Transport for London2003/04 review by Bob Kiley
Skip to navigationAfter decades of under-investment, it is vital that London's transport infrastructure is returned to a state of good repair.
Future capacity and service quality improvements are also essential if the system is to cope with the predicted population increase of 800,000 by 2016.
Over the last year, Transport for London (TfL) has been making this case to Government to consider in its Spending Review 2004 and highlighting that, with further funding, London's diverse and growing population can be supported by a transport system that provides access to essential jobs and services.
TfL has worked hard with its stakeholder supporters from business, disability and community groups, the boroughs, transport user groups and its customers, to get the Government to realise what it has achieved, and the simple fact that, without additional funding, the social and economic benefits of improved transport services would not be realised and could even slip backwards.
TfL has already proved that it is a public organisation that delivers. In the four years since it was formed, bus services have improved dramatically, with passenger numbers up by more than 31 per cent.
The Congestion Charging Impacts Monitoring Second Annual Report (www.tfl.gov.uk/ccsecondreport) highlighted that the scheme has reduced traffic delays in central London by 30 per cent. These, along with a number of other initiatives such as bus priority schemes, have resulted in a four per cent shift in travel patterns from private cars on to public transport, a trend not seen in any other UK city or elsewhere in the world.
In June 2003, TfL introduced the Oyster card, a revolutionary smartcard. The card holds various travel tickets which can be bought either over the phone, internet or at Tube stations or retail ticket stops.
The launch of the Oyster card is an example where effective TfL marketing has had a clear impact on passengers.
Within the first few months of the roll out, take up had exceeded expectations making the programme one of the biggest and most successful in Europe with 1.85 million Oyster cards issued at the end of March 2004. Use of the card is continuing to grow and it is already reducing queues at Tube stations and time spent by buses at stops. It will also enable the cashless operation of buses from 2006. Other possible future enhancements include auto top-up pay, customer accounts and mobile phone integration which will mean that passengers may never need to buy a ticket from a ticket office
Since 2000, over £450 million has been spent on borough-led projects supporting a range of local transport improvements. In 2003/04, TfL provided a record level of investment to London's boroughs to fund local transport improvements in the coming year. TfL funds, totalling £140 million, were given for a range of local initiatives such as road renewal, road safety schemes, bus priority projects, safer routes to school, and other schemes that support walking, cycling and improvements to local town centres. TfL also continued to develop its programme of travel awareness activities in partnership with London's boroughs.
Over the next pages I'll explain in further detail the main achievements of 2003/04.
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