"This is new Labour backing new Ken on road building. Before he was
elected, Ken promised Londoners that this road would not be built. At a
time when London is crying out for investment in public transport it is
an utter outrage that the Mayor and government want to squander £500
million on this new road bridge which will bring more traffic and more
pollution to East London," said Darren Johnson, the Green Party’s London Mayoral candidate.
The Thames Gateway Bridge will be a disaster for the environment, a
disaster for local people and will do absolutely nothing to help regeneration and create jobs. Imposing a new motorway across the river might enhance property values in Docklands but will not magic new jobs in East London."
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The proposal for the bridge has been rejected by the local community
for the last twenty years and was last put forward by Steven Norris in
1995 when he was a Conservative Transport Minister. Ken Livingstone
opposed the original proposal.
The London Mayor has already started building the Coulsdon by-pass
(£29m) and working on the A13 upgrade (£200m). He is supporting a bid to the government for over £21m for the Thames Road in Bexley and he has provisionally agreed another £50m be set aside for a new road in the Lower Lee Valley.
Independent reports on the proposal for a Thames Gateway Bridge have
condemned the bridge for the following reasons:
* The bridge is not a ‘local link’ as claimed by the Mayor but a major six-lane motorway.
* No proper assessment of traffic or environmental impact has been done.
* There has been failure to consider alternatives to the bridge.
* Unsubstantiated claims about regeneration benefits.
ENDS
For further information and to arrange interviews with Darren Johnson contact Penny Kemp on 07711 760692