West London’s Hammersmith Bridge (Adam Davy/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)It’s possible that, last April, you chose not to read Sadiq Khan’s Mayoral Manifesto. If you didn’t, I don’t blame you, but you’d have missed his transportation improvement pledge. He promised to “work with TfL on a strategy for the suburbs, designed to increase connectivity in outer London through improved bus networks but also considering the role of rapid bus transit and trams”.
As a London Assembly Member who did read it, my views were mixed. Whilst it was a good thing that the Mayor seemed to have finally recognised that London is more than Zone 1, there are many questions left unanswered. Does he also recognise that ‘outer London’ is itself a construct and that areas within might have differing transport needs from one another, alongside some catching up to do? How will he ensure the diverse and vast areas of outer London achieve appropriate transport provision? Is his plan based on local engagement and the specific needs of widely differing neighbourhoods?
