• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

Just to reiterate, I think apart from possible problems along Ilford Lanes, it could quite easily accommodate trams on both sides of the river on the transit scheme.

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

Well, yes, but that is a different tone to exactly five years ago when the transit proposals were published with pretty pictures of trams and trolley buses on the front and lots of claims about reducing carbon emissions on that basis. Now it does seem to me that you have not lost your interest in carbon emissions, but you are losing the argument with the Government in the 2007 review, and that is more the real situation; you are unlikely to get funding for these sorts of transit schemes with zero emissions.

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

Can we stick to the point.

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

Can I just go back to the comments you made earlier about the transit schemes. The East London and the Greenwich Waterfront Transits TfL have recently shown us around. I just wanted to look at the likelihood of the upgrading to trams along those lines. Yes, clearly there are going to be more households down that way and I think there is a particular case there, but in light of the apparent rejection of West Londoners for the tram on the Uxbridge Road, is this a convenient switch that would help the infrastructure down there quite readily?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

We have always described you as a bit of a cowboy.

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

So is that not a greater case for a zero energy tram or trolley bus scheme, which was as proposed initially? I do not follow your logic at all.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

I would love to see you in cowboy boots.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

Have you been over to his ranch yet?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

The problem with trams like Croydon tram is that they lose an awful lot of money; trams are very expensive systems. I was wondering whether one of the best answers for transport through Thames Gateway was going to be the river? Yesterday I was taking some evidence from people who provide services, such as Thames Clipper, who would absolutely love to get stuck in and start providing a decent river transport system for Thames Gateway. Are you going to be supporting moves of that sort, because that might well be a much cheaper option and much more quickly available?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 12 July 2006

So are you saying that this projection of 91,000 homes is not now correct?