Posts
"Thank you for your correspondence regarding public transport fare increases.
The Mayor appreciates the difficulties faced by many Londoners in the current economic climate and the decision to increase fares was not taken lightly. In his decision to increase fares, he has acted to ensure that vital improvements to London's transport system continue to be delivered and front line services protected in the face of huge financial pressures on Transport for London.
The Mayor believes that public transport is critical to the health and success of London as a leading world city and is determined to give London commuters the transport system they deserve and which the city needs to remain economically competitive. This has necessitated making some very tough decisions; however, the Mayor is convinced that this package represents the best option for London and for ensuring that vital repairs and improvements can be made."
What a cop out!
That's not necessarily his fault, as that is the nature of responding to stuff like that
Showing posts with label Mayor of London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mayor of London. Show all posts
Friday, 23 October 2009
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Ken Livingstone on Boris Johnson
Have it:
"Today Boris Johnson has announced that he plans to raise fares by up to 20% in the New Year. He has also announced that there will be cuts to bus and tube services. This means that Londoners will be paying more money for a worse service in difficult economic times.
In response to the fare increases Ken Livingstone said:
'With overall bus fare increases of 12.7%, more than 12 times the rate of inflation, and overall tube fare rises of 3.9%, more than three times the rate of inflation, Londoners are now really paying a heavy price for Boris Johnson.
'Johnson has blamed his second year of inflation busting fare increases on 'past mistakes' and the 'current economic climate'. That is patently untrue.
'They are the result of his own policies. The fare increases are projected to raise £125 million a year. That is less than the amount Boris Johnson has thrown away subsidising well off polluters at the expense of ordinary Londoners.
'His plan to abolish the western extension of the congestion charge to Kensington will cost £50-70 million a year. His decision to scrap the £25 charge on the worst polluting gas guzzlers, like Chelsea tractors, has cost another £50 million a year. He is throwing away millions of pounds a year more with his stupid plan to get rid of bendy buses and turn the clock back with a costly new route master bus.
'I left Transport for London with very large financial reserves precisely to deal with economic difficulties. I also held down fares so that in real terms, after taking account of inflation, bus fares were lower when I left office in May 2008 than when I was elected in June 2000. Johnson is even using that to try to mislead Londoners that he has held down fares when each year in office he has increased them more than the rate of inflation, this year many times more.
'Johnson should tell Londoners the truth, not a lies. He is making them pay massively higher fares to protect a tiny number of well off polluters at a time when London has some of the worst air quality in Europe.
'At the same time, Johnson has announced cuts in bus schedules and less off peak Tube services in outer London. Londoners will be paying more money for a worse service. So much for his election pledge to stand up for outer London!
'And of course, you can rely on Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to make the fare increases fall hardest on some of the poorest Londoners with a 20% increase in the oyster bus fare from £1 to £1.20 and a 20% increase in the cost of the weekly oyster bus pass to £16.60.
'Johnson substitutes jokes for explaining his policies and so avoids interviews like the plague but today Londoners have found that it is at their expense.""
Top work
"Today Boris Johnson has announced that he plans to raise fares by up to 20% in the New Year. He has also announced that there will be cuts to bus and tube services. This means that Londoners will be paying more money for a worse service in difficult economic times.
In response to the fare increases Ken Livingstone said:
'With overall bus fare increases of 12.7%, more than 12 times the rate of inflation, and overall tube fare rises of 3.9%, more than three times the rate of inflation, Londoners are now really paying a heavy price for Boris Johnson.
'Johnson has blamed his second year of inflation busting fare increases on 'past mistakes' and the 'current economic climate'. That is patently untrue.
'They are the result of his own policies. The fare increases are projected to raise £125 million a year. That is less than the amount Boris Johnson has thrown away subsidising well off polluters at the expense of ordinary Londoners.
'His plan to abolish the western extension of the congestion charge to Kensington will cost £50-70 million a year. His decision to scrap the £25 charge on the worst polluting gas guzzlers, like Chelsea tractors, has cost another £50 million a year. He is throwing away millions of pounds a year more with his stupid plan to get rid of bendy buses and turn the clock back with a costly new route master bus.
'I left Transport for London with very large financial reserves precisely to deal with economic difficulties. I also held down fares so that in real terms, after taking account of inflation, bus fares were lower when I left office in May 2008 than when I was elected in June 2000. Johnson is even using that to try to mislead Londoners that he has held down fares when each year in office he has increased them more than the rate of inflation, this year many times more.
'Johnson should tell Londoners the truth, not a lies. He is making them pay massively higher fares to protect a tiny number of well off polluters at a time when London has some of the worst air quality in Europe.
'At the same time, Johnson has announced cuts in bus schedules and less off peak Tube services in outer London. Londoners will be paying more money for a worse service. So much for his election pledge to stand up for outer London!
'And of course, you can rely on Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to make the fare increases fall hardest on some of the poorest Londoners with a 20% increase in the oyster bus fare from £1 to £1.20 and a 20% increase in the cost of the weekly oyster bus pass to £16.60.
'Johnson substitutes jokes for explaining his policies and so avoids interviews like the plague but today Londoners have found that it is at their expense.""
Top work
Boris Johnson's priorities
The fare rises seem to be designed to counter the abolision of the Congestion Charge zone.
the rise of the C-Charge to £10 will bring in £15-£20 million.
Set that against he £50-£70 million that will be lost by abolising the Western zone, or WEZ, and there you go. Who pays for the latter? The people who use public transport
"TfL stresses that it will continue saving money on operating costs, thanks to switching from Capita to IBM. Yet it remains easy to see why Boris would prefer not to be committed to scrapping the WEZ. At the same time, it leaves me wondering why the C-charge wasn't increased immediately and why the increase next year isn't to be higher.
I know what you're thinking. When push comes to shove, Boris remains the motorists' Mayor."
the rise of the C-Charge to £10 will bring in £15-£20 million.
Set that against he £50-£70 million that will be lost by abolising the Western zone, or WEZ, and there you go. Who pays for the latter? The people who use public transport
"TfL stresses that it will continue saving money on operating costs, thanks to switching from Capita to IBM. Yet it remains easy to see why Boris would prefer not to be committed to scrapping the WEZ. At the same time, it leaves me wondering why the C-charge wasn't increased immediately and why the increase next year isn't to be higher.
I know what you're thinking. When push comes to shove, Boris remains the motorists' Mayor."
London fare rises
I'm appalled by the Mayor of London's fare rises, that's a 30% rise in Oyster fares since he came in. That's tough at the best of times, but considering all that's going on at the moment, it's terrible.
I'm sure I heard something about Boris boasting about cutting the budget of his administration, well I can see who's paying.
Throw in the 'bendy bus' disaster (less capacity, higher price) and I feel that Londoners are being screwed by a mayor who's only interested in promoting himself to be prime minister one day.
Then all this 'oh it's the previous lot's fault' or "fares on national rail are being depressed artificially for election purposes." is rubbish.
It's about priorities. National fares are linked to inflation, rather than being decided on a whim
I'm sure I heard something about Boris boasting about cutting the budget of his administration, well I can see who's paying.
Throw in the 'bendy bus' disaster (less capacity, higher price) and I feel that Londoners are being screwed by a mayor who's only interested in promoting himself to be prime minister one day.
Then all this 'oh it's the previous lot's fault' or "fares on national rail are being depressed artificially for election purposes." is rubbish.
It's about priorities. National fares are linked to inflation, rather than being decided on a whim
Friday, 9 October 2009
Boris Johnson's time as London mayor
If you're after a quiet and balanced view of things, Simon Fletcher is not one to go after. But that holds true for just about everyone on the net, and most people off it.
However, that doesn't make it untrue.
"It is striking that the editor of the newspaper that orchestrated a months-long campaign based on trumped-up charges of cronyism to smear the Labour mayor (Livingstone) should now be exposed as an apparently willing beneficiary of something that looks very much like cronyism from her own candidate Boris Johnson."
Fletcher doesn't criticse Labour, but those who comment at the bottom do, so it all balances out in the end. La la la, lovely lovely
However, that doesn't make it untrue.
"It is striking that the editor of the newspaper that orchestrated a months-long campaign based on trumped-up charges of cronyism to smear the Labour mayor (Livingstone) should now be exposed as an apparently willing beneficiary of something that looks very much like cronyism from her own candidate Boris Johnson."
Fletcher doesn't criticse Labour, but those who comment at the bottom do, so it all balances out in the end. La la la, lovely lovely
Monday, 5 October 2009
London Spending Cuts
"Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, will today announce £2.6bn of extra savings on public transport in the capital to as part of an attempt to underline the Conservatives' commitment to bringing down spending"
Yay, spending cuts! Just what we need. Where have our fare rises gone Mr Johnson? What can we expect for our money?
More taxis and expenses for the major, no doubt
Yay, spending cuts! Just what we need. Where have our fare rises gone Mr Johnson? What can we expect for our money?
More taxis and expenses for the major, no doubt
Friday, 4 September 2009
"The reason why there isn’t enough money for rape crisis centres"
Priorities:
"It seems that Boris Johnson needs to spend £600,000 on a logo instead:
“Londoners are being asked to help design a new logo for the city to rival New York’s “I ♥ NY” campaign. One of the firms bidding to design the logo, to be used globally in the run-up to the 2012 Games, called for ideas to be posted on Twitter, with hundreds of members of the public submitting artwork ideas.
Mayor Boris Johnson is spending £600,000 on the logo and a shortlist of six design firms will be drawn from more than 450 entries after tomorrow’s deadline for bids.”
It sounds like something that Ken Livingstone would do."
"It seems that Boris Johnson needs to spend £600,000 on a logo instead:
“Londoners are being asked to help design a new logo for the city to rival New York’s “I ♥ NY” campaign. One of the firms bidding to design the logo, to be used globally in the run-up to the 2012 Games, called for ideas to be posted on Twitter, with hundreds of members of the public submitting artwork ideas.
Mayor Boris Johnson is spending £600,000 on the logo and a shortlist of six design firms will be drawn from more than 450 entries after tomorrow’s deadline for bids.”
It sounds like something that Ken Livingstone would do."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
