Our city used to be known for big transport projects. But nowadays London is being outdone. It took Sydney four years to build a light rail line. It took South Korea the same amount of time to build their longest cable-stayed bridge. It took China 43 hours to build a 1,300-ton road bridge.
Meanwhile in London, it took Sadiq Khan five years just to decide he didn’t want responsibility for fixing Hammersmith Bridge. It took him two years just to delay Crossrail by four years. It’s not a great look for our global city. But it has become a pattern.
Since Khan took office, 21 out of 26 major transport projects have been delayed, paused or cancelled. Bridges have been shut, reopened, and shut again. We could make a huge difference to Londoners by finishing Crossrail and fixing Hammersmith Bridge, but there’s no indication either will happen if Khan is re-elected. We got here through a lack of leadership. Take Hammersmith Bridge. While responsibility for the bridge is complicated, split as it is between councils and government, the Mayor could have stepped up and assumed leadership. Instead, Khan decided it was politically more valuable to sit back and blame the Government.
That kind of thinking ends when I become mayor. I will provide leadership with a three-point plan to fix Hammersmith Bridge. I’ll start by building a temporary road bridge, based on either the Beckett Rankine, Fosters + Partners, or another valid proposal. I will ensure that there are no tolls or charges to use it. And then, using the London Infrastructure Bank that I set up, I will fund repairs to the main bridge.
The same goes for Crossrail. When Khan took office, Crossrail was on time and on budget. Now it’s over-budget and delayed. We didn’t even find out full details about the delays until Khan was hauled into the London Assembly for questioning. Again, it’s a lack of leadership. So as mayor, I’ll use funding from the London Infrastructure Bank to get Crossrail back on track. The bank will bring together public and private funding, based on successful banks elsewhere. It will give us the ability to make long-term investments, build a transport network fit for a global city, and give London a fresh start.
Shaun Bailey is the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London
