• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I suspect the whole room shares the concern about 5,000. We would prefer to have something closer to 3,000, but is it not the case that the more important question is whether there is a parking control regime there which will discourage people from using their cars willy-nilly and will price the car parking in a way that encourages people to use public transport in exactly the same way as many years ago, before the charges went up, I used to drive and park just behind John Lewis in Oxford Street. Now, I would be out of my mind to...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Do you agree, first of all, that the provision of a regional shopping centre in Stratford is a pretty fundamentally important part of regenerating east London and providing confidence for people to live and work there?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I accept that there have to be swings and roundabouts in these negotiations, but to go from 3,100 to 5,000 is far too much, and I think you have just been soft on the developers, and I do not think you should. I am also concerned about the Thames Gateway Bridge, and I think with such a huge parking facility, all it is going to do is encourage people to come into the area for high-level jobs and to drive over the bridge and to park in these parking spaces, and I really do not think that this is in...

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I am actually quite disappointed with that answer. I do not agree that they are within your London Plan. Your London Plan says that parking provision should take account of public transport. As Stratford is very well-served with public transport, the 10,000 car parking spaces break down as 5,000 spaces for retail, 3,800 residential, and 1,200 for office and hotel parking. 5,000 for retail is well in excess of the standards. It should be nearer to 3,100, and as somebody who is always banging on about sustainable communities - and with a genuine belief that that is what we ought...

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Can I ask you about the train operating companies. You have been quite critical in the past about their lack of cooperation when you have been trying to improve services. Have you any reason to believe that under the new legislation, they are likely to be more cooperative?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I appreciate that you do not know exactly what is going to end up in the Bill, but are you hopeful, for example, that you will be allowed to introduce a zonal fare structure and smart ticketing for both Tubes and trains under the new legislation?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

In advance of the new powers and duties, Mayor, what steps are TfL likely to take to influence the suburban railways?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

You do not think that you are going to be able to put any systems in place in order to stop one or two of the train companies wrecking the system for everyone else?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

What about inside here?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

If the Oxford Street retailers have expressed dissatisfaction, let us hope that you listen to them, since you do not seem to be too happy about listening to people normally. Nonetheless, let us bring this question a little bit closer to home, to this building, in fact. I make the point that you have abolished Christmas in this building, it would appear.