On Aug 5, 6:59 pm, Boltar wrote:
Since the uxbridge road already has a "bus based solution" that gets
nicely stuck in traffic jams I assume that means they're going to do
bugger all. I

Probably - but will the residents notice as they are lulled into
unconsciousness by the increasing carbon monoxide levels in West
London? Perhaps it is already happening in view of the relatively low
response to the consultation exercises undertaken by TfL. If I were a
conspiracy theorist I could suggest that Ken is trying to lull the
residents into a false sense of security before coming up with his
next scheme - The Heathrow and West London Congestion Zone - after all
he may need to find funds for Crossrail - see articles below


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http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=4264

Mayor bows to calls to axe £648m West London Tram
Filed 06/08/07

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has announced his intention to abandon
plans to build a tram line between Uxbridge and Shepherd's Bush in
west London after six years of developing the scheme.

The move follows opposition to the tram plans from local residents and
a concerted effort by the three London boroughs through which the line
would have run to have the light rail proposals replaced with extra
bus services along the Uxbridge Road. In a statement the Mayor said
the decision to axe the project had been taken because government go-
ahead for the Crossrail scheme would significantly increase public
transport capacity in the area, reducing the need for a tram line.
However, given that since 2001 Transport for London's plans for
enhancing the capital's transport infrastructure have envisaged both
projects being developed side-by-side, observers believe the Mayor is
using Crossrail as a smokescreen for dropping what has proved a
controversial and unpopular Mayoral commitment.

While the West London Tram could be resurrected if the government
decides not to approve Crossrail, ministers are expected to approve a
funding package later this year. A green light for the scheme will
almost certainly seal the fate of the tram line.

In a 2004 public consultation on the project TfL sent out 440,000
questionnaires and received 17,000 responses with 30% of those who
completed a questionnaire saying they supported the West London Tram,
but 59% saying that they did not. Opposition to the scheme intensifed
after the local elections in May 2006 when the pro-tram Labour Ealing
council was taken over by a Conservative administration. In the most
recent opinion poll conducted by IPSOS MORI in October 2006, 44% of
local residents were against the West London Tram, with a none too
convincing 40% of people backing the tram scheme.

Crossrail is currently expected to be completed in 2015. In the
meantime, the Mayor and Ealing Council have agreed to work together
with the other local boroughs to deliver an improved bus priority
system along the Uxbridge Road, one of the busiest in the capital. The
Mayor says much of the work already carried by Transport for London on
traffic congestion and the tram project will assist in the planning of
the new bus-based solution.

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said: "A positive decision on
Crossrail will mean that substantially improved bus services become a
practical alternative to a tram along the Uxbridge Road to meet the
need for more public transport, boost the local economy and to deal
with rising congestion in the area."

Cllr Jason Stacey, leader of Ealing Council said: "Residents have
overwhelmingly expressed the view that the proposed West London Tram
was not the answer to the area's transport problems. We have been
working tirelessly over the last year to represent this view to the
Mayor and TfL and to stop this scheme."

Although funding for the scheme had not been secured, abandoning the
project will allow TfL to remove an estimated £648m of planned
expenditure, freeing up money for other transport schemes, including
bus enhancements along the Uxbridge Road. The decision also means the
Cross River Tram project will now take precedence in plans to extend
the role of light rail in the capital.

The most recent assessment of the total cost of the West London Tram
scheme, given by the Mayor in answer to a written Mayoral question on
23 May 2007, is £648m at 2004 prices.

http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/s...d3 bbe0df27ff


£38m development bill for doomed West London Tram
Filed 06/08/07

The decision by Mayor Ken Livingstone to axe the West London Tram
scheme after six years of work is the latest setback for ambitious
plans to return trams to the capital.

An estimated £38m has been spent on the now doomed project, which was
one of four new light rail schemes proposed in the Mayor's Transport
Strategy, published in 2001 shortly after his election to office.

Since then, the East London and Greenwich Waterfront Transit schemes
have been downgraded to bus priority routes and have seen delivery
dates slip. Last month's decision by communities secretary Hazel
Blears to order a second public inquiry into plans for the Thames
Gateway Bridge, which would link together the two bus networks, will
further delay progress.

Development of the Cross River Tram scheme, designed to relieve
pressure on the Northern and Victoria Tube Lines, has been delayed and
a phased delivery is now expected with a cross river tram connection
unlikely before 2016. Plans to extend the Croydon Tramlink network
have also made slow progress. Of four shortlisted extensions, only one
is currently being taken forward and, according to Transport for
London, is unlikely to open before 2013.

Since 2001 the Mayor has also voiced support for a tram line running
along Oxford Street, although no detailed proposals for such a scheme
have so far been published.

According to Richard Barnes, Conservative London Assembly Member for
Ealing and Acton, total spending on the West London Tram scheme was
expected to rise to £38m this year from £29m in 2006/07, a figure
given by Ken Livingstone at Mayor's Question Time. In addition, Ealing
Council has a budget which has been used to fund opposition to the
project.

Cost of West London Tram Scheme development as of January 2007:
Pre 2003/4: £1 m
2003/4: £7.3m
2004/5: £7.5m
2005/6: £7.5m
2006/7: £6.5m (budgeted figure)
Total to date: £29.8m
Source: Transport for London

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