News from Darren Johnson (past staff): Mayor's tunnel plans out of step with London's shift away from car use

Darren Johnson AM has reacted to today’s news that the Mayor of London wants to construct two major new road tunnels in central London.

The first tunnel would run from the A40 at Park Royal in west London to the A12 at Hackney Wick in east London and the Mayor claims it could open by 2035.The second would run west to east from the A4 in Chiswick to the A13 in Beckton.

According to Transport for London, the number of car drivers in central London fell from 137,000 in 2000 to 64,000 in 2014, while those of cyclists trebled from 12,000 to 36,000 over the same period.

TfL has described the move away from private cars to public transport and walking and cycling is "a feat unprecedented in any major city".

Darren Johnson AM commented:

“The Mayor’s own transport team say that bikes will outnumber cars in central London in the next couple of years. Car use has plummeted by half in this area since 2000. It is therefore baffling that the Mayor is announcing plans for more underground motorways in the city centre. Cyclists are the fastest growing group of road users in the capital so we need to build more cycle lanes, not road crossings. They won’t meet London’s needs as the city develops.”

“In any case, the enormous financial costs, the planning hurdles and the widespread public opposition mean these schemes would never see the light of day. At a time when road user charging is being widely discussed as a way to cut car use in London even further, the Mayor’s ideas seem even more inappropriate. The next Mayor should cancel these plans on their first day at City Hall and focus on providing what Londoners really want - better public transport, cycle lanes and ways to make walking easier and more pleasant.”

ENDS