Crisis is a chance for us to reset our air quality for good May 27, 2020 Air quality in London, the UK and indeed the whole world has improved significantly in a matter of weeks due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions being put in place. New data now shows nitrogen dioxide levels have reduced by around 35% in the Square Mile since the beginning of lockdown, when compared to the average reading [...]
Khan and Bailey clash over congestion charge hike May 21, 2020 A row has erupted between Sadiq Khan and one of his challengers to be the next Mayor of London over the conditions of the government’s bailout of struggling Transport for London. Yesterday, the Mayor said that the government had forced him to reinstate and expand the congestion charge as a condition of the £1.6bn rescue [...]
The 20 busiest Tube stations TfL wants commuters to avoid May 18, 2020 Transport for London has issued a list of the Tube stations that commuters should try to avoid as more people begin to return to work after lockdown. From today, London’s transport network will aim to run 75 per cent of Tube services and 85 per cent of bus services. Government advice remains that those who [...]
Railways introduce crowd control measures to help stop coronavirus spread May 18, 2020 Rail and Tube chiefs today put in place crowd control measures at stations around the UK and added more train services amid fears overcrowding could help spread coronavirus. Last Sunday Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged those who could not work from home to go back to work in an easing of the coronavirus lockdown. Network [...]
Bailout shows the need for a TfL rethink May 18, 2020 We will probably never know exactly how close we came to TfL going bust and services across London not running last week. Unless, of course, when today’s bailout agreement expires in September, there isn’t another crunch. The capital’s transport network has had another log thrown on the fire, but central Government remains in control of [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for coronavirus inquiry into BAME deaths May 17, 2020 Sadiq Khan has called for a government inquiry into BAME deaths from coronavirus. Khan today called the higher rate of deaths among BAME ethnicities “shocking” and called for Boris Johnson to set up a public inquiry. Numbers published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this month revealed that black men and women were four-times [...]
Central London’s streets to be car-free under new mayoral plan May 15, 2020 Miles of London’s streets will be car-free under a new plan announced by the mayor to encourage cycling and walking and to help the transport system cope with social distancing. Sadiq Khan said the plan would transform parts of central London into one of the largest car-free areas in any capital city. “Covid-19 poses the [...]
Sadiq Khan: London transport fares will increase after £1.6bn TfL bailout May 15, 2020 London mayor Sadiq Khan has said that he will be forced to increase fares on the capital’s bus and rail services after agreeing a £1.6bn bailout for network operator Transport for London. In a statement, the mayor said that he had “no choice” but to accept the offer, which was the “only deal the government [...]
Congestion charge set to rise 30 per cent after TfL bailout May 15, 2020 London’s congestion charge is set to rise to £15 a day from 22 June, it was revealed today, as a consequence of the government’s bailout of Transport for London. From next month, a 30 per cent increase would see the daily charge rise from £11.50 to £15. The scheme’s operating hours will also extend to [...]
The office is changing – and that means a shift in the real estate market, too May 15, 2020 When businesses emerge from lockdown, many will seek ways to reduce their operating costs to maintain margins in a post-COVID-19 world, when revenue generation is likely to be appreciably more challenging. Real estate often represents the second largest operating cost of most businesses, after staff salaries. It’s regrettably very likely, then, that headcount and office [...]