Lib dems warn that much fought transport scheme may be resurrected
Ealing's Liberal Democrats are worried that Ken Livingstone has plans to resurrect the unpopular London tram scheme if he gets elected Mayor.
A north London newspaper reports him saying that '' trams could stretch from Wembley and Ealing to Wood Green, so commuters are no longer forced to travel into London and out again.''
The Liberal Democrats joined many who opposed Ken Livingstone’s plan for a west London tram when he was Mayor, because they said it would have caused massive disruption to much of Ealing and failed to provide any net new transport capacity on the busy Uxbridge Road corridor.
A spokesperson for Ken Livingstone said, ''
'Ken made it clear when he visited Ealing earlier in the year he has no plans to propose a tram for Ealing. He believes any new scheme would need the support of residents and the local authority.
'''Since the start of the year Ken has held a series of public meetings with residents across London from Hillingdon to Barnet to Bromley. One of the biggest issues has been the lack of transport links between boroughs. Rather than travelling directly from borough to borough often people are forced to travel into central London and then back out again.
''Ken is keen to hear ideas from Londoners so that we can find a solution to this issue, so we can cut journey times and make it easier to travel on public transport. "
The Lib Dems are urging the Mayor of London – and Ealing Council – to give priority to developing Ealing Broadway station as a serious transport hub for Ealing, with a genuine integrated rail/bus/tube interchange and orbital links such as could be provided by the North & West London light rail scheme, or the West London orbital underground proposal.
Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Gary Malcolm said: ''Ealing badly needs a transport strategy that will serve the needs of the borough and its residents, and avoid the risk that Crossrail, when it comes, will merely turn the town centre into a massive dormitory for City workers. Ealing Broadway has to be the heart of the borough, and the station its gateway. This is now the time to bring forward a plan to achieve this.''
23 June 2011