THE HONEYBALL BUZZ

A real example of the prospects facing the country can be illustrated by the fate of the proposals for a Cross River Tram.  The plan is to link Camden Town through Waterloo to Brixton and Peckham. (Let me declare an interest, as a Camden resident it would be very helpful when it rains to be able to get to the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras in the dry.  Only in the rain, I hasten to add, as I try and walk to St Pancras as much as posssible.) 

The tram has plenty of other, more universal, benefits:

- Easing overcrowding on Londons public transport, especially stretches of the Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines which are among the most overcrowded in London.

- Helping to clean-up the capital by providing an environmentally friendly link to the centre of London as a real alternative to cars for trips into and around town.

- Acting as a commercially-attractive spur to greater investment as well as linking regeneration projects valued at more than £7 billion along its route including Kings Cross, Elephant and Castle, Peckham and Brixton.

- Halving  journey times into central London for some sections of the route, allowing people living in some of the most excluded communities in the UK easy access to the jobs and opportunities of central London.

I think the last point is the most important.  Theose communities who would benefit most from the Cross River Tram are amongst the poorest in London.  They, above all, deserve the chance the Tram could provide.

The Mayor of London has done much huffing and puffing about the western extension of the congestion charge.  I am very angry at Boris Johnson’s callous attitude.  The congestion charge helps our environment and our economy.   Instead of diverting effort and money into abolishing the congestion charge  in this area, the Mayor could have been productively applying his brainpower to the Cross River Tram. Instead progress on the tram has been frozen.  Regrettably, a project to help all Londoners and which could also help reduce carbon emissions is not a priority for London’s Conservatives.

You can read a full report on the Cross River Tram  proposal here, and a shorter summary here. If like me, you conclude that Transport for London should be giving this greater priority then please sign the petition asking Boris Johnson to back the Cross River Tram. You can so here:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/cross-river-tram.html