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TALK: TRANSPORT AND ADMINISTRATION
How to rescue London before it goes under
A growing number of people in London feel that the quality of life in
the capital is becoming worse. London doesn't have a central planning authority
and calls for such an institution are now growing louder.
For seven million people London is home. There is employment for most
of them and for many more from outside the city. Almost a quarter of the
population of Britain is in one way or another London-orientated. In one
sense all British citizens are, for London is the seat of the government.
But it is also an European and international city, one of the world's
great financial centre of wealth creation. If London fails, the nation
fails. It is a cultural magnet because of its theatres and museums, concert
halls and institutions of learning. The unique media capital is also a
centre of attraction for tourism. London has a significance in public affairs,
business and culture. But today, this great city is slipping and needs
action to restore it.
The Government's recent announcement of a form of regional office for
London is a chance to get things right. What now must be accepted is that
London demands and deserves a forum where its needs and concerns can be
discussed.
Nobody is responsible for relating different activities in the filed
of public safety. Each has a different structure of responsibility, or
non at all, to the people of London.
Transport is a second issue. It's a big problem because there must
be found a balance between public and private transport. Therefore a comprehensive
and independent London information must be founded.
Finally, London needs someone who speaks with authority and responsibility
in the interest of its citizens and for its role as a capital city.
The new London government should be responsible for policy decision,
but not executing policy itself. It must be flexible and therefore democratically
elected by popular vote. It should be competent with clearly defined powers
and functions.
Time is running out. London is drifting, so something must be done
now. The city needs a focus around which those concerned with the development
and prosperity of its economy and environment can work together to protect
its future and ensure the quality of its citizens.
London's administration
The administration area of Greater London is divided into Inner London
and Outer London. Inner London consists of twelve boroughs and the City
of London, the area of Outer London comprises twenty boroughs.
The administration responsibilities are divided between the 32 boroughs,
different committees and boards and five government departments. The City
of London is governed by an independent administration, the roots of which
can be tracked back to the 12th century.
In 1855 the Metropolitan Board of Works, a city-wide institution for
urban renewal, was founded.
Thirty-three years later the London Country Council (LCC) became the
first London-wide elected council. In its five years it was very successful
in the field of public housing, one of the city's crucial problems at the
time.
In 1965 the LCC was replaced by the Greater London Council (GLC), which
was responsible for coordinating public transport, education and public
housing in the 32 boroughs. After the victory of the Labour Party in 1981
GLC elections there were increasing conflicts between the GLC and the Conservative
British Government. Five years later the government abolished the GCL,
and most of its responsibilities were transferred to the individual boroughs.
The debate about how best to run London has been going on since then.
A new concept in transport
One issue that can be heard about every day is the problem of the capital's
transport system. The Department of Transport proudly says that it is spending
more on its road programmes than ever before, but congestion in London
will not be managed. It has been demonstrated again and again that as fast
as roads are built they are filled to capacity.
The Government subsidies shouldn't be given to the private mobility,
but to the public transport. If this would be done, London could afford
a radical reform of public transport policy, from free fares to new infrastructure.
Road traffic is the fastest source of gases that lead to the greenhouse
effect. Its local consequences are also terrible. There are lots of
dead persons, injuries and illnesses.
Streets which ought to be places for shopping and meeting and green
oases meant as places for relaxation became important main roads and roundabouts.
Up to the third of all the households in London have no own car, but
there will be a time when everybody has got one. Age, income and disability
will always prevent a large number of people from driving. For these people
a private car brings few advantages. It makes travelling by bicycle or
on foot hellish, and it makes public transport less efficient and therefore
more expensive.
A much extended and totally integrated urban transport network is needed.
The Thames, for example, offers an entirely unexploited network by interchanges
along its banks.
New types of trams and buses should be developed, although it is a
disadvantage at London because the missing of long, wide boulevards makes
the use of trams and light railways less easy. More work must also be done
on improving the Underground.
The drastic reduction of private cars and the development of an integral
public transport network would involve designing a series of new transport
interchanges. There, people living outside the city could leave their cars
and switch to public transport.
The extension of walking and cycling in Britain is already surprisingly
high, but people are constantly interrupted by badly designed pavements
and streams of cars. The cyclists and walkers are second- and third-class
citizens, at least in the eyes of the Department of Transport. London could
easily be connected with green walks and cycle-ways. Then, a solid reduction
in the volume of cars in the city would allow wider pavements and avenues
of trees.
Transport in London
The largest study of transport in London was made by the Department
of Transport. It showed that private vehicles are the dominant mode of
travel in the city.
Between 1981 and 1991 car ownership rose 4% and the number of cars
entering London in the morning peak period increased by 24%. Of coarse,
this has led to heavier traffic congestion.
Of the million trips made in London each weekday, 43% are made by car,
while 28% are made by rail or Underground.
The famous open-backed, red double-decker-buses are part of an extensive
network of bus routes in Greater London. But traffic congestion makes this
form of transport less popular.
London is also known for its traditional taxis or cabs. These vehicles
appear clumsy, but they can comfortably seat five passengers and often
are able to get in and out of a jam easily.
For people who haven't got a car the Underground is optimal to travel.
The London Underground railway system, or Tube, is the oldest in
the world. They are good because the streets aren't getting congested,
and passengers who live outside the city can get to work more easily.
The US railway magnate Charles Tyson had a factory, in which his company
provided the basis of much of today's system. A process of unification
of the underground system began in 1907 and was completed in 1933 when
the London Passenger Transport Board took over all the underground railways
and a large-scale planning began.
During the Second World War some of the deepest tube stations were
used as air-raid shelters. During the worst of the bombing as many as 175,000
people took shelter in Underground stations.
After a passenger train crashed into the end wall of a station, a L1
million programme of speed control and other safety measures was introduced.
But again there was another tragic accident: a fire in a station killed
thirty people.
Today the London Underground railway system covers an area of 1,008
sq km from Central London to the suburbs. The system has 273 stations and
11 lines are used by 750 million people every year.
Summary:
TRANSPORT AND ADMINISTRATION
How to rescue London before it goes under
London demands and deserves a forum where its needs and its concerns
can be discussed. Transport is a big problem because there must be found
a balance between public and private transport. Therefore a comprehensive
and independent London information must be founded. And then, the city
needs also someone who speaks with authority and responsibility in the
interest of its citizens.
London's administration
The administration area of Greater London is divided into Inner and
Outer London.
In 1855 the Metropolitan Board of Works, a city-wide institution for
urban renewal, was founded. Thirty-three years later the London Country
Council (LCC) became the first London-wide elected council. In 1965 it
was replaced by the Greater London Council (GLC). After the victory of
the Labour Party in 1981 GLC elections there were increasing conflicts
between the GLC and the Conservative British Government. Five years later
the government abolished the GLC. The debate about how best to run London
has been going on since then.
A new concept in transport
The Government subsidies shouldn't be given to the private mobility,
but to the public transport. Then, London could afford a radical reform
of public transport policy, from free fares to new infrastructure.
The local consequences of the greenhouse effect, which is caused
by road traffic, are also terrible. And furthermore, there are lots of
dead persons, injuries and illnesses.
Up to a third of all the households in London have no own car, and
age, income and disability will always prevent a large number of people
from driving.
A much extended and totally integrated urban transport network is needed,
and the Underground must be improved.
A drastic reduction of private cars and the development of an integral
public transport network would involve designing a series of new transport
interchanges. There, people living outside the city could leave their cars
and switch to public transport.
Transport in London
A study showed that private vehicles are the dominant mode of travel
in the city. London is also known for its traditional open-backed, red
double-decker buses and taxis or cabs. These vehicles appear clumsy, but
often they are able to get in and out of a jam easily.
The London Underground railway system, or Tube, is the oldest
in the world. Charles Tyson's company provided the basis of much of today's
system, the process of unification of the underground system began in 1907.
Today the London Underground railway system covers an area of 1,008
sq. km from Central London to the suburbs. The system has 273 stations
and 11 lines are used by 750 million people every year.
Sarah Maier
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