Planning our future London

I believe that better integration between public transport in london and the surrounding counties would improve my quality of life. The railways are pretty good because the suburban services have been maintained. However the bus services seem to get worse every decade. We need more integration between bus networks. For example London regional transport used to serve good routes between London borough of Barnet and Hertfordshire. The slow decline of these bus networks is a shame and make it necessary to own a car in London’s suburbs all because of a lack of willingness to engage with the surrounding counties and the current bureaucratic and funding issues. 

I believe more segregated cycle lanes would make a great step forward to reducing our emissions. However I believe it’s best done where a lane if traffic is not removed as removing a lane of traffic can worsen queues and increase congestion and pollution. 
 

As for making public transport more efficient, some train services could be made more frequent and reduced fares would make it more affordable. For buses, I suggest a Bus Rapid Transit Busway system (Take the Cambridgeshire Guided Bus network, or the Eclipse Bus running between Gosport and Fareham, in Hampshire, as an example) as buses can run on their own dedicated busway. This has the side effect of buses being able to run more efficiently and frequently and also reduces congestion caused by buses stopping at bus stops when not in a bus lane. 
 

In conclusion the way to get people out of cars and onto other modes of transport isn’t to make driving harder and more inconvenient. The way to get people out of their cars is to make other means of transport more reliable and affordable. 

There needs to be FAR MORE INVESTMENT into London’s BUSES. It’s simply unacceptable that 3 routes were CUT ENTIRELY a few months ago, including the 521, 507 and 332 and many others REROUTED. Whilst some changes were well received, MOST WERE NOT. CUTTING ROUTES IS NOT THE KEY TO BETTER PUBLIC TRANSPORT, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS FROM A DISGRUNTLED LONDONER. I live in central London and I am affected by these ridiculous changes. Introduce more bus priority, bus lanes, new bus stations, stop the cycle lane obsession and wanting to be Amsterdam, let’s be LONDON WITH ITS ICONS BUSES AS THE REASON WHY ITS WELL KNOWN. Also extend rail lines such as the DLR to Thamesmead and introduce crossrail 2 

The suburban rail network in South London has so much potential, but is being held back by not being integrated into TfL's services to create a proper metro style system with frequent trains. 

If you are coming from an outer zone to zone 1 or 2 it becomes almost £20 a day to travel, If they want more people working in the city, they need to change this. Central zones are getting too expensive most people are moving out and now it's too expensive to travel in. Really trapping people between a rock and hard place.

There is a lack of safe cycle routes in Outer London. This makes it very hard to travel by walking or cycling

There is a lack of continuity and inequality between neighbouring boroughs. The GLA should play a more proactive role in joining up London in the same way New York is managed improving shared street spaces. For example I live on the border of Lambeth and Southwark and there’s a visible difference on boundary roads which could be improved by shared street schemes and planting. 

One only needs to look across the channel towards the Netherlands to see how a city can be designed effectively to reduce car use, reduce emissions, improve safety and health: prioritising cycling infrastructure. And when you build the infrastructure, the cyclists will follow. Furthermore, the city becomes more walkable as car use plummets, less noisy, less polluted and parking space (currently dominating streets everywhere in London) opens up for other usage such as pedestrian space, cafés, greenery, etc.

While there are many things needing to be done in London, such as making living more affordable and increasing space for nature, I believe that building a proper and extensive cycling infrastructure should be an absolute priority for the city, not least if London wants to take its aims to become carbon net zero seriously.

Building a cycling infrastructure is something that can be done in every Borough in London and on the vast majority of streets, effectively immediately making the city significantly more livable and navigatable, ultimately improving quality of life. 

Public transport needs to be made more attractive and convenient for all (potential) users.  Public highways are defined as being 'for the passage and re-passage of vehicles'.  Most of our distributor roads are unsuitable for use as parking areas.  They are generally of insufficient width and parked vehicles cause congestion, which gives rise to increased pollution from vehicle exhausts and higher physical risk, especially to pedestrians and cyclists.  As London's population grows, both numerically and in age, the need for radical thinking to address problems (and opportunities) associated with all forms of commuting is vital and long overdue.  One suggestion might be to meet more of the cost of public transport via a charge on personal income, with actual use of facilities 'free' to the commuter.  By this means, very high earners, who probably would make least use of public transport, would pay considerably more than others on lower incomes who may be more reliant on local buses, trams and trains.

Make it easier to get to the Royal Free Hospital Hampstead by public transport from north London eg Whetstone East Barnet and Southgate.

Encourage Walking and cycling by providing 'Usable' cycle lanes and walkways. Encourage school children to get to school without their parents driving. Make short trips by cycle of walking and use public transport more - our area (DA7 4TJ - Bexleyheath) has numerous bus routes.

Firstly replace e scooters with electric cycles which are much safer. ban all e scooters private and rental and ensure the Police prosecute those that continue to use them. Make the pavements and pedestrian areas safer by ensuring the Police prosecute anyone found riding on the pavement.

Ensure the police have a zero tolerance to anti social behavior.

Cancel ULEZ in the outer London Boroughs for the intended August 23 introduction and gradually introduce over a 5 year period. Provide a bigger scrapage pot of money to give owners encouragement to change vehicles ahead of the 5 year introduction.

Provide a fairer complaints procedure against the MET Police to keep them on the ball and working for us not their own agenda. At the moment IOPC is not independant a complaint in most cases is dealt with by a Police PC adjudicating over Inspectors and Superintendants. That is not a level playing field and it is certainly not independant which is what the I is meant to stand for. Ensure every ward has a minimum of 1 PCSO and 3 PC`s which are dedicated to the ward and not there to be abstracted to any other area unless as an emergency, not to cover for known events like Nottinghill Carnival etc. We also need Police on the streets in the suburbs we have not seen a policemen on the street patrol for nearly 5 years. Provide localised police centres throughout the Boroughs even if shared with commercial outlets.

Fairer treatment from the Mayor with regard to financial support for neccessary projects. Here in Sutton we receive the lowest Sums from the mayors office and even it were doubled it would still be the lowest.

We need an extension of the Tram from Wimbledon into Sutton.

As for housing ,speed up the process , here in Sutton we have an agreed development in North Cheam for 74 flats but it will be two years while TFL, H and S executive and Sutton Council ponder over the small detail continualy delaying the project. Lets have some common sense and ;less dilly dally.

West LONDON desperately needs more police , more police around, being able to get police to react to issues that are vital for Londoners : drug dealing spotted on the street, noise, night disturbance, noise in bloc of flats after 11pm, fast, overpowered engine driving freely through the west of London, making so much noise and stress and NEVER being challenged by police - POLICE IS NEVER REACTING OR AVAILABLE 

I want much more space and support given to pedestrians and cyclists, and much LESS space and support given to private motor vehicles.

Specifically:

- Enforce speed limits

- Reduce the number of on-street parking spaces by 3% every year ... the space could be more productively used for wider pavements/ pop-up gardens/ cycle parking etc etc

- Increase the congestion charge by inflation + 10% every year

- More and wider dedicated cycle lanes

- Longer pedestrian phases at traffic lights ... the current phase timings are too short and are over before elderly people have had a chance to cross, making them feel unwelcome and unsafe

- Pedestrianise the whole of Soho ... Standard exemptions will apply, for example for loading/unloading for businesses, emergency vehicles, residents within the zone etc

- Limits on how loud a motor vehicle's engine can be - and enforcement of the limits! - some motorcycles create way too much noise, intimidate other road users and make the environment unpleasant

- Honestly, I'd like to see a Singapore-style CoE (Certificate of Entitlement) system implemented in London - with the money raised used to improve public transport

Whilst agreeing with the basic idea of eventually expanding the ULEZ area I have some issues. It is not environmentally sound for a low mileage vehicle user to scrap their MOT emissions compliant vehicle. Car owners on low income are particularly affected at this time of financial crisis.The environmental cost of manufacturing a new vehicle is great although due to the UK‘s depleted manufacturing base the pollution is created where the vehicle is built. It is ridiculous that a 2005 Honda 50 motorcycle which has negligible emissions has to pay £12.50, the same as a large, polluting car. Motorcycles pollute far less as they have smaller engines and don‘t often get stuck in traffic. The 12.50 blanket rate is disproportionate and unfair to vehicles with smaller engines. Pollution levels in the outer boroughs is generally only significant in localised traffic hotspots. Why not simply exclude non compliant vehicles from these areas?

• Q1 
  • I would like to see far less space dedicated to cars, and far more space dedicated to bikes, busses, and greenery. There are too many roads that lack any sort of greenery, a sad state of affairs that doesn't bode well for quality of life in terms of physical and mental health. There are many high streets that are just depressing as they are blanketed in noise, exhaust, and traffic. Imagine if we could transform these to much greener, walkable, and quiet spaces?
• Q2
  • Firstly it would be quiet. There are FAR too many incredibly loud motorcycles ruining the liveability of London. They regularly scare my kids - even a few times causing them to cry when they roared past. They regularly wake us up at night, early in the morning, and literally interrupt conversations that I'm trying to have inside my house, let alone on our streets. I regularly shop on Clapham High Street - it is unbearable how loud it is. This shouldn't be happening in the age of electrification and quiet motor engineering.
  • Beyond this, a great neighbourhood is easy to bike around, safe, congestion free, and green
• Q3
  • The most congested roads need a revamp - e.g. Wandsworth Road is a mess for cycling, and bus lanes are not always bus lanes (which is strange to me - why can't busses always have priority?
• Q4
  • I suggest the planning team take a trip to Geneva, Switzerland to see how cities should be managing their bus lanes. Busses there get priority at stop lights, have dedicated lanes, and therefore are by far the most efficient way to get around the city - reducing congestion and benefiting everyone).
  • Let's make biking even safer and more accessible. Biking is fair, because it's the most cost effective form of transportation. It is zero emissions. It is healthy. It is zero congestion. It still surprises me that despite the shining example the Netherlands has set in this area we are still working to convince people that this is the way... 

I am disabled and need to use my car to get around London. I live near a busy junction and suffer from breathing difficulties because of the pollution from the heavy congestion and from the diesel buses stopping and starting at the bus stops and from diesel taxis and lorries. I have to use a car as a disabled person as public transport is inaccessible and too busy to use safely. Despite using a car I do agree that affordable, comfortable and reliable alternatives should be offered in london alongside a campaign of dissuasion of using cars and promotion for cycling and walking. Alongside this public transport should be more eco-friendly ideally completely electronic and given priority on the roads for faster journeys. Delivery lorries should be made to use the road at night, to reduce pollution, congestion and risks to pedestrians and cyclists. And all taxis and cabs should be electric cars and more electric points should be offered around london. Electric scooters should be regulated, made to wear helmets and restricted to cycle lanes. They are extremely dangerous on the roads especially for disabled people. Also the both way cycle lanes and island bus stops are incredibly dangerous for disabled people. A whole london travel system approach should be designed. Maybe looking changing two-way roads to one-way creating more access for cyclists and pedestrians. In the short-term green walls should be built around high polluted junctions to protect those Londoners who are disproportionately affected. And positive campaigns to get people out cars should be run, maybe offering discounted bikes for example. 

Q;How would you like to see London’s streets and public spaces used?

A;For the public on foot

Q;What would a great neighbourhood look like and how would people live, work and get around?

A;Green & open, by foot or cycle or public transport

Q;Where in London would you focus investment in better public transport and safer walking and cycling?  And why?

A;Around centres of interest, no vehicles except essential ones

Q;How can we reduce transport emissions and congestion in a way that is fair for everyone as London’s population grows over time? 

A;Go to electric power from green sources

I don’t pretend to know all the answers but I do know that with many roads already at or above capacity, a population that continues to grow and air quality below scientifically determined safe levels the focus has to be to reduce the number of journeys taken by car and commercial vehicles - it is the only option that addresses all three of these huge challenges. And the only one that will raise our quality of life sustainably. With a thought out strategy that is politically fearless it has to be possible and if achieved then the number of journeys made by public transport, bicycle or foot will automatically increase, though that’s not to say that improving the cost effectiveness and safety of these forms of transport shouldn’t also be a focus. 

Reverse the road narrowing scheme and return to the old road network reopening all the closures. As you found out when you implemented the night congestion charge, you are ruining London’s ability to do business by strangling it with traffic under the guise of a cleaner London . 20 mph at 2am on an A road is just a cash cow to fund more ill thought out schemes.