Transport crucial for London’s growth

London is the fastest growing, and most diverse, major city in Europe. Our population of 7.4 million people is projected to grow by 810,000 by 2016. An efficient and reliable transport system is crucial to London’s growth and prosperity.

The scale and complexity of London’s transport reflects the city’s size and rapid growth. To take a few examples, London Underground carries three million passengers a day – more than the entire national rail network, and each weekday London buses carry six million passengers on over 700 different routes.

Over the last four years London has become the only major city in the world to see an overall shift from the private car to public transport. The congestion charging scheme has reduced congestion in the central area by 30 per cent, has cut traffic by 15 per cent and reduced air pollution by 12 per cent. Bus services have been transformed with passenger numbers up a third over the last four years. We have also introduced a smartcard ticketing system that is now used by 2.5 million commuters everyday.

The success of the congestion charge has helped to improve the reliability of the bus service. Bus trips in London have increased by 40 per cent in the last five years. London is the first major city to see an overall shift from the private car to public transport.

There has also been a 20 per cent increase in cycling in central London. Road safety, air quality and the street environment have all improved.

My priorities over the next three years will be to expand public transport capacity to accommodate rising employment and population, achieve the kind of improvements seen on the bus network on the Underground system, continue to reduce traffic congestion and make London a Low Emission Zone to improve air quality.

We have embarked on a £10 billion, five-year investment programme to renew and expand the transport network. This will finance extensions to London’s light rail system, an extension of the Tube into east London and the first new bridge over the Thames for 70 years. In the longer term we are planning a new Underground rail link from Heathrow airport in the west and extending the central business district east into the Thames Gateway with the largest development programme in the world outside China.