• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

Can I just push that a little bit more then? You have not really directly answered the question about the public exercise of these arguments and opened this to representations from parties affected by it, including the boroughs, because there are some very strong feelings about this. There has been, I think, a lot of suspicion. I have had a lot of emails suggesting it is a covert way of introducing a congestion charge, for example, which I do not think is the case.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

The effect of it, of course, is that something which has operated for the better part of 30 years suddenly ceased operation on 48 hours notice as far as members of the travelling public and the vast majority of stakeholders were concerned. That makes it very difficult for members of the public to have much confidence in the decision. Even if the police are right - and I am not going to enter into that debate now - why was it that the issue was not raised with the affected London boroughs and with people generally when the matter first...

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

So you are saying that it was the police who ended it, not yourself, and you were not consulted by the police before that took place?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

Chair, I have two quick points. I am very concerned, as the Assembly Member covering the area of Rotherhithe, because there is incredible dependency on that tunnel in my community over in Rotherhithe, which is almost like an island. Rotherhithe suffers from access difficulties anyway. Dependency on the Rotherhithe Tunnel will increase when the East London Line works are underway and the tube tunnel is closed for a very long period of time - about 18 months - so sadly there will be an increase in traffic through the Rotherhithe Tunnel. I therefore make a very strong plea to make...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

Are you willing to publish the report, make sure it is all in the public domain, so we can see what alternatives were looked at exhaustively before the ultimate sanction of closure was undertaken?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

We have probably spent more on the tunnel than on every other issue put together, but it is a really important issue. Can I just be absolutely clear; who took the decision to suspend the tidal flow, and were you involved in that decision in any way?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

The trouble is that the accuracy of much of the information that you are provided with I am sorry seems to be open to question. First of all, it is clear from TfL's own information that the possibility of ceasing the tidal flow was raised by consultants back in 2005, so there was ample opportunity to discuss the issues then. Secondly, the Deputy Leader of the London Borough of Greenwich categorically states, `I absolutely refute that there was any meeting with Greenwich to discuss the cessation of the tidal flow with TfL'. Thirdly, if there was the need to look...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

Do you accept that the police perhaps have to learn from this, that just because you wear a uniform you are not exempt from the need to consult? If the police come to a view or offer advice which has huge implications upon the strategic road network, it is not acceptable to say, `I am just going to stop that' at 48 hours notice, given their own figures. Would you accept that the police need to be held accountable for their role in this, which is unsatisfactory?

• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

I have some information and a question to the Mayor. I have great sympathy for the residents and those who travel on our roads in terms of this particular issue. Like many others, I have taken time out to speak to respective parties. The Mayor can speak for TfL. I can speak for the MPA and for the police service. Last week I met with the Assistant Commissioner responsible for this particular area. I was not completely satisfied by the response that I got. I have asked for a written report. It does seem to me that action was taken...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 23 May 2007

I have one other question which is a bit more provocative perhaps. I noticed in the media that an awful lot of the criticism of this came from the London Borough of Bexley where most of my family happen to live, but otherwise a fairly unknown place to me. I am aware that the London Borough of Bexley vigorously, fanatically - across all the parties in fact in the run up to the election last year - fought against the proposals for another river crossing which would address some of these congestion issues. Would you share my view that there...