Latest news with #TransportForLondon
Auto Express
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
The London Congestion Charge increase is another hammering for the humble motorist
Another week, another kick in the wherevers for the humble motorist. Transport for London has decided the time is right for a rather chunky 20 per cent increase in the capital's Congestion Charge from next January, pushing it up to £18 per day. TfL suggested the hike was timely, in light of increasing inflation, and framed the extra kick aimed at electric vehicles as a good thing. It says replacing the current EV exemption with a 25 per cent discount will prevent traffic levels from getting worse as EV sales rise. But it's just another blatant anti-car measure, following the introduction of tolls on the new Silvertown Tunnel and the Blackwall Tunnel – the latter having been free for more than 125 years. And that's on top of April's VED road tax changes, which hammer EVs through the so-called 'expensive car' supplement – £40,000 pretty much tallies with the average cost of a new car in 2025 – and various other aggressive anti-car moves. At least VED is supposedly under review, and may be addressed later this year. Advertisement - Article continues below Drivers have always understood they need to pay their way, and have repeatedly been seen as a cash cow by Governments. Yet it feels like the authorities are hunting them down more than ever. Oxford seems to be leading the way in wanting to banish private cars, but there are many other examples. In fact, it's not a new thing. Don't get me started on the decision to reverse plans to make the Dartford Crossing free to use once the construction cost had been paid off… There are two things at play here. Firstly, hiking tolls or introducing new ones punishes everyone; costs are rising fast enough without paying £4 each way to drive through a tunnel that has been free of charge for more than a century. But secondly, the penalties for EVs hurt even more, especially at a time when we're supposed to be encouraging their uptake. I've heard the argument that people buying a £40,000-plus car shouldn't need incentives, but they help to get people to buy models that are less polluting than the ICE equivalent. That's almost a sideshow, though, to the pillaging of motorists that the two London charges are symptomatic of. The car is an essential form of transport in a system with too few alternatives, and the continual financial beating of drivers is starting to grate. Do you agree with Paul? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section...
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
London mayor reverses TfL ban on ads calling for abortion decriminalisation
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has stepped in to reverse a ban on adverts on the London transport network calling for abortion to be decriminalised. It is understood that the mayor is seeking an 'urgent review' of a Transport for London (TfL) decision to ban the adverts from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) charity on the grounds they may bring the Metropolitan police into disrepute. Bpas had placed the adverts in locations across England and Wales urging people to lobby MPs ahead of an anticipated parliamentary vote on whether to decriminalise abortion. The campaign posters, which have been approved by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), feature the anonymised stories of real women who have been investigated by police and in some cases prosecuted after a termination or pregnancy loss. Bpas was told in correspondence with TfL that it would not run the adverts because 'the proposed advertisement makes serious allegations about the police'. The transport body later said in a statement that the material 'did not comply with TfL advertising policy because it made negative references about the police'. The decision to ban the ads came despite TfL previously allowing pro-choice campaign material on buses across London, sponsored by Doctors for Choice and Abortion Talk and featuring the slogan 'abortion is healthcare, not a crime'. Last year, campaign material on assisted dying from Dignity in Dying was also approved to run on the network, including in Westminster tube station. Bpas had said it planned to appeal against the TfL decision 'at the highest levels' and asked for 'an immediate in-depth explanation' of the reasoning behind the rejection. A source close to the London mayor said: 'As chair of TfL, Sadiq is going to seek an urgent review of this decision. Women's voices must be heard.' It is understood that the mayor is expecting the transport body to act quickly and there to be acknowledgement of the fact that Bpas's campaign is aimed at changing the law, not criticising the police. Heidi Stewart, the chief executive of Bpas, said: 'This campaign was launched in support of Tonia Antoniazzi MP's amendment to the crime and policing bill, and we expect a vote in parliament in a matter of weeks. This is a pivotal moment for MPs to reform our abortion law and prevent more women from suffering the trauma and injustice of police investigations and the risk of criminalisation.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The amendment to the government's crime and policing bill would remove women from the criminal law related to abortion in England and Wales. It is backed by charities, trade unions and medical colleges, including Bpas and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. A separate amendment, put forward by the fellow Labour MP Stella Creasy, seeks to decriminalise abortion as well as write into law a human right to access abortion. Earlier, Antoniazzi said she was 'stunned' by TfL's decision to refuse to run the adverts on its network. 'The police cannot be trusted with abortion law – nor can the CPS or the wider criminal justice system,' she said. 'My amendment NC1 to the crime and policing bill will give us the urgent change we need to protect women.' She later said on X that she planned to write to Khan about the 'unacceptable' decision and on Sunday said she was 'really pleased' that the London mayor had stepped in. Stewart said: 'Ahead of the vote in parliament, it is absolutely vital that the voices of the women who have been so deeply harmed by the current law are allowed to be heard. We urge the mayor to take swift action and allow our charity to share these stories as a matter of urgency.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cutty Sark DLR station closes for new escalators
Cutty Sark Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station has closed for a year to allow four new escalators to be installed. The current escalators at the third-busiest station on the DLR have been described as "increasingly unreliable" and "beyond economical to repair". They will be replaced with state-of-the-art, energy efficient ones, which will provide customers with "more reliable access" to and from the south-east London station, Greenwich Council has said. The station closed at the end of the day on Saturday and is due to reopen next spring. Greenwich Council urged those who use the station to use nearby Greenwich station throughout the closure, or local bus services. The council has installed additional street signage to direct customers between the Cutty Sark and Greenwich stations, which is a journey of about 11 minutes on foot. A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: "We welcome the news of improvement works to Cutty Sark DLR station. The escalator replacement will ensure a fully accessible station for all users for many years to come. "In the meantime, there are many other ways to get to and from Greenwich including buses, mainline rail stations and riverboat services." The spokesperson added: "As a Unesco World Heritage Site, millions of people come to Greenwich to visit its world-famous park, observatory and other attractions every year, so we'll be exploring all the ways we can work with Transport for London and others to keep our town centre the vibrant, bustling corner of London that people know and love." In 2023, Cutty Sark was used by 7.6m passengers, making it the third busiest on the DLR behind Canary Wharf and Limehouse. Last year, Kentish Town Tube station reopened six months later than planned after the "most unreliable" escalators on the network were replaced. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Cutty Sark station to close for new escalators Kentish Town Tube station reopens after 18 months Rollout of new Docklands Light Railway trains delayed Transport for London
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Cutty Sark DLR station closes for a year for new escalators
Cutty Sark Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station has closed for a year to allow four new escalators to be current escalators at the third-busiest station on the DLR have been described as "increasingly unreliable" and "beyond economical to repair". They will be replaced with state-of-the-art, energy efficient ones, which will provide customers with "more reliable access" to and from the south-east London station, Greenwich Council has station closed at the end of the day on Saturday and is due to reopen next spring. Greenwich Council urged those who use the station to use nearby Greenwich station throughout the closure, or local bus services. The council has installed additional street signage to direct customers between the Cutty Sark and Greenwich stations, which is a journey of about 11 minutes on foot.A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: "We welcome the news of improvement works to Cutty Sark DLR station. The escalator replacement will ensure a fully accessible station for all users for many years to come."In the meantime, there are many other ways to get to and from Greenwich including buses, mainline rail stations and riverboat services."The spokesperson added: "As a Unesco World Heritage Site, millions of people come to Greenwich to visit its world-famous park, observatory and other attractions every year, so we'll be exploring all the ways we can work with Transport for London and others to keep our town centre the vibrant, bustling corner of London that people know and love."In 2023, Cutty Sark was used by 7.6m passengers, making it the third busiest on the DLR behind Canary Wharf and year, Kentish Town Tube station reopened six months later than planned after the "most unreliable" escalators on the network were replaced.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How Abbey Wood has - or hasn't - changed with three years of the Elizabeth line
Ahead of the opening of the Elizabeth line in 2022, the people of Abbey Wood were promised that the new railway would spark regeneration in the area. Three years on, the News Shopper visited the south east London town to see what, if anything, had changed. Abbey Wood station was completely rebuilt in 2017, offering a modern, sleek gateway to central London. At that time, it would take just under an hour to reach most destinations in the heart of the capital on suburban railway routes. READ MORE - Abbey Wood station was rebuilt in 2017 (Image: Newsquest) Now, passengers boarding an Elizabeth line train at Abbey Wood can be in Tottenham Court Road in half that time. Among those taking advantage of the route today (May 29), were four pensioners from the Women's Institute. They spoke to the News Shopper before setting off on a day trip to Horniman Museum in Dulwich. 'It's brilliant,' said Patricia Moriarty. 'We don't use it particularly because none of us work now, we're all retired. 'But so many people use the line now. I just wish it had been here when I was working.' An Elizabeth line train at Abbey Wood station (Image: Newsquest) Transport for London (TfL) has said that since 2022, Abbey Wood has emerged as one of the 'largest regeneration areas in London', with a six per cent increase in new homes. But Ms Moriarty said that although thousands of new homes are being built in neighbouring Thamesmead, there had not been much noticeable development in Abbey Wood. 'There's not lots of new shops yet, but I think that's coming,' she added. Next to the station, lies the sleepy shopping parade in Wilton Road. At 9am, some stores still had their shutters down and only a handful of people were walking down the street. The shopping parade in Wilton Road (Image: Newsquest) But one unit open for business was Abbey Wood Dry Cleaners, which first opened 43 years ago. Owner Farooq Ahmed said that despite the quiet street scene that morning, business had been good over the last three years. 'It's getting busy - new people are coming to live in Abbey Wood, so we're getting new customers,' he explained. 'Canary Wharf is only ten minutes away now, and it's cheaper here than the City. That's why people are moving here.' Farooq Ahmed, owner of Abbey Wood Dry Cleaners (Image: Newsquest) READ MORE - He added that while he welcomed the increased footfall, rental prices in the area, including for his own shop, had gone up as a result of the influx of new people. According to Rightmove, the average house price has also risen by seven per cent over the last three years, from £384,000 in 2022 to £411,000. 'The rent is going up, that's the only issue we have with the Elizabeth line,' Mr Ahmed said. 'Everything has gone up, but new customers hopefully cover it up.'
