London Mayoral Elections 2021: What do the candidates say about working towards a car free London?
On May 6th Londoners will cast their votes for the London Mayor and Greater London Assembly members.
The Mayor of London’s powers include setting budgets and overseeing major programmes, such as transport and planning.
Remember you get two votes so you can vote for both your first and second choices.
Many people cast their first choice for their favourite candidate, and their second choice for their preferred candidate out of the ones that they think will reach the second round.
What’s the Greater London Assembly?
The GLA holds the Mayor to account and examines their decisions. It’s made up of 25 Members - 14 representing London’s constituencies, and 11 representing London as a whole on specific issues.
Londoners will have two ballot papers for the London Assembly - one for the constituency member and one for the London-wide assembly member.
At Possible, we want to see greater political courage when it comes to tackling private car dominance in London. We want to accelerate the pace of transformation towards a city:
Where the majority of Londoners can choose low carbon modes of transport over private cars
Where more public land is used to create pocket parks, parklets and community facilities instead of being used to park private cars
Where our communities are no longer blighted by traffic congestion, pollution, noise and road danger
We also want to see our elected representatives giving a greater voice to marginalised communities, actively involving them in the decisions that affect their lives.
What is ‘sustainable mode share’, and why is it important?
The current City Hall target for increasing the ‘modal share’ of journeys made by sustainable transport (walking, cycling, scooting, public transport) is 80 per cent by 2041.
This sustainable mode share is currently around 63 per cent and hasn’t increased much in recent years. It’s very unlikely that the target of 80 per cent could be achieved without the introduction of a road-user charging scheme.
And we also know that the target of 80 per cent sustainable mode share by 2041 will not be soon enough in order for the UK to meet its climate commitments and prevent a global temperature rise of more than 1.5C - indeed, Boris Johnson recently announced the government’s legal commitment to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 rather than the previous target date of 2050.
So, how do the candidates measure up on these key areas?
Our Car Free London campaigner Carolyn Axtell compares the manifestos of the four main candidates in the London Mayoral Election, listed here in alphabetical order, and highlights their main commitments on five policy areas:
Reducing transport-related carbon emissions
Improving public transport
More equitable use of space (taking space away from parked cars for community benefit)
Involving under-represented groups in decision making on transport
Sustainable mode share, as explained above.
To read more about each candidate, click on their name below.
+ Shaun Bailey, Conservative
A Conservative Mayor would cancel the planned ULEZ expansion and would not seek to introduce any new road charging schemes. He would reinstate all bus routes that have been cut or withdrawn, scrap the expanded ULEZ charge and help black cabs to transition from diesel to electric, through providing loans that will cover up to 10 per cent of the cost of a new electric cab. He would commit to a zero-emission bus fleet by 2025. On parking, Shaun Bailey commits to investing £37.2m for 30-minute free parking in all outer boroughs for the duration of his first term. His manifesto also includes establishing a London Disability Taskforce to tackle significant social and health inequalities. No specific commitment on increasing sustainable mode share or repurposing space away from parked cars.
+ Sian Berry, Green Party
A Green Mayor would commit to making all transport in London zero carbon by 2030 and reduce London’s overall traffic miles by 40 per cent by 2026 and 60 per cent by 2030. Sian Berry would freeze bus fares, increase bus services in outer boroughs, and improve public transport links. She also pledges to set up an independent Citizen’s Climate Assembly on the climate and ecological emergency and introduce “participatory budgeting” for up to 20 per cent of the GLA budget by 2024, helping boroughs and resident groups make spending plans, which are then put to the people. The Green manifesto also mentions increasing funding and better public engagement on local road changes, as well as Investing in work on main roads to make them less hostile and traffic dominated. A Green Mayor would commit to delivering a zero emission bus fleet by 2030 and aim to replace the current Mayor’s ULEZ scheme with a smart road pricing scheme by 2023. Sian Berry’s manifesto also includes reducing on-street parking spaces to allow for parklets, bike lanes and bus priority schemes, as well as a levy on workplace parking spaces to reduce car commuting in London.
+ Luisa Porritt, Liberal Democrat
A Liberal Democrat Mayor would introduce a road charging scheme which would charge according to distance covered, number of journeys made, pollution levels and contribution to congestion. She would introduce flexible travel cards so that part-time commuters can opt for a discounted four-day-a-week pass. If elected, Luisa Porritt would publish a Statement of Community Involvement - a promise to Londoners that there will be proper community engagement and participation in all planning decisions in the capital. Although parking is not mentioned in their manifesto, the Liberal Democrat office told us in reply to our questions that they would support removing parking spaces in London on a broad scale. The Liberal Democrats pledge to make all of London’s buses electric or hydrogen by 2028, and they support the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street and partial pedestrianisation of Parliament Square.
+ Sadiq Khan, Labour Party
If re-elected, Sadiq Khan would continue with the ULEZ expansion to the North and South circular roads in October 2021 and work with businesses to support greener “last mile” delivery alternatives such as cargo bike schemes. He pledges to review how to further involve local communities in the planning decisions that affect them and ensure that the GLA involves disabled Londoners in all the GLA’s work. A Labour Mayor would lobby the Government for funding to electrify buses and work with London’s boroughs and schools to tackle idling. He would also work with TfL on a strategy for the suburbs to increase connectivity in outer London through improved bus networks, considering the role of rapid bus transit and trams. Parking and sustainable mode share are not specifically mentioned in the Labour manifesto. However, it does state that a Labour Mayor would ensure that town centres are made more liveable and put people, rather than cars, first.
The next few years are going to be critical for reducing carbon emissions from transport to prevent irreversible climate damage. It’s time to design London’s neighbourhoods for a new era, where private car dependency is a thing of the past. We want to see a Green Recovery that enables all Londoners to have a greater stake in our city and that prioritises health, equity and justice. Use your vote wisely on May 6th!