As militant unions plot Christmas misery, should strike action on railway services be banned? December 20, 2016 Keith Prince, deputy chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, says Yes. Strike action on public transport can have a devastating impact on commuters. Southern’s passengers have suffered huge delays, cancellations and some have lost their jobs because they can’t guarantee they’ll be able to get to their desks. This appalling situation cannot be allowed [...]
London Assembly Budget committee raises concerns over mayor’s council tax hike and TfL’s finances December 19, 2016 The mayor's plans to hike council tax for the first time in nine years to pay for the Met Police have raised concern among the London Assembly's Budget and Performance Committee. Ahead of Sadiq Khan's draft 2017-18 budget, the committee set out its concerns and what it considered the big issues facing the Met along with Transport for London [...]
MP support for Heathrow expansion reaches new high (says poll commissioned by Heathrow) December 19, 2016 It might have some prominent opposition, from London mayor Sadiq Khan to Boris Johnson, but Heathrow wants to make clear its expansion has hefty backing too. The airport has just released a new poll of 130 MPs by ComRes, which recorded 74 per cent of MPs backing the third runway; a rise of seven percentage points [...]
Mayor says construction will start on Swiss Cottage-West End cycle superhighway next year though full route isn’t set in stone December 16, 2016 The mayor has confirmed work will start on a new cycle superhighway from Swiss Cottage to the West End next year. Sadiq Khan said construction on the new 2.5 mile route, cycle superhighway 11, will begin in the autumn of 2017 when the gyratory will start to be removed. It was one of the more controversial plans [...]
The nightmare’s nearly over for the Piccadilly line social media team: It’s just running with “minor delays” now December 16, 2016 Piccadilly line passengers have not been impressed with Transport for London (TfL) taking out half the fleet of trains for wheel repairs. It has been causing severe delays along the line since last month – and some turmoil for the poor people manning the Piccadilly line's Twitter account. But today, the account had some – relatively – good [...]
Bank Junction: All vehicles except buses and bikes to be banned from notorious collision spot in trial scheme from April December 15, 2016 Cars, taxis and all other vehicles except buses and bikes will be banned during weekdays at Bank Junction in an experimental scheme from next April. From Monday to Friday between 7am and 7pm only cyclists, pedestrians and buses will be able to move through the junction, which has become one of central London's most notorious [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan invests £220m in the capital’s boroughs including central London’s first new park for 100 years December 15, 2016 The mayor has announced he's plugging £220m into the capital's boroughs to boost transport, town centre and public space developments. Sadiq Khan said the funding will be used by boroughs across the capital for a range of projects, with initiatives to encourage walking and cycling, reduce road dangers and improve air quality. Among the projects to receive [...]
It’s take off for Gordon Ramsay Group’s Plane Food as it secures a 10-year Heathrow deal December 14, 2016 Gordon Ramsay Group has secured a 10-year extension of its Plane Food restaurant at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. The restaurant will close for 12 weeks next year as it undergoes a makeover, before reopening in July, when it will boast a new bar along with the creation of semi-private dining areas. Plane Food opened in Heathrow back [...]
Piccadilly line Night Tube launch to go ahead on Friday despite ongoing disruption as mayor says “lessons must be learned” December 14, 2016 Despite the mayor acknowledging that "Piccadilly line service has not been good enough" with ongoing disruption caused "for thousands of people," the launch of the Night Tube will go ahead as planned. It starts on the line – the fifth to get the all-night treatment – on Friday 16 December and will run all night [...]
TfL starts its tougher crackdown on illegal cab activity in the capital with the roll-out of new officers December 14, 2016 The first wave of the mayor's new beefed up compliance team to tackle illegal cab activity in the capital has hit the streets. Sadiq Khan unveiled plans to crack down on illegal taxis and minicabs in August and 50 of the 250 new officers have now joined the existing team of 82, which Khan says is [...]