Written Answers to Questions Not Answered at Mayor's Question Time on 22 June 2016
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Written Answers to Questions Not Answered at Mayor's Question Time on 22 June 2016 Parking enforcement of taxi ranks Question No: 2016/1849 Caroline Pidgeon What steps is Transport for London taking to encourage London Councils to ensure there are consistent policies over the enforcement of parking restrictions in taxi ranks across the whole of London? The Mayor Written response from the Mayor received 11/07/2016 TfL is working with London Councils to encourage a more consistent and effective approach to taxi rank parking restrictions. This has taken the form of joint working, shared information and changes to business process to support effective on-street enforcement. TfL is also working closely with key boroughs in central London as part of Operation Neon, a high visibility enforcement operation under which multi-agency teams are deployed to agreed priority areas to deter and disrupt illegal and non- compliant private hire activity. For example, Taxi and Private Hire Compliance Officers regularly patrol alongside Westminster City Council officers. Backlog of taxi ranks Question No: 2016/1850 Caroline Pidgeon How many new taxi ranks were created by TfL in (a) 2014 (b) 2015 (c) are planned for 2016? The Mayor Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly. Written response from the Mayor received 08/08/2016 The numbers of new taxi ranks appointed in the capital in these timescales are: 2013/14 - 16 new ranks 2014/15 - 13 new ranks 2015/16 - 32 new ranks Seven new taxi ranks have been appointed since 1 April 2016 and a further 11 have been agreed, in principle, across four London boroughs. These will be consulted on publicly. TfL will continue to pursue further opportunities to implement new ranks across London throughout 2016. Implementation of TfL's Ranks Action Plan Question No: 2016/1851 Caroline Pidgeon Please provide an update as to the steps that have been implemented since the publication of the taxi ranks action plan in February 2015? The Mayor Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly. Written response from the Mayor received 08/08/2016 Since the Ranks Action Plan was published in February 2015, 42 new taxi ranks have been delivered, including some at stations that will be served by the Night Tube. TfL has carried out a full review of the existing taxi rank network to assess ranks' accessibility and to identify potential improvements. As part of this, TfL held workshops and engagement sessions with key stakeholders. TfL has intensified its engagement with all boroughs by making them aware of its intention to increase the number of ranks across London and actively seeking support from the chief executive of a borough when requesting specific ranks. TfL is also currently working with Westminster City Council and the Cab Ranks Committee , which is organised and chaired by representatives of the main trade associations, to collate a list of new taxi rank requests which TfL will fund. TfL has collected geocode data for all ranks in London. This information will be published online and made freely available to app developers and TfL Journey Planner as part of TfL's open data policy. It has also published a policy on island ranks and taxi extension areas. Finally, forums for suburban taxi drivers took place in each sector for the first time last year and will now take place annually. This has proved to be a constructive opportunity to engage with suburban drivers regarding a number of issues, including issues around existing ranks and requests for new ranks. London Overground passengers Question No: 2016/1852 Caroline Pidgeon London Underground provides staff to assist passengers with every rail replacement bus. Why is there not a similar service provided to London Overground passengers? The Mayor Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly. Written response from the Mayor received 08/08/2016 London Overground always carefully considers support for customers when rail replacement buses operate, including provision of staff. In some instances, including many blockades, the nature of rail replacement provision may change over the course of the closure. For example, in the case of the current Gospel Oak to Barking closure, additional staff were deployed at all stations and rail replacement bus stops for the first week, then at a smaller number of key stations for the full duration of the closure. This approach is adopted because passenger data suggests regular customers quickly establish new travel patterns, so deploying staff at all locations for duration of a blockade may not be the best use of resources These arrangements are closely monitored and can be changed if necessary. So far though, arrangements on the Barking to Gospel Oak closure are working well. Barking-Gospel Oak Overground closure Question No: 2016/1853 Caroline Pidgeon In answer to Mayoral Questions 2016/008 and 2016/0054 very clear assurances were given about a replacement bus service during the closure of the Barking-Gospel Oak Overground closure and assistance that will be provided to customers. Why are these undertakings not being fully met? The Mayor Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly. Written response from the Mayor received 08/08/2016 London Overground is providing rail replacement bus services during the full duration of the closure alongside comprehensive customer communications to help customers complete their journeys. Additional staff will be based at stations and rail replacement bus stops for the first week of each blockade, then at a smaller number of key stations for the full duration of the closure. This approach is adopted because experience suggests that regular customers quickly establish new travel patterns and so deploying staff at all locations for the full period of the blockade would be unnecessarily costly. These arrangements are kept under review and can be changed quickly should the need arise, but appear to be working well so far on the Gospel Oak to Barking closure. These arrangements are supported by a comprehensive customer information programme. Oyster/Contactless Gatwick Route Fares Question No: 2016/1854 Caroline Pidgeon What steps are you planning to take to introduce zonal Oyster/Contactless fares to and from Gatwick Airport? The Mayor Since the launch in mid-January 2016, the use of Oyster and contactless to and from Gatwick has gone from strength to strength. Some 20,000 journeys a week were made in the first week. By early June, the weekly figure had risen to over 60,000 journeys and it is continuing to increase. The fares for using Oyster and Contactless to and from Gatwick, which is entirely outside the Greater London Area, are set by the train company, GTR. GTR has made it clear that it does not wish the extension to be part of the London zonal fares system given their view of the potential loss of revenue from charging lower fares. Retention of video recordings from CCTV operating on London buses Question No: 2016/1855 Caroline Pidgeon Please state the length of time that video recordings from CCTV operating on London buses are maintained and stored before being overwritten or deleted? Has any consideration been given to permanent or long term storage to help assist inquiries about driver behaviour and investigations into collisions involving buses? The Mayor TfL's vehicle specification for new buses requires the CCTV hard drive to store images for at least 240 hours which, when taking into account the average hours a bus is in service in each 24-hour period, means they do not over write for two to three weeks. If a bus is involved in an incident, there are effective procedures in place to obtain and retain images for permanent storage, such as for police or operator investigations. Given that there are 9,000 vehicles in the fleet, it would not be practical or a good use of resources to download all images for long-term retention in case a late request is made. In addition, it would not be compliant with data protection legislation to keep CCTV indefinitely. Direct Vision Lorries Question No: 2016/1856 Caroline Pidgeon During the Mayoral election you made the following welcome pledge, which I welcome: "And I will promote safer, cleaner lorries. I will work with the boroughs and using City Hall procurement to set new safety standards, work to make sure City Hall and TfL contracts specify 'direct-vision' lorries, and use planning and other powers available to me, so that the safest lorry types become the norm on London's streets as soon as possible." Please set out the steps and timetable you now intend to take to implement this pledge. The Mayor Heavy Goods Vehicles with maximum direct vision are available now and are successfully working in TfL's supply chain. I intend to quickly increase the number of these safer trucks seen on London's streets and have asked TfL to develop a plan to do this by this autumn. TfL will continue to work with vehicle manufacturers, operators, trade bodies and cycling groups to raise awareness of these safer trucks and provide advice to construction projects across London as they develop this plan. Tooting Bec Road Question No: 2016/1857 Caroline Pidgeon Will you ensure that TfL works with Wandsworth Council to ensure that high quality segregated cycle routes are provided on Tooting Bec Road? The Mayor TfL is working with the London Borough of Wandsworth to improve cycle provision as part of Quietway 5 (Waterloo to Croydon). Options are being considered, including segregated facilities, along Tooting Bec Road between Tooting Bec Lido by Aldrington Road, and opposite Riggindale Road. Subject to approval, construction is planned for 2017.