Campaign Against the Mayor’s Transport Strategy
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In 2016 Sadiq Khan was elected Mayor of London on a manifesto pledging to tackle congestion through harmless-
With the Covid-
Road closures such as those in Lewisham -
The MTS plans looked for "new ways of paying for road use", hinting at pay-
Britain's drivers pay five times over to use the roads. Yet the Mayor feels that Londoners “pay too little”, without giving any figures to support this. He alleges that public transport fare payers subsidise motorists which is simply wrong – the reverse is the case as public transport is massively subsidised out of public taxation while motorists pay more than the costs of maintaining the roads.
It is particularly worrying that the Mayor wants to take over collection of VED (“road tax”) and set the rates which would provide another way for the Mayor to extract money from car drivers on top of congestion charging and the ULEZ.
He seeks to discourage car ownership, using a reduction in the availability of private parking and kerb side parking spaces with discriminatory parking charges against some vehicles.
Even Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs – minicabs) come under attack with proposals to limit their numbers and increase their costs by dropping their exemption from the congestion charge.
He proposes reallocating road space away from drivers, even though the reduction in space has been a key factor in increasing congestion. He even hints at car parking at stations being made less convenient or spaces being removed.
In summary, the Mayor makes it plain that he intends to reduce car use in favour of public transport, cycling and walking by penalising motorists and making it more expensive for you to own and drive a car. The private motorist could become a vanishing species in London if the Mayor has his way, or your costs for driving will skyrocket.
These proposals give the Mayor the ability to build a financial empire and dictate the lives of Londoners much more extensively than previously. The MTS is yet another missed opportunity to develop an integrated transport strategy with an improved road network in London.
It is not too late to tell the Mayor what you think and get him to change his mind. Use this web page to send a message to the Mayor stating you object to the Mayor's Transport Strategy and the ULEZ:
https://www.london.gov.uk/contact-
Or send a letter addressed to: Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London using this address: City Hall, The Queen's Walk
London, SE1 2AA -
MAKE SURE YOU OBJECT
Please also register your support for our campaign and for further news on the subject by clicking on this link:
The Ultra Low Emission Zone
The ULEZ is a key part of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. It could mean millions of Londoners being charged £12.50 per day to use a vehicle, or force them to buy a new one. Go to this web page for more information on that and how it is being used to generate enormous new taxes: Environment
This is a very good article by James Hockney on why the ULEZ is unnecesary: Hockney-
We now have some posters available on the ULEZ (see image above), which you can obtain from here for a nominal charge: ULEZ-
If you have any questions on this issue, contact Roger Lawson -
More Information
Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS): https://www.london.gov.uk/what-
For a summary analysis of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, see:
Some of the comments received from the public on the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and ULEZ are present on this web page: MTS-
Note that many aspects of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy are also embodied in the “London Plan” which was published in December 2017 as part of a public consultation. A summary is present on our blog here: London-