Andrew Dismore

Barking to Gospel Oak Line

Question No: 2018/2215

Andrew Dismore

Further to your answer to Question No: 2018/1860, I understand that you are mistaken in much of your reply. There have been no additional trains operating “temporarily” on the Barking to Gospel Oak line. The five trains in question (PIXC-busters) have operated since 2013 and until 19 May this year appeared in the published timetable. When these trains did not appear in the 20 May summer 2018 timetable, the Director of Rail gave an assurance that the trains would continue to run until the electric trains arrived in public service. However, these trains ceased to run after 29 June. This is because one of the eight 2-car diesel trains (172 002) that maintained the Barking – Gospel Oak service had been transferred to West Midlands Trains in Birmingham. The drivers’ diagrams (duties) for these five trains were withdrawn on 1 July. Since then London Overground has not had enough rolling stock to run the current published timetable reliably, with 20 cancellations occurring on Sunday 22 July, for example. London Overground can clearly no longer operate the five trains in question, contrary to your assurances, so what can be done to sort out this service?

Written response from the Mayor

As you are aware, I am investing over £300m in 54 new state-of-the-art, British-built, London Overground trains. They will be an important addition to London’s transport network and will help boost capacity on some of the most busy and popular lines, starting, by November, with the Gospel Oak to Barking line.

TfL had expected the trains to be here before the May timetable change and continues to challenge the manufacturer about delivery.

Once it became clear that the trains would not be operating in time for the May timetable change, TfL made plans to retain the current train stock, and committed to running the additional services you refer to at a similar frequency, wherever possible, ahead of the arrival of new electric trains. As you state, TfL operated additional services until the end of June.

Unfortunately, the existing diesel trains have been becoming less reliable as they were due to be overhauled before their next deployment, which has had to be delayed. TfL has therefore recently seen more problems than it had expected with train availability. Furthermore, one of the two additional ‘spare’ trains in the diesel fleet has had to be sent away for refurbishment as part of the arrangement to retain the trains.

To help address these challenges, on 3 September, TfL and Arriva Rail London introduced a bus service to supplement the regular four train per hour timetable in order to provide additional capacity at the busiest stations and times.

TfL has apologised to customers for the disruption that the delay to the new trains has caused, and continues to press the manufacturer of the trains, Bombardier Transportation, for delivery at the earliest possible date.

Change of rules governing the Central London Congestion Zone

Question No: 2018/2216

Andrew Dismore

A constituent has written to me, who bought a Toyota Yaris Hybrid which, with 75mg or less of CO2 emissions, currently qualifies for a 100% exemption from the congestion charge. However, as it is not wholly electric and therefore cannot run for 20 minutes without emissions, under the proposed new rules, it will no longer be exempt after the proposed start date of the new rules in April 2019. He does not have the option to buy a 100% electric car, as he lives in the heart of Hampstead without off-street parking, and there is no provision for charging points for residents like him. Is it fair that residents who bought vehicles in good faith under the old rules should be given such short notice of the need effectively to dispose of their vehicles; and could existing owners of such vehicles be given at least a further 2 years of grace before suffering removal of the current Congestion Charge exemption, which was the methodology adopted the last time the emission rules were tightened?

Written response from the Mayor

There is an urgent need to improve air quality and address congestion in central London. The Congestion Charge has always offered a ‘green discount’ to encourage those who need to drive in the zone to do so using less polluting vehicles. It has been updated over time to reflect the changing vehicle market.

The criteria of the ‘green discount’ was last modified in 2013, and the number of eligible vehicles has risen rapidly, putting the congestion-reducing benefits of the Congestion Charge scheme at risk. Further to this, the discount requires updating in readiness for the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in 2019. For these reasons, Transport for London (TfL) is proposing to replace the Ultra Low Emission Discount (ULED) with a new, phased Cleaner Vehicle Discount (CVD). The phasing enables people to make their travel and vehicle purchases with knowledge of future requirements. 90 per cent of vehicles that are currently registered for the ULED will continue to be eligible for the first phase of the CVD, so it has been proposed to not offer a specific ULED sunset period.

TfL is working with boroughs to deliver additional on-street charging infrastructure, with a target of delivering 300 Rapid Charging Points (RCPs) by the end of 2020. TfL has already supported the installation of over 100 RCPs in London, and there are another 55 publicly available RCPs funded and operated by third parties. TfL has also been awarded £13m of funding from the Government’s Go Ultra Low Cities Scheme, designed to drive the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles. Some of this funding will go towards increasing charging infrastructure and the roll out of RCPs. The London Borough of Camden has successfully applied for a portion of this funding.

Falloden Way, A1

Question No: 2018/2218

Andrew Dismore

There was yet another fatal accident on the A1 at Falloden Way on 9 August 2018. Local residents and I have consistently flagged our concerns about safety all along Falloden Way, from the junction with Brookland Rise to Ossulton Way, but Transport for London refuses to take any action. Will you ask them to look at safety here, and now come up with a set of proposals to make the road safe for all road and pavement users?

Written response from the Mayor

I was deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of Dawid Szadowski in August. My thoughts are with his friends and family. I am committed to do everything in my power to make London’s streets safer. This is why I have adopted the ambitious goal of Vision Zero – the elimination of all deaths and serious injuries from London’s streets by 2041.

Following the fatalities in 2017, and in response to stakeholder feedback, Transport for London (TfL) undertook speed and pedestrian movement surveys to investigate whether excessive speeding was an issue in this area. The result of the speed survey showed that the average speed along this stretch of road was already below the legal speed limit of 30mph. TfL is now looking at other potential ways to prevent future collisions, for example, whether changes to the road layout would improve safety.

In light of the recent fatal collision, TfL is working closely with the Metropolitan Police as they carry out their investigation. Through this, TfL will seek to identify and any measures that could reduce road danger along this stretch of road.

I understand you are attending a site visit in early October with TfL so that you can discuss your concerns in person. I will ask TfL for an update following that visit.

Tube noise, Northern Line near Finchley Central

Question No: 2018/2219

Andrew Dismore

Many residents have complained about the almost continuous (every two or three minutes) extremely loud and prolonged screeching noise coming from the Northern Line near Finchley Central at all hours the tube is operating. The prime source of this noise appears to be the bend in the track north-east of Finchley Central, but also along the tracks that have been replaced, both on the Barnet and Mill Hill East lines. This noise started after the bank holiday engineering works this year, during which Transport for London replaced the track bed with granite ballast, replaced the northbound rails, and installed new concrete sleepers. Automated train operation may be exacerbating the noise as trains approach the corner more aggressively than before. What will you do to tackle this noise which is the result of Transport for London’s own works without consideration of the impact on residents nearby?

Written response from the Mayor

TfL engineers consider any possible noise and vibration implications before undertaking all track renewals.

In the Finchley Central area, the cause of the noise is the result of the interaction between the wheel and the rail. This type of noise is difficult to predict, however TfL’s view is that it has been exacerbated by this summer’s hot and dry weather rather than the use of Automatic Train Operation on this line. This type of sound primarily occurs on manually driven lines such as the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines.

TfL is commissioning the installation of a top-of-rail friction modifier (a substance which improves the interaction between the wheel and the rail) with the aim of reducing the sound at this curve. The installation is planned to be complete by November 2018.

Bus temperatures

Question No: 2018/2222

Andrew Dismore

This summer passengers on the so called ‘Boris Bus’ new Routemasters experienced very high temperatures. Do you have a plan to deal with this?

Written response from the Mayor

New Routemasters have air cooling and opening windows in the upper and lower decks to reduce temperatures and improve air flow. They also have white roofs and insulation to reflect heat, and tinted windows to reduce the warming effect of the sun’s rays.

I’ve asked Transport for London to work closely with the bus operators to ensure these measures are working properly ahead of next summer and continue looking for any opportunities to make vehicles more comfortable.

Accident hotspots

Question No: 2018/2223

Andrew Dismore

Further to question 2015/4136, could you provide a list of the ten most dangerous junctions in terms of pedestrian injury per London Assembly constituency. For 2014-2016 and 2016-2018 please?

Written response from the Mayor

My Transport Strategy sets out my Vision Zero goal that, by 2041, all deaths and serious injuries will be eliminated from London’s transport network.  The Safer Junctions programme, as outlined in my Vision Zero action plan http://content.tfl.gov.uk/vision-zero-action-plan.pdf, targets the junctions in London where the greatest numbers of people have been killed or injured while walking, cycling or riding a motorcycle. This includes a risk-based approach to identifying new junctions to add to the programme, so that it always focuses on the highest risk junctions.

We are accelerating the Safer Junctions programme, so that improvements at 33 junctions will either be consulted on or completed by 2023, including Lambeth Bridge North, Waterloo IMAX, and Highbury Corner.

The information provided in Appendix A is a simple rank of the number of pedestrian casualties, by junction and London Assembly constituency, for the three year period 2014 to 2016. This is the most recent finalised set of figures available from the police. Figures for 2017 are scheduled to be published alongside the national dataset in autumn 2018.  A number of the locations identified in the appendix will be addressed by the Safer Junctions programme and are either complete, in progress or planned

274 bus routes

Question No: 2018/2224

Andrew Dismore

Metroline (with the permission of Transport for London) intend on replacing the single decker 274 bus with double-deckers. This has been done without consultation, and poses major complaints in areas such as Agar Grove in Camden, where trees have been trimmed back and enabling work has started. Will you ask TfL to reconsider this decision, and do a proper assessment of the impact of the decision, taking into account the strength of the road to take heavier vehicles, and the impact on water pipes, of which several have already burst locally due to other heavy construction vehicle traffic?

Written response from the Mayor

Buses will change from single to double-deck vehicles on the 274 because of the rising demand for services on weekends, as well as wider air quality initiatives to introduce ultra-clean vehicles to this part of London. Different vehicle types are only introduced on suitable roads in line with highway requirements, working with boroughs to make minor road layout modifications if necessary.

The 274 route has been tested in line with Transport for London’s (TfL’s) normal procedures and deemed suitable to run double deck vehicles. However, since the route test, some trees have grown over the road and now need to be pruned. TfL has notified residents of these proposed changes.

As TfL makes so many adjustments to the bus network to ensure capacity matches demand, it cannot consult every time there is a change to service frequencies or vehicles. However, the TfL website is also regularly updated with any changes to bus services https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/bus-service-changes. TfL is also working to get better at informing local stakeholders of such changes. It has been engaging with officers from Camden Council regarding the 274, and will continue to work with them to resolve any issues raised by residents.

Using double deck buses is a more efficient use of road space, reduces the number of trips per hour thus slightly reducing congestion and improving air quality. It also provides additional resilience at weekends when large groups travel to and from London Zoo.

Moped crime in Camden

Question No: 2018/2231

Andrew Dismore

What is the present incidence of moped crime in Camden, compared to a year ago; and what steps have been taken to reduce this crime in Camden?

Written response from the Mayor

As of mid-September 2018, there were 6% fewer moped offences this rolling year (3,858) compared to the previous (4,090).

In Camden, local officers have been conducting pro-active policing patrols, working closely with specialist Operation Venice officers and the local authority to reduce reoffending. The Metropolitan Police Service has also recently introduced a series of new and innovative tactics including forensic tagging, new purpose-built bikes and mobile, remote-control stingers to make the streets more hostile for criminals.

Police funding

Question No: 2018/2232

Andrew Dismore

The Leader of Barnet Council has said that police reserves should be used to fund police officers on an ongoing basis. Do you consider that this would be imprudent?

Written response from the Mayor

Reserves held by MOPAC are categorised as general reserves for managing unexpected pressures, and earmarked reserves set aside for specific purposes, such as; statutory requirements, supporting the medium term budget and funding transformation and local change through delivering the MPS transformation programme. This supports much-needed investment to replace outdated technology, improving the effectiveness of officers, increasing productivity and driving future efficiencies.

In 2017/18, and 2018/19, where there have been police officer pay underspends in year, the underspend has been transferred to reserves and ringfenced to support officer numbers in the medium term. Using reserves will enable a more stable trajectory for workforce numbers and improve operational planning, albeit in the medium term only.

However, using reserves to fund police officers on an ongoing basis is not a sustainable strategy, as reserves are a one-off source of funding. Once the reserves have been utilised we will have exhausted our ability to fund the costs in the future. The Government needs to urgently invest in our police force so that we can significantly boost, rather than just maintain in the short term, police officer numbers.