Via On TV tonight:
By 2026 the population of London is forecast to grow by as much as 1.2million Londoners.
BBC NEWS | Programmes | Are We There Yet | Epsiode two: London
London’s Mayor Ken Livingstone believes that unless there is a 40% expansion of rail, bus and tube services for commuters, London will cease to be the engine of Britain’s economy and lose its status as one of the world’s leading financial centres.
The Treasury is unlikely to fund most of this.
Chronic underinvestment in the Underground system and insane delays in building essential new transport projects such as crossrail have made it obvious to commuters that the infrastructure can only just about cope with the present levels of demand, let alone any increase.
Frankie says:
So Londoners, start planning your working-from-home or move to the countryside now.
and of course he’s right isn’t he?
Andy Roberts is a writer who initiated DARnet. Contact me on aroberts@gmail.com or @aroberts on twitter
Perhaps the answer is less gooferment, and more free market solutions. But I’m sure the London Mayor wouldn’t be happy at being less than the King – Duke – Earl of London. I’m sure that the best interests of his subjects is foremost in his mind. Not rewarding his friends. Punishing his enemies, Or lining his own pockets. If there was a free market, then there’d be all the mass transit that the market wanted. Isn’t it interesting, that in NYC, during a transit strike, when the city gooferment suspended all it’s petty rules, that a “dollar van” bus-like service emerged within minutes of the suspension. People wanted to keep that system after the strike BUT the petty politicians knew what was best for everyone. Taxi license and franchise bus taxes came first over the needs of the people. Argh!