The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has unveiled his long-term strategy to transform the capital’s transport network and deliver a fairer, greener, healthier and more prosperous city for all Londoners. Under its strategy, by 2050 the target envisages an entire transport system with zero emission.
The draft strategy includes improvements to the Tube, DLR, rail, tram and bus services that will tackle chronic overcrowding and transform the experience of passengers, a Healthy Streets Approach that will be essential to reduce car reliance and help Londoners choose active and sustainable travel, and the development of new public transport services that will be vital in creating the 1.2 million new jobs and more than one million new homes the city needs by 2041.
“I’m setting out a new long-term vision for our capital – one that puts walking, cycling and zero-emission public transport right at the heart of our day-to-day lives. So while we are delivering affordable, reliable and accessible transport through the improved services and new infrastructure that we need, we’re also changing the whole way we look at transport as a whole. Only by focusing on active travel, providing efficient zero-emission transport and reducing our dependency on cars, can we improve the health of Londoners, support economic growth, deliver homes and jobs, and make our city an even better place to live,” the Mayor said.
The new draft transport strategy aims to change the way people choose to travel so that, by 2041, 80% of all Londoners’ trips will be made on foot, by cycle or by public transport. This will be a significant change from today, when only 64% of journeys are made by these healthy, efficient and sustainable forms of transport.
To make public transport services more attractive, they will become easier and more pleasant to use. New technologies will provide better travel information, and wider benefits, such as bringing WiFi to Tube tunnels. Buses will be given proper priority on London’s streets, and bus services will be planned to match demand.
Following the opening of the Elizabeth line, investment in new trains and technology on the Tube and rail networks, including an extension of the Bakerloo line to Lewisham and beyond, will help tackle crowding and create more capacity on existing lines. To bring rail services up to TfL standards, and to keep fares affordable, suburban services should be devolved to the Mayor’s control, creating a London suburban metro.
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