Stars aligning for London Mayor and Government on transport – but what should they do?

Now the London mayor, most of the capital's MPs and central Government are of the same political hue, there is the potential for greater collaboration on transport, writes Simon Munk. But what, he asks, should be the key components of a long-term transport strategy?

Simon Munk: What we need now on top, regionally and nationally, is a coherent plan of action to hit key targets we’re all facing

May’s London Mayoral election, followed by the General Election two months later, could mean big changes for transport in the capital and beyond. London Cycling Campaign (LCC) held a roundtable soon after these elections to work out, with some of the best brains in the capital, what this could and should mean. We’re not ready to reveal all of our thinking yet, but what is most needed for London and England is increasingly clear…

London versus the UK?

It’s true that some of the structures for transport delivery in London are markedly different from the rest of England. But that doesn’t mean the capital cannot learn from other UK cities or vice versa. Indeed, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s bus franchising plan clearly uses London for inspiration, just as there’s been a back and forth on junction designs between Manchester’s CYCLOPS and London’s Waltham Forest mini-Holland junctions.

That’s why LCC has written to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, MPs in London, the All Party Group for Cycling & Walking and the re-elected Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to impress upon them the need to not only continue to fund London well for transport, and provide long-term, ringfenced funding for active travel, but also to use London as an exemplar for sustainable, public and active transport delivery.

We need a grown-up conversation now about sustainability and sustainable funding for every English city and shire. And, of course, London has to work with central government and will be directly impacted by decisions made at national level. I certainly hope that regional and national collaboration improves now, given London MPs and Mayor’s matches our Government’s political stripe. But what should the combined ranks of City Hall and Parliament be thinking on transport?

What we need next

Obviously, long-term funding settlements are welcome – as is a move away from poor value road building schemes that ‘induce’ motorised demand rather than enabling alternatives and mode shift. Haigh says there will be “unprecedented” levels of funding for active travel – that’s great news. But what we need now on top, regionally and nationally, is a coherent plan of action to hit key targets we’re all facing.

If we are serious about reducing road danger, the climate crisis, and inactivity and other public health crises, we need a Government and Mayor that not only fund active travel and shift away from ‘war on cars’ conspiracy theories but a lot more besides.

Until the roundtable results go public, this then is a mix of what I think, what LCC thinks, and discussions we’ve had so far…

1. Change the system and status quo – from ‘WebTAG’ and economic cases for transport that favour roadbuilding and new runways over high-speed trains and cycle schemes, to modelling that constantly pits buses against active travel and safety measures, the status quo urgently needs a rethink. 

London has been bold recently and it works – from ULEZ expansion to the ‘Streetspace’ active travel schemes delivered during the pandemic. These weren’t subjected to the usual extensive computer modelling or pre-delivery consultations, and as a result were very ‘controversial’. But most such schemes stayed in, have delivered positive impacts (says the data) and were supported in post-hoc consultations that resulted in further tweaks and improvements. 

From HS2 to levies on short-hop flights to the endless hokey-cokey any 50 metres of cycle track results in, we need politicians across the board to pick a direction, move fast, be coherent and lead – to find ways to challenge the status quo for residents rather than use resident concern as a reason to bottle it.

2. Long term means future generations – we need to put kids at the centre of everything we do on transport. Across the country, we have seen a collapse in children’s independent mobility and a climate crisis that will impact them far more than us. We need to put future generations – their wellbeing and voices at the heart of how we plan homes, transport networks and streets.

3. Health = transport – it is great to see Haigh and Khan talking openly about the links between transport and health – now they’ve got to find ways to integrate both at every level. 

At present, there are some at Transport for London, for instance, that appear to view a person cycling as a fare lost, a pound spent on cycle tracks as a pound sent from buses to the NHS, while I’ve lost count of the car-sick NHS sites and doctors who drive to work I’ve had to deal with. We need better public health and transport outcomes knitting together.

4. Go beyond city centres – the last government announced a national ‘mini-Holland’ bidding process based off three outer London borough town centre programmes that the then Mayor Boris Johnson initiated. 

Ten years later, Waltham Forest’s programme has become internationally recognised as class-leading on delivering active travel and public transport networks in a suburban setting. Setting a quality bar akin to Waltham Forest’s programmes and making funding available to suburbs in London and across England would tackle areas where car ownership is high, but potential to ditch the car is too.

5. Stop ‘rogue’ councils – finally, and yes Kensington & Chelsea, we’re looking at you – there needs to be a way to bring into the fold councils that go directly against national and regional policy in order to pander to their most vocal, privileged residents at the cost of planet, their area and us all. 

The ballot box is part of the solution – but also, the Government needs to think about taking over strategically important highways schemes where needed, as it does fairly routinely already, for instance, on strategic planning decisions.

Simon Munk is Head of Campaigns & Community Development at London Cycling Campaign