Statement from Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee on Heathrow expansion

In its response to the Department for Transport’s (DfT) consultation on proposed amendments to the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS), the London Assembly Transport Committee wrote a letter to the Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport.  

Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, Caroline Russell AM said:

“The London Assembly Transport Committee is concerned that the proposed strategy to mitigate the local transport impacts of an expanded Heathrow do not go far enough. We are particularly worried about increased crowding and reduced reliability on the Piccadilly line and the creation of substantial new demand on the Elizabeth line.

“Without the correct mitigations in place, expansion also risks exacerbating existing pressures on the road network, worsening the experience of local communities, and undermining efforts to encourage a shift to sustainable transport modes. These impacts will be felt most by the people living in and around Heathrow, should the expansion go ahead.

The draft HENPS must therefore include measures to ensure there is no net increase in traffic as a result of expansion and set ambitious targets for reducing traffic in the area ahead of the expansion itself.  We believe that expansion should not go ahead unless these reductions have been achieved.”