Objectors to the bridge have raised numerous concerns over the speed with which Transport for London (TfL) is hoping to act saying that many local people are unaware of the plans and that objectors have not had enough time to prepare evidence.
Green Party Member of the London Assembly, Darren Johnson, said:
‘I absolutely support calls for the public inquiry to be postponed. Before going to inquiry we need to be certain that as many people as possible are aware of the plans for the bridge. We also need to make sure that objectors have time to gather evidence. I worked hard to secure funding for the objectors to prepare their case and I don’t want to see that wasted.’
Concerns have been raised about the leafleting that was done on behalf of Transport for London. It has been claimed that in some cases the leaflets were irrelevant to households where the first language was not English. Some areas which were likely to be affected by increased traffic (such as Bexley) were not leafleted at all.
Notes for Editors
In February, Darren Johnson and his Assembly Member colleague, Jenny Jones, managed to secure £50,000 pounds from the Mayor of London to fund specialized professional advice for organisations objecting the bridge. This was intended to assist the quality of data and submission to be presented on behalf of the objectors.
ENDS