• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

You could give Scotland the Olympics and we could have Crossrail.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

You state in this article `Crossrail is even more important than the glamour of the Games'.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

I noticed that you have taken a full page in your favourite paper, the Evening Standard, to extol the virtues of Crossrail. Does this presage a change in your perception?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

Thank you; that is interesting. In fact, the House of Commons Transport Committee report did say that doubt had been cast on the Crossrail project on the grounds that the finance needed for the Olympic transport programme would rather reduce the availability of funding for Crossrail.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

No doubt.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

Are you saying this is all part of a cunning plan for your next re-election campaign?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

It is quite interesting. There is a great consensus emerging between the distributors and the manufacturers in response to European Union legislation and I think there is one particular anomaly with the Lexus 4x4 hybrid, which appears to run roughshod across your whole strategy, and it seems as though it should not be exempt at all.

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

I agree that cars that pollute more should be potentially charged more Congestion Charge. Conversely, I think we also need to offer incentives to those that switch to biofuels like bioethanol to pay less of a Congestion Charge. Is that something you are willing to consider?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

I am glad the Green Party are catching up with us on this side. After all, it was my predecessor some two years ago who proposed that there should be an additional charge in the central zone for 4x4s and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). This is really a development of that policy. Indeed, our party has produced a policy paper, as you may be aware, called `The Green Switch', which is proposing an annual road tax of £2,000 for any vehicle emitting more than 225 grams of CO2 per kilometre. Would the Mayor support that as a far better way...

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 21 June 2006

Would you go as far as looking at the Alliance Against (Urban) 4x4s' proposals to actually exclude large SUV vehicles from key urban areas?