Transport for London

Minutes of a meeting of the Board
held on Tuesday 5th December  2000, starting at 10.00 a.m. 
in  Room AG16, Romney House, Marsham Street, London SW1P 3PY

Present: 	Ken Livingstone (Chair)
	Dave Wetzel (Vice-Chair)
	Stephen Glaister	Robert Lane
	Kirsten Hearn	Joyce Mamode
	Mike Hodgkinson	Paul Moore
	Oli Jackson	David Quarmby
	Susan Kramer	Tony West

Special Advisors 	Bryan Heiser 
in attendance: 	Lynn Sloman 

Others 	Betty Morgan
in attendance : 	Maureen Nolan
		Michael Swiggs
	Nicky Gavron

Apologies for	David Begg
absence:	Jimmy Knapp
	Steven Norris

55/00	PRESENTATION ON DaRT

The meeting was preceded by a brief presentation by Sean Thompson of the Dial-A-Ride and Taxicard Users Group (DaRT), who congratulated TfL on the draft Transport Strategy, in particular for its central role in facilitating user involvement and empowerment.  

It was noted that it might be possible to obtain a change in legislation which will permit guidedogs to travel in minicabs.  It was agreed that DaRT should liaise with Dave Wetzel to establish the best way forward. 

DaRT  could assist TfL in furthering its action plan and in consultation on the draft Transport Strategy by establishing mobility fora and in advising on meaningful performance indicators. 

The Mayor was presented with an award for promoting accessibility and putting it at the centre of his draft Transport Strategy. 

The following points were noted during the discussion following the presentation: 

•	It was recognised that the needs of disabled passengers have been neglected and DaRT is building contacts to promote giving advice at a local level.
•	Consideration should be given to reducing Borough variations in the provision of Taxicard services to allow Taxicard users to take a minimum of 104 trips per year (one return trip per week).
•	A new magazine was about to be launched. 
 
It was agreed that a briefing note should be prepared for Board members on TfL’s Access and Mobility Unit.

56/00	MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The minutes of the previous Board meeting held on 8th November were agreed as a true record. 

57/00	MATTERS ARISING

57.1/00	Women and Travel in London (Minute 49/00)

Following the presentation to the Board by Kerry Hamilton on women’s issues at the previous Board meeting, a paper identifying and implementing practical solutions to improve travel conditions for women was considered.

The Board approved the recommended approach and the establishment of a steering group, to include the Mayor’s Adviser on Women’s Issues, interested Board members and TfL Officers, to take the initiative forward.  It was noted that Kirsten Hearn, Joyce Mamode, Nicky Gavron, Lynn Sloman and Susan Kramer indicated they wished to be involved.

57.2/00	Pattern and management of sickness absence (Minute 53.2)

It was noted that the Briefing note had been prepared and would be distributed to Board members in the near future.  

58/00	REPORTS 

58.1/00	Development of Performance Indicators  and monthly performance report – October 

The monthly Performance Report for October 2000 was considered.   

It was noted that the Working Group had concentrated predominantly on the performance indicators (PIs) for London Underground Limited (LUL) to date.  The Group was in the process of structuring a proposal for the Rail Services board, and also for  buses and it was anticipated that a progress report should be put to the TfL Board in January. 

Board members generally agreed that the Working Group meeting had been a useful exercise.   It was noted that the Executive Summary had been restructured and was considered to be much more useful than the previous version. It was also noted that the  development of the PIs was still at an early stage.

Board members expressed concerned at the unsatisfactory  performance of LUL and noted that this poor performance was reflected in the passenger satisfaction indices.  The possibility of salary  increases to reduce the gap between salaries of bus drivers and Underground train drivers was raised. 

It was noted that an active attempt at recruitment was underway, including advertising in the ethnic minority press and that the performance of train operators had improved recently but this had not yet been reflected in the statistics.  

58.2	Street Management 

It was noted that the Performance Indicators for Street Management derived from monitoring of traffic at twenty three sites across London.  It was agreed that the Working Group should examine Performance Indicators for Street Management after the work on bus indicators is completed. 

58.3	Croydon Tramlink
 
It was noted that the ridership levels were lower than forecast and the increase in numbers had been slower than anticipated, reflecting teething problems in the early stages of the service.  The level of use of passengers visiting out-of-town goods stores (traditionally centres of heavy car usage) was encouraging.   Surveys were underway to monitor the use and impact of the Tramlink service. 

58.4	Statistical breakdown of the workforce 

It was noted that tables providing a breakdown of the current workforce of the constituent parts of TfL by ethnic group and gender were appended to the back of the Performance Report.  These will be included in future Performance Reports. 
 
It was noted that the tables represented TfL only.  Board members expressed a desire to receive data on staff employed indirectly (e.g. bus contracting companies) and it was noted that work on this was already in progress.   

It was noted that women employees are significantly under-represented in London Bus Services Limited (LBSL), Docklands Light Railway (DLR), the Public Carriage Office (PCO) and Street Management and that ethnic minority groups are significantly under-represented in Corporate TfL, Transport Trading Limited, and DLR.     

It was noted that initiatives were underway to improve the overall representation of women and ethnic groups in the workforce, in collaboration with Lee Jasper, the Mayor’s Policy Adviser on Equality. It was hoped that a target of 30-40% ethnic mix could be achieved over the next three years.  It was suggested that Trade Unions should be consulted for their expertise in this area.  

It was noted that analysis by grades and occupations would be undertaken at a later stage.  In answer to a question on the monitoring of other minority groups, it was noted that the appointment of an adviser  was shortly to be announced on these issues.  The classification of these data had been discussed with Lee Jasper and it was likely that TfL would follow the lead taken by the GLA in this area. 

It was noted that data on disabled staff would be included in the statistics in the New Year.  

59/00	BUS SERVICE RELIABILITY REPORTING 

A paper outlining the measures employed to measure bus reliability and their use was considered. 

It was noted that a meeting to discuss bus Performance Indicators was scheduled to take place in the near future. 

The scope of “reliable” buses was discussed and it was agreed that a paper should be brought to the next Board meeting on this topic. 

60/00	ROAD SAFETY PLAN

A table of accident statistics was tabled and discussed. It was noted that pedestrian road safety levels were poor and TfL should concentrate on pedestrian and child safety.  It was noted that with the introduction of congestion charging, there were plans in place to raise awareness of road safety and to improve safety. 

It was noted that the Road Safety Plan was an interim plan and would be formally issued after consultation as a revised draft plan in March 2001. 

The following points were made during the discussion of the Plan:

•	The possibility of investigating a different approach to road safety was considered.  
•	Information on the number of disabled people involved in accidents was requested.
•	The number of permanently impaired victims was requested (but it was noted that this data was not available).
•	The suggestion of reducing the speed limit throughout London to 20 mph was made, but it was noted that it would be inadvisable to introduce such a change without due consideration and consultation.
•	The accident rates for cyclists and powered two wheelers accounted for a small proportion of the total number of travellers, but the risk of accidents for that group was between five and twenty five times higher than other categories. 
•	The cost of providing a Safe Route to School could be up to £100,000 per school.  The cost of providing such routes to all schools over the next few years would be prohibitive although significant progress could be made through the Transport Strategy. 
  
It was agreed that: 

•	The proposals outlined on page 14 of the Plan should be developed further.
•	The draft Road Safety Plan, after amendment, should be issued for consultation.
•	The introduction of a 20 mph speed limit in specific areas should be investigated. 
•	A report should be made to the TfL Board as soon as possible on the experiences abroad of speed reduction in main roads in cities.

61/00	TRANSPORT STRATEGY

It was noted that a meeting had been held on 30th November at which board members expressed their views on TfL’s response to the draft Transport Strategy and that a paper summarising the comments made at that meeting had been circulated.

The Board noted the draft Transport Strategy and emphasised the importance of ensuring the document will also be available in versions accessible to the partially sighted (for example, in braille).

It was agreed that in addition to the comments Board members have already made, Green Travel Plans, aimed at reducing the number of car trips by up to 20% should be included in the Transport Strategy. 

62/00	DEVELOPMENT OF DRAFT 2001/02 BUDGET - UPDATE

It was noted that there was a shortfall between the revised budget (based on a level of £830 million) and the grant from Government (anticipated to be £732 million) of approximately £100 million. 

It was noted that TfL was targeting £50 million of internally generated flexibility and the remaining £50 million shortfall was expected to be obtained through external funding. 

It was further noted that expenditure would be subject to rigorous monitoring, to eliminate the risk of overspend. 

It was agreed that £110 million be allocated for Borough expenditure on transport initiatives. 

63/00	RESTRUCTURING OF LRT PENSION FUND

A paper informing the Board of the position of the LRT Pension Fund (LRTPF) was considered.  Oli Jackson declared an interest as Trustee Director of the Pension Fund. 

It was noted that the LRTPF is currently being restructured and will be transferred to TfL prior to LT ceasing to exist.   Board members met on 30th November to receive background briefing on the subject and to discuss concerns.  In particular, whether the decision might create an opportunity  for private companies associated with the PPP to create a windfall and claw back some of any surplus, but at the briefing meeting, Board members received assurances that this should not be possible.  

The Board noted the position and agreed that TfL should be the principal employer when the fund transfers to TfL. 

64/00	CHAIR’S ACTIONS

The following Chair’s actions, which had been taken since 3rd October, were endorsed:

Date	Action	Taken By	
12 October 	Authorisation for London Bus Services Ltd to execute Leases and Tenancy relating to Richmond Bus Station, Edgware Bus Garage, Fulwell Bus Depot and Golders Green Bus Station. 
	D. Wetzel 	
13 October	Provision of letters of comfort to the directors of London Buses Limited
	D. Wetzel	
19 October	Scheme of Delegation: application to Acting Shadow Commissioner and Acting Deputy Commissioner.
	D. Wetzel	
23 October	Authorisation for London Bus Services Ltd to enter into a lease in relation to Unit 11, Stratford Office Village, for a term of 5 years at an annual rental of £37,440.00
	D. Wetzel	
2 November	Option to purchase 12 new rail cars for DLR. (cost of railcars is £19.32m).
	D. Wetzel	
9 November	Approval to enter into lease for ground and first floors, and tenth to seventeenth floors of Windsor House. (15 year lease at annual rental of £2,621,205.60)	D. Wetzel	
9 November	Appointment of shareholder representative of London Transport Insurance (Guernsey) Ltd (LTIG)	D. Wetzel	
28 November	Renewal of Lease of Kiosk at Harrow Bus Station.  (for a term  of three years at an annual rental of £13,250)	D. Wetzel	

65/00	ANY OTHER BUSINESS 
	There being no further business, the meeting closed at   12.40 p.m.

……………….………………………..
	Chair