Rancorous scenes at a London Assembly committee showed how fierce is the political struggle over public transport fares. Plus cyclist bloggers excel themselves over Blackfriars Bridge
The political tensions surrounding the capital's public transport fares were entertainingly displayed at yesterday's meeting of the London Assembly's budget and performance committee. Watch the webcast to see pugnacious chairman John Biggs (Lab) tell both Brian "Expenses" Coleman (Con) and the urbane Transport for London deputy chair Daniel Moylan (Con) to "shut up" and the normally courtly Richard Tracey (Con) accuse Biggs of framing the debate for political advantage. It was really quite unpleasant. I enjoyed it very much.
Through the smoke of battle, though, the shape of something less amusing emerged: the constriction of TfL's finances. There's broad consent that Boris Johnson got the best deal from the government that could have been reasonably hoped for under the spending review, but he was in a strong position: big cuts to the Tube upgrade programme or the bus service would have been certain vote-losers for the Conservative Mayor, and his defeat next year would be both bad for party business and almost certainly ensure his early reappearance in the Commons, where he'd be a complete pest to his old friend Dave. Despite this, TfL has set itself a stiff cost-cutting target and the squeeze is unlikely to be released.
This is the context in which the political struggle over fares is taking place. TfL's business plan assumption is that in January they will rise again by inflation as measured by the retail price index as it stands next month plus two percent. Boris boasts that he has brought rigour and realism to the management of London's finances, contrasting himself favourably with his Labour predecessor and now challenger Ken Livingstone. But Ken is pledging that under him fares would be held down to the inflation rate. Is Boris just a little tempted to shoot Ken's fares fox when the announces the package for 2012 in the autumn? If he succumbs, how will Ken respond?
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London blogosphere
The battle over cyclists' safety and Blackfriars Bridge has intensified again thanks to a Tory walkout preventing a debate and vote by the London Assembly on retaining a 20 mph speed limit. Top London Bloggers have been in thick of this campaign, which has political as well as road safety significance. Cyclists in the City, ibikelondon and Crap Cycling and Walking in Waltham Forest will tell you all you need to know.
Coming up
Another mid-month, another Mayor's Question Time: that's your fun for Wednesday morning. On Tuesday the transport committee will continue its investigation into the state of the Underground, with guests including LU managing director Mike Brown and the Mayor's newly-appointed transport adviser Isabel Dedring. The standards committee meets on Thursday. Before all that, on Sunday, senior Liberal Democrat assembly member Mike Tuffrey will appear on the London section of The Politics Show, where I predict he'll say something very interesting. And me? I'll be writing stuff here and there. Have a good weekend.
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