Livingstone launches London transport plan
Monday, 10 March 2008 12:00 AM
Ken Livingstone has set out his vision for London's transport if elected for a third-term as London mayor.
Mr Livingstone has promised a greener and more personalised service, complete with a new fleet of environmentally friendly buses, modernised Tube system and the long-promised Crossrail.
Launching his transport manifesto in east London, Mr Livingstone said transport was the "biggest task" confronting the mayor over the next term.
He said: "The biggest task confronting the Mayor over the next four years is to successfully deliver the huge transport projects that are now under way in London because these are the key not only to moving around the city but to the entire finances of London.
"If schemes like Crossrail, the bringing of local rail services under London's control with London Overground, Tube modernisation and the management of our buses go wrong, they are so large they will create not only a transport but a financial disaster for London with huge rises in fares and business rates."
Mr Livingstone announced plans for 500 hybrid buses by 2010, in a move that would cut carbon emissions by 40 per cent. The mayor hopes all buses will be hybrid in time for the Olympics.
He also pledged a £500 million "revolution in cycling" including safe cycling zones linking schools and workplaces to residential areas.
Further initiatives touted by the mayor include hire bikes and Oyster top-up via mobile phone.
Mr Livingstone's transport manifesto launch also saw him increase his attacks on Boris Johnson, now the bookies' favourite to become the next mayor of London.
He said Mr Johnson's own transport policy contained a £100 million a year error and claimed it would be a financial and transport disaster if the Conservative candidate was elected.
But Mr Johnson said the manifesto showed his rival had run out of ideas and Londoners now wanted changed.
"This Labour mayor says judge him on his record, claiming he is the man to deliver," Mr Johnson said.
"Well his administration has consistently fallen behind with major projects or gone way over budget costing Londoners millions. What kind of record is that to be proud of?"
Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrats' candidate for London mayor, hit out at the "petty squabbling" between the two frontrunners, singling out their debates over the Routemaster bus.
"Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson are both wrong. Instead of bickering over the cost of bringing back routemasters we should be looking forward to real solutions to London's transport crisis," Mr Paddick said.
"What we need is a clean, fast and reliable mass transport system that can carry twice as many people as the bendy bus: London needs trams."
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