The Mayor may need to change TfL’s approach to transport in Outer London, says the London Assembly Transport Committee.
In their response to the Mayors Statement of Intent, they list the areas they think the Mayor must build on and prioritise in his Transport Strategy if he is to meet Londons transport needs in the long-term.
The committee says that the Mayor’s Transport Strategy must set out how transport infrastructure and services will anticipate and match potential development in outer London. They say this will be challenging as the Mayor has not yet finalised his approach to the suburbs. “A move in the London Plan to more intensive development at strategic centres in outer London would require a significantly different approach to investment in transport infrastructure”, says the report.
Meanwhile, their main overall concern is that existing proposals to boost capacity will not meet future travel demand, and that they see a gap between what Londons growing population will need and what will actually be available to them. Transport for London (TfL) projects the capital will accommodate a million more residents and at least two million more journeys every day by 2031. This means, says the committee, that even massive projects like Crossrail and Thameslink will not see transport capacity keeping pace with growth, and congestion and overcrowding will worsen.
