations are fully considered for the whole of London.
• Reviewing bus route planning – London Councils believes the strategy should include a more extensive review of bus route planning to ensure that it meets the needs of Londoners and visitors to London in the 21^st century by making the system more logical and easier to understand and use.
• Future developments on road pricing - It is essential that any future proposals for additional road pricing in London are developed in full engagement with the boroughs. London Councils would also like to see a commitment to reviewing the existing payment collection methods to ensure the congestion charging scheme is not heavily geared to securing revenue from fines, or making it unnecessarily difficult to pay.  
• Addressing the impacts of climate change - We welcome the measures aimed at adapting for climate change and reducing CO2emissions. We also support the Mayor’s proposals to encourage electric vehicle use in principle but would like to work with the Mayor on the implementation of these proposals.
• Transport opportunities for all - The Strategy should give greater consideration generally to improving the accessibility of public transport, particularly given that London will be host to the Paralympic Games in 2012.
• Integration between modes - We welcome the Mayor’s proposals to enhance interchange and integration of the transport system. However, the Strategy should include measures for integrating the rail network into the rest of London’s transport system and for better fares integration.

Download the full response below...