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We must stop Tfl:s incompetence
Page 28
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IF THERE IS something that truly demonstrates the incompetence of Transport for London's (TfL) management of the traffic. the latest announcement about electronic tags is it.
Michel Dix, the head of congestion charging at TIL, talks about introducing an electronic tag system as a method of congestion charging across London by 2009.
Last September,TfL announced the extension of congestion charging to Kensington & Chelsea from 2007. at a cost to Londoners of £161m.The expectation for revenues from the extension was between £3m and £26m per year, meaning that Londoners would not recover the costs of the extension for the best part of a decade, and might never do so.
While the numbers clearly demonstrate that congestion charging will not raise additional money for public transport, and with three quarters of Londoners opposed,TfL has continued with its extension plans regardless.
Now we learn that the £161m is certain to be wasted, as alternative technology is planned for only two years later!
Other aspects ofTfL's traffic management do not stand up to close scrutiny.
If one looks at official statistics from the Department forTransport, vehicle miles driven in central London have actually been decreasing since 1999, yet the speed of traffic has fallen.This indicates that it is not the traffic that has caused congestion but the way traffic has been managed.
And who is responsible for managing the traffic? TfL of course. Shareholders of a public company would not tolerate such technical and financial incompetence; they would rapidly call on their main representative, the chairman, to sack the CEO. But in the case of London the voters' representative is the mayor and he is also chair of TfL's board!
This is contrary to all principles of good corporate governance.
It is tragic that with the constitution of London government established as it is, the mayor can preside over a spendthrift and incompetent administration for four straight years. with Londoners powerless to take any remedial action before the next mayoral election. And by then it will be too late.
Any ideas on how Londoners can arrest the incompetence of TfL's traffic management and address the inbuilt conflict of interest in its governance would he gratefully received.
David Tarsh By e-mail