Mayoral Promises

Boris Johnson has now been formally chosen by the Tories as their candidate for the London Mayoral elections. That’s what a few appearances on Have I Got News For Your can do.
Now far be it from me to really believe that his key election promises are those that the media has highlighted, but let’s just have a look at them shall we?
He wants to get rid of “bendy buses” and replace them with old Routemasters. I’m really not at all sure how he’s going to manage that. I hate bendy buses for a number of reasons: they’re very dangerous for cyclists and motorcyclists as they turn around corners in some of our narrow and congested London streets. They take up valuable road “real estate” being so long. You could get more traffic in that space if you used a double decker. And I loved using Routemasters with the ability to jump on and off where it was convenient rather than waiting for a bus stop.
But surely this is a complete non-starter. Those bendy buses will be on leases that run for years to come. The various companies that operate the services won’t be able to get out of them. And where are these Routemasters going to be found? They were clapped out, frankly, when they were retired, with barely any leg-room since they were built in another age when people were smaller. The entry and exit are cramped. All the old buses were scrapped or sold off – it’s not as though there are garages full of the things sitting around like army Green Goddesses during a fire brigade strike, just awaiting further use.
There are a couple of routes still served by Routemasters, but they’re the exception rather than the rule, and they’re mainly for tourism purposes. Double deckers would probably be the solution.
As for claims that he’s going to put the tube right – well good luck. I’m all for improving it, but I don’t believe that it’s something that’s easily achievable. It was our new Prime Minister – the then Chancellor – who forced Public Private Partnerships on the tube, with the result that Metronet is now in all sorts of trouble trying to maintain services. Ken Livingstone has hated these things from the start, so I’d be amazed if Boris can do anything.
Still real commitments are still thin on the ground, so we’ll have to watch and wait to hear some real policy initiatives.


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One response to “Mayoral Promises”

  1. David Jones avatar

    I believe that the key reason for Routemasters going was that they aren’t wheelchair-friendly. I’m sure, also, that the Health & Safety Executive weren’t keen on passengers hopping on and off when they felt like it in busy traffic.
    If Boris wants to change that, he’s going to need to get Parliament to amend the Disability Discrimination Act, and persuade the Health & Safety Executive. Good luck!