Overview
The draft Mayor’s Transport Strategy sets out the Mayor’s vision for transport in London over the next 20 years. It describes how Transport for London (TfL) and its partners, including the London boroughs, will deliver that vision.
From relieving crowding on the Tube, to delivering a revolution in cycling, read about the challenges and solutions that the strategy describes.
The challenges ahead
The strategy is clear about the challenges facing London and its transport system. Major challenges include:
- Population and employment growth, which will put extra pressure on roads and public transport
- Improving London’s air quality
- Reducing climate change emissions and adapting to change
- Strengthening the role of outer London town centres
- Improving accessibility
- Maintaining and improving safety and security
The draft strategy addresses these challenges under the following themes: public transport, economic development and growth, quality of life, safety and security, transport for all, climate change, London 2012.
Planned improvements
The draft strategy aims to meet these challenges head on through these key improvements:
- Bringing about a revolution in cycling
- Providing better, more attractive streets to encourage people to walk and lead active, healthy lifestyles
- Delivering Crossrail, the largest infrastructure project in Europe, which will link east and west London and relieve crowding on the Tube
- Upgrading the Tube and suburban and national rail links
- Improving interchange between different forms of transport to make journeys smoother and less stressful
- Providing better journey planning information
- Improving road journeys and smoothing the flow of traffic through new traffic control systems and better coordinated road works
- Taking account of the needs of business in transport planning
- Using the river more for people and goods
- Promoting new cleaner technologies such as electric vehicles
Building on success
We are building on a strong foundation. Since the first Transport Strategy was published in 2001 there have been significant successes including:
- Unprecedented numbers of people switching from their cars to using public transport, walking or cycling
- Tube upgrades
- Bus service improvements
- Development of London Overground
- Introduction of the Oyster card
- A 90 per cent increase in the number of cycling trips
- A six per cent increase in the overall mode share for public transport – making London a world leader
More may need to be done
In addition, if the above and other improvements in the strategy are not sufficient to meet the Mayor’s objectives, the Mayor will consider managing demand for travel through fares, information and a fair system of road user charging.