News from Caroline Russell: Mayor urged to tackle traffic as London most congested city in Europe

Caroline Russell, Green Party Member of the London Assembly, has urged the Mayor of London to reduce traffic as a report by transport agency Inrix names the capital Europe’s most congested city.

According to the report, London has more congestion “hotspots” - a total of 12,776 - than anywhere else in Europe.

Caroline Russell has hit back at suggestions within the report that London’s congestion crisis is being properly addressed by ‘smart motorway all lane running’ – for example on the western M25 - and by Transport for London changing traffic light timings, referred to as ‘signal optimisation’.

Caroline said:

"Londoners need the Mayor to take the decisions that will prioritise journeys on foot, by bike and on buses and take urgent action to reduce car use. I sincerely hope that Mayor Khan will devote significantly more resources to walking and cycling during his time as Mayor. When he publishes Transport for London’s business plan next week we find out.

"Messing around with traffic signal timings is just a temporary fix and has the potential to disadvantage pedestrians if more time is being given over to vehicles at the expense of people on foot. So I will continue urging the Mayor not to go down this route. The house of commons transport committee investigated all-lane running on motorways and recommended that the government not roll the approach out widely due to the risks.

"The Mayor must fulfil the pledge he made to me on 26^th July to get traffic down across London. The best way for him to do this is to charge drivers to use the roads by time of day, distance travelled and engine emissions. That way we can make our streets more pleasant and less congested and clean up the air at the same time.

"Road pricing is supported by the Federation of Small Businesses, London First, the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Institute of Civil Engineers and the Royal Academy of Engineering. I will keep pushing the Mayor to take forward this common sense policy."

Caroline recently published a report entitled ‘Prioritising People’ suggesting ways the Mayor can make cycling and walking more appealing in London. Read the report below.