The contenders
As the race for mayor nears its conclusion, Jon Watt questions two of the men who would be Mayor to see where they stand on the issues that matter to us
Above: Boris Johnson
Transport and the environment
What do you propose for the Congestion Charge?
BORIS "I will review the western extension and put the matter out to proper consultation and what’s more I will listen to the results and abide by it. I intend to make the Charge fairer so someone who just pops in and out for half and hour doesn’t pay the same as a lorry which uses it constantly during the day. We also need to look hard at how the Congestion Charge is run – it’s utterly unacceptable that 65% of the Charge is still going towards running costs and not on the roads."
BRIAN "I’d move to abolish the western extension which residents didn’t want. We need new technology so the Charge is deducted automatically from Oystercards or a nominated bank account – cutting out payment problems and penalty fines. We need a £10 charge at the GLA boundary to deter long-distance commuters from driving into London, with appropriate safeguards and exemptions for local motorists."
Are you in favour of a Congestion Charge pricing system which takes in to account vehicles’ carbon emissions?
BORIS "What we need is to sort out two issues: emissions and congestion. I think emissions and ‘gas guzzlers’ are a national problem and should be addressed by national fiscal policy, not charging in London. I do want London to be pioneering in this respect but what the Mayor is suggesting with this £25 charge on so called ‘gas guzzlers’ is a money-making scheme which would do very little to reduce emissions or congestion in London. I resent the plans to let 14,000 smaller vehicles in for free as it reduces the value of having an electrical vehicle and I think they should be actively encouraged."
BRIAN "Not for the Central Zone. Stationary traffic causes the most pollution and we need to rethink traffic light phasing and get control of road works to get traffic moving again. More and more car manufacturers are now promoting ‘Band B’ cars and to allow them into the Central Zone for free is just encouraging car use and congestion."
What can be done to encourage cyclists and to keep them safe on London roads?
BORIS "I’m a cyclist and I enjoy it, but not in central London. It’s simply too dangerous at the moment. We need a much more comprehensive network of cycle lanes and I’m glad Mayor Livingstone has followed us in supporting this. I want to go further also and have a big bike hire scheme as they do in Paris."
BRIAN "An effective review of major junctions and other danger hot-spots for cyclists which are obstacles to a safe journey. We should also develop "greenways" – through parks, green spaces and riversides – so families and those beginning to cycle can enjoy safe leisure use away from busy roads. Cyclists need much more provision of safe parking. We would introduce a central London bike-hire scheme using Oystercards with racks at main rail stations and other key locations."
What would you change about the pricing system on London Transport?
BORIS "One thing I certainly want to do is make sure that the whole of south London is on the Oystercard! But, meanwhile, all over London we have the most expensive single journey cash fare in the world. I think we have to rethink how we want to encourage people onto public transport. The government currently uses the politics of frustration, hoping the more you chew your tie in frustration as you sit in traffic, the more you’ll want to go on public transport. I don’t think that’s the way to go. I think pricing can play a major role in positively encouraging people onto public transport."
BRIAN "I would safeguard the Freedom Pass which is vital for older Londoners by bringing into under Transport for London. We would extend free travel on all modes to all students on approved courses up to first degree level to bear down on student poverty in London. We would reduce fares on Tube and bus before 7.30am to benefit low-paid workers who need to travel to work in the early morning."
Do you approve of extending the London Overground network by buying Southern trains services?
BORIS "We need to close the London loop. I think south Londoners in particular deserve to have better mass transit systems – including an extended tram link and express buses from transport hub to hub. I would also push to extend the tube further south in the long term. There is a good case for the mayoral bodies having a strong role in the oversight of commuter rail in London."
BRIAN "We will work with the Department for Transport to arrive at an arrangement by which TfL London Rail lets the franchise for Southern train services and in due course for other commuter rail operations around London. At the very least, I would expect TfL to be heavily involved in drawing up the service level specification for the Southern rail franchise."
Crime
Do you support the expanded use of Community Support officers?
BORIS "I think PCSOs have been unfairly maligned by the press. I think they could be used widely to give the public a sense of reassurance and that’s why I would use the money from Mayor Livingstone’s publicity budget for next year (and scrapping the Londoner paper) to finance 440 more PCSOs. I think borough commanders are better placed to decide how their force is deployed though and if that includes having some PCSOs in the stations while warranted officers are out on the street then that’s fine."
BRIAN "This is not the priority. What we need on London’s streets is more police officers who have full powers of arrest – not PCSOs who have to stand by during incidents and take notes. Too much officer time is spent in deskwork typing up reports. We need more civilian staff to undertake this work and better technology to speed up these processes."
Is having a greater police presence on the streets the answer to the apparent increase in youth gun and knife crime?
BORIS "Our number one priority must be to get more police, both warranted and PCSOs, out on the streets. I’m in favour of increasing the communication between the police and local communities with crime mapping so we know what crimes are occurring in our areas. Youth crimes are an expression of something that’s going tragically wrong in the lives of these kids across London and I want to get to the source of it. This is one of the key areas where I really want to make a difference as Mayor. We need to provide alternatives. I want to support voluntary those sector organizations which offer sport, drama and training to kids by bringing them together with funding from the financial sector via a Mayor’s Fund for London".
BRIAN "We certainly need more police officers patrolling the streets. However gun and knife crime and inter-gang disputes are most likely to be challenged by intelligence-led policing. To succeed with this the Met needs actively to engage with local communities and get them onside so they have the confidence to give information. As Mayor I shall also lead a concerted effort to provide good leisure facilities for young people. Too often we hear ‘there’s nothing for young people to do round here’".
The Olympics
How do you ensure minimum disruption to London residents and businesses during the Olympics?
BORIS I love the Olympics. It’s going to transform east London. But it’s going to be a logistical nightmare. Tragically, lots of things won’t be ready, like cross rail and the Central line tube extension. But what the next Mayor can do to help is to make our mass transit systems less vulnerable to industrial action. I will look to seal a non-strike agreement with the RMT in exchange for independent binding arbitration – as should have been done during police pay dispute.
BRIAN "If, and it is a big if, some the planned improvements in public transport are in place, then we should be able to cope. The worry I have is that the timetable for these improvements is tight. Any slippage and we could have problems, and a Mayor needs to keep a close eye on this. Legacy is almost the most important thing. We need to ensure that the training and skills really are targeted at those who need them the most. Those people who live in the most deprived communities, where generations of people have never worked, and gang members are seen as role-models. We need to make sure that the 9,000 new homes in the Olympic Park are offered to local people first, and that 50% of them really are affordable. And we need to make sure that funding for community sport is protected at all cost."
General
Would you approve of giving a vote to those with businesses in London?
BORIS "I can see the argument but what about people living in London and having businesses in St Albans."
BRIAN "Short answer is no. And in fact most of the people who work in London, can vote in London too. Actually I am in favour of opening up democracy by having a fairer voting system. The system used for the London Assembly is a start, but should be applied to Westminster too. For instance the City Corporation is a pretty outdated institution now."