Greater London Authority

GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY

London Assembly

24 July 2002

Report No: 5

Subject: Questions to the Mayor

Report of: Executive Director Of Secretariat

296 / 2002 - Vauxhall Cross Elizabeth Howlett Has the phasing of traffic lights at junctions in Central London been altered from 10 seconds to 6 seconds and if so what was the reason for the change of timing?

297 / 2002 - Vauxhall Cross Elizabeth Howlett Is the Mayor aware that residents of Wandsworth have to suffer from continual traffic congestion on Battersea Park Road and Nine Elms Lane leading to Vauxhall Cross. Even on a Sunday the traffic jams are as though it’s a Friday evening rush hour. Can the Mayor explain why this should be and what steps are being taken to resolve this?

298 / 2002 - Vauxhall Cross Elizabeth Howlett It is evident to the residents of Wandsworth that the increased delays on Battersea Park Road, Nine Elms Lane and Wandsworth Road is leading to angry and frustrated drivers who ry to gain some advantage. Can the Mayor tell us what proposals he has to resolve this dangerous and unacceptable situation?

299 / 2002 - Vauxhall Cross Elizabeth Howlett Is it the case that the traffic signal system at Vauxhall Cross has been set to give the impression that the scheme on Vauxhall Cross can cope with traffic when in fact the traffic is being forced to queue on the roads leading to it?

. 300 / 2002 - Vauxhall Cross Elizabeth Howlett Can the Mayor guarantee that the traffic signal timings are set to the optimum to assist the flow of traffic, whilst taking into account the safe passage of pedestrians?

-1- 301 / 2002 - Vauxhall Cross Elizabeth Howlett Can the mayor confirm that the Traffic signal systems on the roads leading to the approaches to Vauxhall, form part of the Dynamic Boundary management system, and have been adjusted as a precursor to the congestion charging scheme.

386 / 2002 - Sustained Economic Policy for South London Andrew Pelling According to figures published recently by the South London Partnership, Croydon has shed more than 2,200 jobs in five years ending June 2001.

In the same period, Sutton has also lost 320 jobs in total, whilst Bromley has gained almost 700 jobs and Merton has added more than 500. The figures for all boroughs from Richmond across to Bromley show that Croydon has by far the worst performance in the seven-borough South London group.

Croydon has recently emerged in the top most 50 deprived local authority areas.

Is it time for a sustained economic policy for South London?

387 / 2002 - City Hall Etiquette Victor Anderson Who decided to adopt the City Hall Etiquette document, what is its status, and will staff be disciplined for not adhering to it?

. 388 / 2002 - New Cross - Comprehensive School Darren Johnson Will you give your support to local parents in New Cross campaigning for a new fully comprehensive school in the area, following Labour's decision to close down Telegraph Hill School?

389 / 2002 - Pigeons Darren Johnson Have you any plans for culling pigeons in Trafalgar Square?

392 / 2002 - Heathrow Congestion Charge Andrew Pelling It is impractical to reach Heathrow Airport by public transport in time to allow for check-in procedures for flights taking off around 7am from points in Outer London. Would any congestion charge for Heathrow take account of the need to use non-public transport before this time? At what time in the morning would you consider it appropriate to start the charge operating at Heathrow?

-2- 393 / 2002 - Maintenance of TfL Roads Andrew Pelling I understand that the contracts for maintaining the TfL road network is due to be taken away from the individual borough's that the roads run through and handed over to a number of private contractors on an area basis.

Please could you detail the contractor responsible for each London Borough and when their contract begins?

Could you also explain why individual Assembly Members were not informed of the changes for their constituencies?

394 / 2002 - Heathrow - Air Traffic Darren Johnson Given that many of the environmental problems around Heathrow are caused by aviation is there a case for looking into a charging regime for air traffic as well as one for road traffic?

395 / 2002 - Poverty Nicky Gavron Why are there no plans to directly help in reducing poverty in London under your corporate cross cutting priority of leading the equalities agenda in London?

.396 / 2002 - Overground Stations Valerie Shawcross Valerie Shawcross Overground Stations I recently visited Nunhead Station, which suffers from many of the problems typical of our over-ground stations in south London. Myself and the Councillors in the area, Alun Hayes and Dominic Thorncroft are asking for:

·Extra security: the station is vulnerable to vandalism and people are subject to attack, partly because of understaffing. We are asking for an extra member of staff during the day and security cover at night. · Train information outside the station so people can find out if there is a train without the hassle of climbing the stairs only to find out there is not a train due. · A good clean up and better facilities in the station. What work are you doing with Railtrack and the train operators to try and secure station improvements, and will you join with me in asking for these specific improvements at Nunhead?

.397 / 2002 - Fares John Biggs Will you act to save the Network Railcard in London?

.398 / 2002 - Equalities Jennette Arnold What steps are you taking to reduce social exclusion and promote equality of opportunity for elderly people

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399 / 2002 - Crossrail John Biggs

How firmly wedded are you to the Central London alignment of Crossrail between Liverpool Street and Paddington? If other options can be shown to reduce the need for subsidy and to achieve comparable transport objectives would you consider them?

. 400 / 2002 - TfL Finances Len Duvall

Why has TfL decided not to field Jay Walder to appear before the Budget Committee?

401 / 2002 - Planning John Biggs

Should 19 Princelet Street be saved for Londoners?

402 / 2002 - Case for London John Biggs Will you join the ALG in campaigning for London’s funding?

403 / 2002 - Taxis John Biggs

Where the effect of barring taxis from bus lanes can be shown to impede the flow of traffic, should this be reviewed?

404 / 2002 - Access to Information Toby Harris Why were members of the Assembly unable to obtain copies of the briefing notes to support the launch of the London Plan on the day prior to it’s launch, when the media were already reporting elements of the plan based on these briefing notes, and the GLA press office was issuing press releases on some aspects of the plan ?

-4- 405 / 2002 - Barnet FC Toby Harris

1. Does the Mayor believe that London football clubs should be supported in staying in their traditional home areas ?

2. What is the Mayor’s view on the decision of the Conservative controlled Barnet Council to refuse to support the redevelopment of Barnet FC on a council owned site within that Borough?

406 / 2002 - East London Line Valerie Shawcross What deadline have you and TfL’s partners set to put your firm proposals to Government for the East London Line?

407 / 2002 - Plinth in Trafalgar Square Sally Hamwee What is the Mayor doing to ensure that Londoners and visitors can again enjoy first-class art on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square?

408 / 2002 - Vauxhall X Valerie Shawcross I recently met with Richard Rogers to discuss his projects in my constituency. What improvements are you and he making to the Vauxhall Cross scheme in response to the comments of cyclists and other stakeholders?

409 / 2002 - Canada Water planning application (site E) Valerie Shawcross Can the Mayor confirm whether or not representations made by the Canada Water Campaign were taken into account before he issued his informal advice?

.410 / 2002 - Transport for London’s consultation procedures Lynne Featherstone Can you outline the precise steps you are taking to ensure Transport for London start to improve their methods of consultation with both the Boroughs and the general public?

. 411 / 2002 - Motorcycle Bays Graham Tope What actions can the Mayor take to encourage the provision of additional motorcycle parking bays in central London?

-5- 412 / 2002 - Fire Authority meeting Valerie Shawcross Would the Mayor agree that the Fire Brigade Union’s actions at the full Fire Authority meeting on 20th June were unacceptable and counterproductive to their cause?

413 / 2002 - L.B of Richmond upon Thames and national “Car Free Day”. Sally Hamwee Does the Mayor know why Richmond upon Thames Council has refused TfL’s offer of funding for the national ‘Car Free Day’ in September? Is he aware of any other Boroughs who have refused this offer of funding?

414 / 2002 - Orbital traffic increases – congestion charging Valerie Shawcross The Mayor I hope will be aware of the deep and rising concerns of residents in Kennington, Camberwell and Peckham about increased car travel in their local areas. What steps has the Mayor taken to enter into dialogue, and to introduce measures that will reduce the impact of the charge on those just outside the charge boundary?

415 / 2002 - TfL Communications Graham Tope How does Transport for London communicate with the one million deaf Londoners, particularly when warning of roadworks or other traffic hold ups?

416 / 2002 - Cross River Tram (the London Tram) Valerie Shawcross What steps have Transport for London taken to work with the Government to locate early parliamentary time to facilitate a quick go-ahead for the cross river tram?

. 417 / 2002 - Minicab firms Lynne Featherstone How many minicab firms have now been licensed and can you provide a breakdown by London Borough?

418 / 2002 - Elephant & Castle Valerie Shawcross Following the recent collapse of the regeneration project at the Elephant, what proposals are Transport for London putting forward for an effective transport interchange?

-6- 419 / 2002 - Publicising licensed minicabs Lynne Featherstone What plans do TfL have to publicise the names of licensed minicab firms in areas where people congregate late at night?

420 / 2002 - Terminal 5 Sally Hamwee Now that the 5th Terminal at Heathrow has received planning permission, will the Mayor actively campaign against any further expansion in runway or terminal capacity at Heathrow?

420 / 2002 - Commissioners’ Judgement Valerie Shawcross How is the Commissioner’s Judgement element of the Police Resource Allocation Formula reviewed? How often does this occur?

421 / 2002 - Network Rail Sally Hamwee The Minister for the Cabinet Office has indicated that the government would look to "the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and regional interests in England", among others, to be members of the new Network Rail. Will the Mayor seek to ensure that the GLA and/or Transport for London are represented?

. 422 / 2002 - London Plan consultation Sally Hamwee What steps are being taken to ensure that consultation on the draft London Plan engages traditionally excluded Londoners?

423 / 2002 - Poverty Trevor Phillips What assurances will the Mayor give to deprived communities in otherwise affluent boroughs that they will not be neglected in future regeneration initiatives ?

424 / 2002 - London Plan consultation (2) Sally Hamwee What assistance is being given to voluntary and community groups in responding to the 400 page draft London Plan?

-7- 425 / 2002 - Consultation with outer London Boroughs Sally Hamwee What specific steps are being taken to reach outer London Boroughs as part of the draft London Plan consultation?

426 / 2002 - Social Enterprise Meg Hillier Will the LDA be following the lead of the East Midlands Development Agency in actively supporting the social enterprise sector?

427 / 2002 - Bridging the gap on affordable housing Mike Tuffrey Your London Plan sets a target of building 23,000 homes per year across London, 10,000 of which should be affordable. However, the Plan also acknowledges that London will need 31,900 new homes a year, of which 25,700 should be affordable. How do you intend to plug this gap given that your planning powers alone will not be enough?

. 428 / 2002 - Kennington & Bermondsey Tubes Stations Lynne Featherstone Will the Mayor support the Liberal Democrat campaign to move Kennington and Bermondsey Tube stations in to the fare Zone One?

429 / 2002 - Disabled parking bays Lynne Featherstone Will the Mayor undertake an initiative by coordinating the relevant authorities, to ensure that all public buildings in central London (especially hospitals) have adequate and convenient on street disabled parking bays?

430 / 2002 - Bus operators’ behaviour Lynne Featherstone While Londoners should all welcome the Mayor’s policy of commissioning 200 extra buses each year for 10 years and the 6% increase in ridership, will the Mayor champion residents living close to bus garages by insisting on a contractually enforceable code of conduct requiring bus operators to behave as good neighbours?

431 / 2002 - The Tube and the London Plan Lynne Featherstone The Mayor’s London Plan is remarkable for the absence of policy proposals for the London Underground. In the event of PPP going ahead, does he or his Transport Commissioner have any plans to negotiate enhancements, especially on safety, with Metronet and Tube Lines?

-8- 432 / 2002 - Jarvis plc Lynne Featherstone Does the Mayor share my and the Liberal Democrats disgust at the awarding of a 71% bonus to the chief operating officer of Jarvis plc, ratified by its remuneration committee after the Potters Bar crash? Since this person is reported as being responsible for the day-to-day running of the firm’s rail engineering division, should Londoner’s look forward to his work on the maintenance of the Underground track?

433 / 2002 - Investing in public services Mike Tuffrey What action has the Mayor taken jointly with the ALG to make the case for greater investment in London’s public services, following the launch in June of London First’s study which calls for £110billion of investment over 15 years

. 434 / 2002 - Lambeth experiment Graham Tope Would the Mayor join with me in calling for an independent evaluation and report into the Lambeth policing experiment on cannabis possession?

435 / 2002 - London Weighting Mike Tuffrey Does the mayor support the findings of the Assembly’s London Weighting Advisory Panel, and what action has he taken since the report’s publication to make the case nationally for adequate resourcing of London’s special needs in this regard?

436 / 2002 - Greater powers for the GLA Mike Tuffrey Do you agree with the findings of the Economic and Social Research Council commissioned report “The Greater London Authority and Network governance” that greater powers over taxation and expenditure should be devolved to the GLA, and what have you done recently to make the case to central government?

437 / 2002 - Poverty Samantha Heath Shouldn’t the LDA be doing more to support credit unions and community finance?

438 / 2002 - PPP John Biggs What is the basis for your alleged £1.5bn funding gap for the PPP and can you provide a detailed briefing prior to Question Time in order that it can be properly understood and debated?

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439 / 2002 - Rickshaws: John Biggs Do rickshaws need regulation?

. 441 / 2002 - Licensed Taxi - Consultation: John Biggs What arrangements are being made to create a formal consultative machinery for the licensed taxi and private hire trades? Is there value in copying from good practice outside London?

442 / 2002 - Congestion Charge: John Biggs What progress have you made with the promises you made to Labour of an independent review process for the congestion charge?

443 / 2002 - Buses: John Biggs How much compensation and damages has London’s bus operators paid to customers injured by and on buses in each of the last five years?

444 / 2002 - Fares: John Biggs What progress have you made with the review of travel card zone boundaries?

445 / 2002 - Crossrail John Biggs There was a most useful workshop recently in East London to look at transport proposals to address needs unmet by Crossrail. The prospect of taking the Docklands Light Railway into Barking Reach and thence to Dagenham Dock (and beyond) and/or to Barking Town Centre is one of the more promising proposals and is gaining support. What steps can now be taken to develop this proposal and on what timescale?

446 / 2002 - Police Stations John Biggs When faced by demands to keep part-time police stations open, or extend their hours, at the cost of fewer police on the street, where do you stand?

-10- 447 / 2002 - Fireworks John Biggs What progress have you made since this issue was last discussed with the development of better regulation of fireworks? As was agreed this would not only be a worthwhile initiative on its own but it would also act as a ‘test case’ of the ability of the GLA to use its powers, its influence and its ability to work with others to promote Londoners interests.

448 / 2002 - Party Conferences Toby Harris What plans does a) the Mayor’s Office and b) the External Relations Department have for attending the Party Conferences this Autumn ?

449 / 2002 - Digital Hearing Aids Meg Hillier There are only 2 audiology departments in London that have been modernised and are routinely issuing digital hearing aids. In the next year at least a further 30 sites across England will be given funding for modernisation and the fitting of digital hearing aids. Will the Mayor do everything in his power to encourage PCTs and local NHS Trust management throughout London to be part of the modernisation programme?

450 / 2002 - Upper Norwood Triangle One Way System Andrew Pelling I was very grateful to fellow member Jenny Jones GLA for coming in her capacity as your road safety adviser to view the temporary arrangements for the one-way system at Upper Norwood Triangle. We saw grossly inadequate arrangements for pedestrians and cyclists, traffic held up outside the one way system which then rushes through the two parts of the triangle while snarling up on the other part of the triangle. Trade is down 15 - 60 % with local traders. Are you sure that you are so supportive of this scheme?

451 / 2002 - London Muslim Coalition Eric Ollerenshaw Who are the constituent members of the London Muslim Coalition?

452 / 2002 - Mayor's Advisory Cabinet Eric Ollerenshaw On what basis do you appoint and remove members of your Advisory Cabinet?

. 453 / 2002 - Congestion Charging Finances Roger Evans How is the increase in congestion charging finances affecting projected income from the scheme?

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454 / 2002 - Congestion Charge as a Punitive Tax Elizabeth Howlett May I quote you, on 5 May 1999 in the House of Commons you said: ‘I was initially sceptical about the congestion tax, according to my broader version of it it is a flat rate tax like the poll tax. It would not be my first choice to fund transport. The tax could be introduced in a divisive and counter-productive way. It could be a massive levy dumped on Londoners without first seeing improvements in the quality of public transport.’ Why have you changed your view about this punitive tax?

455 / 2002 - Tackling Poor Bus Drivers Angie Bray Would the Mayor agree it is unacceptable that the 272 Bus should continually be seen driving at excess speed down Emlyn Gardens, Hammersmith, in a dangerous fashion? What action should TfL take when receiving detailed reports of this taking place?

456 / 2002 - Changes to MPS traffic warden budget Eric Ollerenshaw Why did the Mayor and or Mr Kiley change the MPA’s proposed savings from the MPS's traffic warden budget?

457 / 2002 - Pilot Drugs Tolerance Scheme in Brixton Eric Ollerenshaw What is his view on the MPS's pilot Brixton scheme in the "soft" policing on the illegal possession of cannabis?

458 / 2002 - Consultation over Incinerator Plant Richard Barnes Was the Mayor consulted on the planning application and approval of the building of the biggest incinerator plant on the fringes of London at the Waterside Business Park, Colnbrook in West London (the relevant planning authority was Slough B.C.)?

. 459 / 2002 - Tolls to Enter Richmond Park Tony Arbour The Royal Parks Agency is carrying out a consultation on charging tolls for vehicles entering Richmond Park. Will you oppose this proposal?

.460 / 2002 - Falun Gong Brian Coleman When the Mayor had lunch with the Chinese Ambassador on 6 June, did he raise the issue of the continued and escalating human rights abuses conducted against practitioners of Falun Gong by his government?

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461 / 2002 - New Tramstop in Croydon Andrew Pelling Quite properly, you have expressed reservations about the over-provision of parking spaces in central Croydon. To promote a shift to public transport use, would you consider making it economically possible for Tramtrack to provide a new tram stop in Tamworth Road to service the major new Centrale development in central Croydon? This development will create an entirely new facet to the central core of Croydon.

462 / 2002 - Result of bus priority feasibility study Andrew Pelling At a TfL functional body question time of 05/09/01 you said: "TfL are currently examining the feasibility of introducing bus priority measures for bus routes 119 and 157 as part of the London Bus Initiative. Additionally, the operation of the traffic signals is being investigated to determine whether improvements can be made in the computer plans that control Fiveways and other junctions along the A23. This could introduce more flexibility into the way the signals work and reduce delays." Please could you update me as to what the bus priority feasibility study showed and also whether the TfL investigation into the traffic signal operations at Fiveways has been completed and whether any changes were made?

463 / 2002 - Need for Pedestrian Crossing on A205 Elizabeth Howlett Despite a question to you in October 2000, and letters to you and to Derek Turner since that time, there is still a desperate need for a pedestrian crossing at the dangerous A205 Upper Richmond Road Junction with the A306 Roehampton Lane/Rocks Lane. On each occasion I have been assured that the matter is being looked at and that the whole scheme is being redesigned, however now in July 2002, nothing whatsoever has been done. When can I assure worried parents of primary school children, patients attending Queen Mary’s Hospital and students of Surrey University, Roehampton that a safe crossing will at last be provided?

464 / 2002 - Cost of London Magazine Elizabeth Howlett What was the total cost of printing and distributing the latest edition of ON London magazine? How much of this cost was borne by the GLA?

465 / 2002 - Income from hire of City Hall Elizabeth Howlett How much income did the GLA receive from the letting of City Hall for the party following the premiere of the film Minority Report?

-13- 466 / 2002 - State of Fulham Palace Gardens Angie Bray Does the Mayor share my concern at the dilapidated state of the Fulham Palace Gardens, with its famous vinery having been left to collapse and would he join with me in urging Hammersmith & Fulham Council to get its act together or let others take control of managing the Gardens?

467 / 2002 - Bus routes in North Kensington Angie Bray What is Transport for London doing to ensure that the needs of the residents of the Dalgarno Estate in North Kensington are being met through a bus route which runs North to South?

468 / 2002 - Kew Bridge Tony Arbour Given the failure of the bus lane on Kew Bridge will you cancel the experiment forthwith?

. 469 / 2002 - London Plan Tony Arbour Will the Mayor explain why he has deleted the strategic views from King Henry’s Mound, Richmond Park, from the London Plan?

470 / 2002 - Partner Cities Bob Neill What were the Mayor’s criteria for selecting partnership and friendship cities?

471 / 2002 - Traffic light changes in outer London Roger Evans You recently provided us with a list of changes being made to traffic lights inside the inner ring road. Could you provide us with a list of changes being made to traffic lights in the remainder of London?

472 / 2002 - Rogue Parking Tickets Roger Evans Can the Mayor detail the extent of the problem of rogue parking tickets being issued in Greater London. Namely: 1) How many parking tickets have been referred to appeal in the last 12 months. 2) How many parking tickets have been dismissed at appeal in the same period.

-14- .473 / 2002 - Junction Arrangements in East Croydon Andrew Pelling Could TfL input and money be supplied to improve the junction arrangements at East Croydon's NLA tower where the confluence of tram, bus, car, cycle and pedestrian traffic is too great for the junction to handle effectively and safely?

474 / 2002 - Bus Service for Croydon Andrew Pelling Could a bus service be diverted to serve Chepstow Road?

. 475 / 2002 - Safety at Junction of Dingwall Road and George Street Andrew Pelling What actions have TfL taken to improve the safety of pedestrian/bus interaction at the junction of Dingwall Road and George Street?

.476 / 2002 - Bob Crowe Bob Neill Will the Mayor confirm that it is correct that Bob Crowe has been appointed to the board of TfL? What are the terms, conditions, and remuneration of such an appointment? Has Mr Crowe given any undertaking to prevent disruption of service to passengers whilst he is a Member of the TFL board?

477 / 2002 - MPA Budget Bob Neill What discussions has the Mayor had with the Chair of the MPA and its finance committee concerning next year’s budget and precept requirements?

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