Letter from the Mayor to Jenny Jones AM and Darren Johnson AM

Annex to news release 043, 22 January 2008

Letter to Jenny John and Darren Johnson with appendices PDF
Letter to Jenny John and Darren Johnson with appendices RTF

Jenny Jones AM and Darren Johnson AM
Green Group
London Assembly
City Hall

Dear Jenny and Darren

Budget commitments for 2008/09 and beyond

Following the discussions that we have had over recent weeks regarding the GLA Group budget for 2008/09 and beyond, I am writing to set out my commitments to you on a number of important issues for London.

As well as TfL’s £25m climate change mitigation funding, which will continue through to 2009/10, and the LDA’s three-year £35m funding of Climate Change Action Plan projects such as the home insulation, Green homes, and the business-focussed Green 500 programmes, key proposals include:

• TfL to provide boroughs with financial incentives to implement default 20mph speed limits in all residential areas
• TfL walking and cycling budgets will increase by 20% to £62m for 2008/09, building on London’s position as the only major city in the world to have achieved a shift from private car use to public transport, walking and cycling
• £600,000 of LDA funds will be made available to support the implementation of the East London Green Grid project plan. The Green Grid aims to establish a network of parks and natural habitats covering an area 29 times the size of Hyde Park
• The LDA will commit to an additional £18m over the next three years to deliver new waste and recycling facilities to ensure that London deals with the bulk of its own waste and to use the waste to produce renewable energy.

It is also an opportune moment to reflect on some of the achievements our agreements have brought about over the last four years:

• Walking and cycling: TfL has almost trebled its walking and cycling budget from £21m in 2004/05 to £62m in 2008/09. Achievements include:
  • Cycling:
    • A programme of cycle parking at stations and on-street
    • An additional 10,000 spaces at London's schools
    • Completion of over 550km of the LCN+ and a programme of green and off-road cycle routes
    • An increase of £2m in the annual budget for cycle training for children and adults
    • Launch of a new Share the Road campaign
    • The London freewheel event, which more than 38,000 attended in September 2007
  • Walking:
    • Investment in a continued programme of improving pedestrian crossings
    • A £4m increase in funding for the annual borough walking programmes
    • The first ever walking campaign
    • Launch of a prototype in November 2007 for a future London-wide pedestrian information system – Legible London
• Travel Demand Management (TDM): TfL has almost quadruped its TDM budget from £8m in 2004/05 to £30m in 2008/09. Achievements include:
  • A TDM department has been established to encourage a modal shift to walking, cycling and other sustainable modes of transport and a move away from car use
  • A total of 53% of schools with approved school travel plans, with an average reduction in car trips of 7% (1,200 fewer journeys a year)
  • A comprehensive support package for workplace travel plans
  • Launch of a new personalised travel planning programme
  • Providing financial support to encourage the growth of car clubs
  • Launch of the first smarter travel town centre in Sutton to test the combined effect of all TDM measures
• Road safety: the budget for road safety has increased by almost two-thirds from £35m in 2004/05 to £58m in 2008/09. Achievements include:
  • A rolling programme of major, award winning TV campaigns targeting children, teenagers and the dangers of motorcycling
  • Expanded child campaigns including the Children’s Traffic Club (3 year olds), A-Z Tales (7 year olds) and Junior Road Safety officers
  • The development of new technology, including the Intelligent Speed Adaptation project with first trials expected Summer 08, time-over-distance cameras to enforce speed limits
  • Continued research and projects related to specific road safety target groups, including BAME groups.
  • Child KSIs (those killed and seriously injured) fell 36% from 614 in 2002 to 392, P2W (powered two wheels) KSIs have fallen 31% from 1,224 in 2002 to 848 in 2006. Overall 231 Londoners died on the roads in 2006; 49 fewer than in 2002.

Ken Livingstone

Mayor of London

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