Greens are seriously concerned that the funding for bus and congestion charge expansion is being diverted into a new programme of road building.
“This amazing switch from cars to buses, bikes and tubes should be just the start of making London a cleaner, greener, less congested city," said Jenny.
"We have taken on the car lobby in London and things are getting better, in contrast to this we have a Government of political cowards who are spending billions on new roads in an attempt to move traffic from one jam to another."
"My big fear is that the Government will cut back on the bus improvements and that congestion charge expansion will get dropped in favour of road building in London,” Jenny continued.
“More road building means more cars, more congestion and more pollution. This is the nightmare future which London has the chance to escape from.
"All the evidence shows that we could cutting traffic and free the people of this city from the shackles of their car dependency,” said Jenny.
A Transport for London report shows that bus travel has expanded by over 30% since 1999, with 4.7m trips per day, which is almost the entire population of Scotland getting on and off a red bus every day.
Despite a slow upward drift in car ownership as London’s population expands, the actual number of car trips has fallen by 4%.
The report identifies the mix of carrot and stick as the key to this success, with the improvements in bus services being accompanied by a rise in the cost of motoring, tighter parking controls and more bus lanes.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
TfL have asked the Government for an extra £950m a year to fund their plans, but the Greens are concerned that much of this will be swallowed up in a £1.3bn road building program in London, which includes the recently approved Thames Gateway Bridge and the widening of the North Circular. Both schemes were previously dropped by the last Conservative Government because of widespread public opposition.
The money for the Thames Gateway Bridge is ring-fenced as a top priority, whereas the expansion of congestion charging has been relegated to a second level priority.
ENDS