Boris Johnson launched his 2020 Vision document yesterday, outlining his very personal view of where the city needs to be at the end of this decade.

You can download the full document here.

Unsurprisingly, transport is high up the Mayor’s agenda and the document outlines his support for CrossRail 2, a Thames estuary airport, and an extension of the bike hire scheme, among many other projects.

A full list (culled from pg 16-17) of the Mayor’s 2020 agenda for transport can be found below:

• Develop an efficient metro suburban rail service by devolving rail  franchising power to the Mayor.
• Introduce measures in the Mayor’s Cycling Vision to reach at least  15 per cent modal share for cycling in inner London and implement  plans to extend the Barclay’s Cycle Hire network to north, south,  east and west.
• Deliver automation on the Tube to 75 per cent by 2020.
• Increase Tube service to a world-leading 40 trains per hour on key lines such as the Victoria and Jubilee.
• Support a new river crossing to the east of the Dartford Crossing.
• Develop the funding model used on Crossrail so that next stage infrastructure projects like Crossrail 2 and a new hub airport are funded through an efficient mix of public and private finance.
• Start construction of Crossrail 2 in 2019.
• Further modernise London’s highways and traffic management.
• Investigate new road tunnels such as replacing the Hammersmith flyover.
• Transform the Greenwich Peninsula waterside into a commercial development and transport hub including a cruise liner terminal.
• Build a new four runway eco-friendly airport.
• Conduct in-depth study into potential further rail and Underground lines south of the river.
• Secure a stable 10 year funding settlement for TfL to:

install an additional station on Crossrail 1 at Woolwich and links to London City Airport

provide a transport link from Kensal Green to Crossrail and an additional Overground station at Old Oak Common

start construction on the extension of the Northern Line down to Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea by 2015

progress with four tracking the West Anglia Line

electrify Gospel Oak to Barking on the Overground and extend it to Barking Riverside

work with boroughs to relieve congestion through river crossings in places like Silvertown and Gallions Reach

open up outer London town centre hubs by extending

- the Bakerloo line beyond Elephant and Castle

- DLR to Bromley

build a new Thameslink station at Brent Cross – Cricklewood

construct a single Euston-King’s Cross-St Pancras interchange station

upgrade the three Wembley stations

redevelop Tottenham Hale Underground station, East Croydon station and Waterloo station

extend the tram network to Sutton, Crystal Palace and across to Wimbledon with a second track

open the new Silvertown tunnel by 2021

rebuild Bank and Holborn Underground stations to increase capacity

put 2,000 New Buses for London on our streets by 2020

London is perhaps facing its toughest spending settlement in years – cuts at a time when the transport network must improve what is already there and build in capacity elsewhere just to stand still. Neither activity will come cheap.

The Mayor’s vision is a good one, but convincing the Government of it, delivering, and not simply playing to the crowds, is another matter entirely.

On 26 June, the Chancellor will announce his Spending Review and London’s transport funding must be looking like a particularly sweet, if short-termist, slice of pie to him right now. This document is perfectly timed to make the case for London in the long-term. Now, with two weeks to go, can the Mayor make the Government listen?

London24 reports on the Independent Transport Commission’s report on Britain’s aviation infrastructure.

You can read the full ITC report here. Below is the executive summary of the report from their website:

The report suggests the most likely sites for an improved hub are Heathrow, Stansted or the Thames Estuary. It recognises that any decision will be contentious and that the Airports Commission and the Government will need to balance many factors. But it highlights 4 major issues:

• Closing Heathrow: the ITC concludes that if a major new hub is developed at Stansted or in the Thames Estuary, there is a high likelihood that Heathrow will need to close. This will have major implications, and needs far more attention than it has yet received.

• Costs and charges: on the basis of preliminary, broad-brush, estimates, the ITC fears that airlines and passengers might face charges at a new Estuary Airport more than twice those for an expanded Heathrow, and two-thirds more than at an expanded Stansted. It is essential that far more robust costings are produced for all options and the implications for charges and international competitiveness clearly understood.

• A new town? Building a major new hub, whether at Stansted or elsewhere, could require urban development including homes, schools, and local transport. The ITC estimates the size of such development would be on the scale of a new Peterborough for a 4-runway hub. This needs to be considered as much as the airport itself.

• Noise is the biggest local issue, particularly for Heathrow. But the report notes that planes are getting quieter and proposes an assessment of whether a package of measures – perhaps including moving the runways westward – would enable Heathrow to provide the extra connectivity needed while also reducing the problem of noise for Londoners.

The report has been submitted to the Davies Commission. It’s certainly worth a read and is a very useful contribution to the debate. However, it does serve to highlight that no matter which way the Commission’s verdict falls, a bold political decision will have to be taken. The question is, are our leaders up to it?

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Meanwhile, if all this gets you down, how about taking in some Thames Estuary inspired art?

TfL and Network Rail are seeking the views of Londoners and those in the South East on CrossRail 2.

The scheme would alleviate congestion on both TfL and Network Rail routes and support the London/South East economy.

Two possible routes have been identified for the scheme – a Metro and Regional (above) plan.

As TfL say:

In addition to helping London’s transport network keep pace with growth, Crossrail 2 would offer benefits to local residents and businesses by offering more direct, fast, frequent services that are not available at present. Passengers would have new travel choices to avoid crowded transport interchanges.

HS2 will greatly increase passenger use of Euston station. A new, Crossrail 2, station at Euston St Pancras would help disperse passengers and reduce the crowding and delay that would otherwise occur at Euston.

The consultation runs until 2 August 2013 – you can give your thoughts here.

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Tube

• The RMT has announced that Tube drivers on the Piccadilly line are set to strike in a row over working conditions [ITV News].
• But despite record numbers, delays are down.
• The West End Commissioner (and the Standard) want a 24 hour service on the Tube.

Thames Crossings

• The Mayor has reopened plans to consult on a new bridge at Gallions Reach, reports the BBC, but not everyone is happy at the idea.

Airports

A House of Commons report calls for Heathrow expansion. The Mayor has other ideas:

The current two-runway airport was “not adequate for the needs of the UK” and expansion of Heathrow was “long overdue”, they said.

But Mr Johnson said that a third runway would be “obsolete” by the time it was built, and that today’s report made plain that advocates of this solution were effectively calling for a four-runway Heathrow, which he said would be “environmentally and politically undeliverable”.

Incidentally, BA says that even if a new hub airport were built it might not choose to move there [Independent].

Parking

• The Next Web reviews the ‘ultimate’ parking app for Londoners, Yellow Line.

Buses

• The Mayor has been promoting himself the economic benefits of the New Bus for London to the UK [Evening Standard].
• Meanwhile, Londonist looks at the price tag for each bus.

Cycling

Darren Johnson, writing in The Guardian, questions the Mayor’s cycling policy:

Outer London has missed the cycling revolution and that needs to change urgently. Johnson should promise to fund any borough who come forward with a strong, viable plan.

And Christian Wolmar gives his view, here.

Rail

• Bombardier has won an £88m contract to deliver rail cars for TfL [BBC News].
• Those of us hoping that HS2 might mean a new Euston might be a bit disappointed [BBC News].

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The London Assembly has issued a report stating that airports in the South East need to use their capacity in a more intelligent way before politicians embark on building extra capacity.

This is an argument which seems to be backed by Gatwick Airport’s submission to the Davies Commission:

Gatwick warned that letting the west London airport expand to three or four runways would lead to a “premium” charged on flights. The Sussex airport argued there was evidence that airlines at dominant hubs were able to exploit their market position.

And Dutch consultants CE Delf suggests in a separate submission that the economic benefits are being talked up while the social and economic costs are being played down.

For entirely different reasons this would seem to suggest a consensus: we don’t need a new hub, we need to promote competition and use what we already have better.

Meanwhile, protesters (including local MPs and the Mayor) have reiterated their opposition to Heathrow expansion:

Mr Johnson said the expansion of Heathrow would be a “giant step backwards for London”, giving rise to “great flying fleets of fortissimo flatulence”.

But of course, the Mayor is still promoting growth elsewhere (despite his aviation adviser looking to head elsewhere):

He told BBC London the alternatives offered by Gatwick, Stansted and two sites in the Thames Estuary should be concentrated on, and the idea of Heathrow expansion “closed down”.

So, another week goes by and the debate over London’s airport capacity moves forward not at all. Sir Howard’s interim report (expected at the end of this year) cannot come soon enough.

A lengthy re-cap of the latest London transport news below.

Airports

Even though the Davies review appears to now be defining the timetable around any decision on UK airport capacity, the Mayor continues to steam ahead, seeking funding for his pet project overseas and even suggesting a name for the estuary airport:

• Boris to raise upto £80m from Arab states to build Thames Estuary airport – London Loves Business
• Boris Johnson flies to the Gulf in search of investment cash - City AM
• Name Thames Estuary airport after Baroness Thatcher – Kent Online
• Airport: Disarming the SS Richard Montgomery in Thames Estuary could cost £30 million, expert reveals – Kent Online
• Access All Areas (Foster + Partners CEO Mouhzan Majidi talks about the potential benefits of an estuary airport – Airport World
• Flight paths for a cloudy future – The Economist

CrossRail (1&2)

• The world beneath our feet: Crossrail gets into full swing as it powers through the earth – Evening Standard
• Crossrail trains to be fully funded by the taxpayer – The Guardian
• Mayor demands faster Crossrail 2 progress – Regen.net
• Boris Johnson rallies for £12billion Crossrail 2 across South West London – SWLondoner
• In Pictures: Catching up with Crossrail – London Reconnections

Tube

• Boris Johnson: Bakerloo line extension to Peckham’s “time has come”. – Evening Standard
• John Lanchester rides the London Underground – The Guardian
• London’s Tube map creator Harry Beck gets blue plaque – BBC News
• Londoners call for Tube strikes to be outlawed in exclusive poll – Evening Standard

Cycling

• Boris Johnson: ‘Cycle hire users won’t be forced to wear helmets’ – Bike Biz
  
• Thefts on bikes triple in London – BBC News
• Boris’s £1bn bike strategy is about more than cycling – City AM
• Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme extended to south-west London – Bike Radar
• Boris Johnson’s cycling plan is great – but we’ll still need to ride tough – The Guardian

Tickets, Contactless & Oyster

• TfL Make Changes To Bus Transfer Tickets – London Reconnections
  
• Zip Oyster cards hold £600,000 ‘unclaimed’ – BBC News
• Contactless payments reach one million on London buses – Finextra
• Cash payments on London buses could be phased out by 2014 – London24
• Part-time travelcards would ease Tube overcrowding, say Tories – Evening Standard

John Bull:

This is thus more than just a roundel, because it tells us that Crossrail will not be a railway that just happens to be run by TfL, it will be a fully-fledged member of the TfL family.

An excellent article on the importance of the branding behind Crossrail, and TfL’s motivations.

TfL and the Mayor have released their River Action Plan (pdf download), outlining how they plan to build capacity and take-up of Thames services over the next few years.

From the Mayor’s foreword:

I am determined to capitalise on the achievements of the past year and to safeguard the river’s central role in the future success of our great city. That is why I have set a target to increase passenger journeys on the Thames to 12 million a year by 2020 and maximise its potential for river travel.

This means developing a strategic pier network that can accommodate an increase in river services; providing clearer, simpler information so that passengers can choose the right river service for them; and positioning the river as an integral part of London life.

TfL have allocated £10m to this programme, and plan to open three new piers (at Plantation Wharf, Battersea Power Station, and Enderby Wharf) over the next seven years. Savoy, Wapping, Convoys Wharf, Wood Wharf, North Greenwich West, Vanesta Wharf, Gallions Reach and Barking have also been identified as potential stopping points in the future.

Demand for river services has increased by 25% in the last four years, and with over 100,000 new homes planned near the river by 2031, TfL is right to target river services for expansion.

Wave and Pay will be rolled out onto all services, and real-time transport information placed on existing piers from this summer.This is all good news.

However, Caroline Pidgeon, the Lib Dem Chair of the Assembly Transport Committee, has quite rightly identified concerns over the pace of change and lack of Oyster Pay As You Go integration. These, especially the Oyster point, need addressing. As we’ve seen with the Emirates AirLine, limiting Oyster integration depresses passenger numbers. It will be no use having an improved service which shuts out a large number of Londoners.

Congestion Charge

It’s 10 years since the CC was introduced. A number of organisations consider the effect that it has had:

CrossRail

• Mike Brown, the Tube’s MD, has thrown his weight behind CrossRail 2, reports the FT:
  

“…without extra rail capacity within the capital, the terminus for the so-called High Speed 2 line at London’s Euston station would “fall apart” because of the volume of passengers.”

• CrossRail has poached TfL’s Howard Smith to be its Operations Director – Construction Enquirer

Airports

• A cross party group of MPs and campaigners have called on the Transport Secretary to bring forward the Davies Commission’s work on UK airport expansion, reports the BBC.
• Heathrow could become a ‘small business airport’ under the Mayor’s plans.
• Which probably doesn’t chime with their recently announced billion-pound investment plans – London24.
• And the Mayor states that Stansted is ‘replete with potential‘. Deborah McGurran outlines the Mayor’s views.

Overground

• London Reconnections examines TfL’s work to increase Overground capacity. 

Contactless Payments

• Oyster and bank card next to each other in your wallet? You might want to re-think. Tom Edwards explains.

Cycling

• More than 15% of Hackney residents are travelling to work by bike – more than drive. Road.cc has more.

Roads

• Chinese firm Geely has increased its investment in iconic black cab maker LTI, which should lift it out of administration and secure UK manufacturing – BBC.
• The Economist profiles taxi booking apps.
• The Mayor has announced plans for an ‘ultra low-emission zone’ in central London by 2020.
• Wired profiles ZipCar, the car sharing scheme.

New Projects

• The Mayor continues to support plans (though not financially) for a Tramlink extension to Sutton, Crystal Palace and Bromley, reports This Is Local London.
• The Standard reports that local Liberal Democrats are pushing for a monorail scheme to operate between Nine Elms and Waterloo.

And finally…

• Another new, and rather beautiful, Tube map – this one (via Londonist) by Jonathan Fischer.

Cheshunt to Hampton Court. That’s the route for CrossRail 2 proposed by London First and supported by the Mayor, Boris Johnson.

From London First’s report into CrossRail 2: