London Tube workers vote to strike April 17, 2012 London Underground staff are set to walk out for 72 hours next week after they voted “four to one” in favour of strike action. The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) said its workers would cease work at 4pm on 24 April and not return until after 4pm on 27 April. The dispute is [...]
How Olympic organisers can get shot of the West End ghost town August 1, 2012 WE’VE scared them off. Somewhere between Boris Johnson’s ominous ode to overcrowding, and TfL’s weird posters of diligent Londoners in their underwear, planning routes to work, the city’s attempts to keep moving during the Games have frightened droves of tourists into barely venturing out of the confines of the Olympic Park. If organisers don’t act [...]
BORIS POISED TO TAKE CONTROL OF COMMUTER TRAINS April 29, 2012 BORIS Johnson is set to gain control of suburban rail services after the transport secretary Justine Greening gave City A.M. the strongest indication yet that she is willing to hand him control of key commuter routes if he is re-elected on Thursday. Under the proposals Transport for London (TfL) would have direct control over certain [...]
Ken insists he can get cash from coalition April 16, 2012 KEN Livingstone yesterday rubbished Conservative claims he would struggle to secure central government funds for the capital, telling City A.M.: “George Osborne will be no problem – I’ll just tickle his tummy.” The Labour mayoral candidate added that he had a successful track record of lobbying for money in the face of Treasury opposition: “I [...]
Ken insists he can get cash from coalition April 16, 2012 KEN Livingstone yesterday rubbished Conservative claims he would struggle to secure central government funds for the capital, telling City A.M.: “George Osborne will be no problem – I’ll just tickle his tummy.” The Labour mayoral candidate added that he had a successful track record of lobbying for money in the face of Treasury opposition: “I [...]
Boris warns of fuel strike emergency March 29, 2012 BORIS Johnson has warned the government is not taking the escalating fuel crisis seriously enough, City A.M. has learned, and has instructed London officials to start planning for an emergency. In a letter to communities secretary Eric Pickles, seen by City A.M., the Mayor of London said the UK was facing a “potential fuel emergency” [...]
Mayor blocks anti-gay adverts appearing on London transport April 12, 2012 BORIS Johnson yesterday blocked a Christian advertising campaign that promoted “gay conversion”, saying that London should be “intolerant of intolerance”. The advert, funded by religious groups opposed to gay marriage, was due to appear on public buses during the next two weeks and declared: “Not gay! Ex-gay, post-gay and proud. Get over it!” Johnson used [...]
Johnson says no money for rival’s pledge April 11, 2012 BORIS Johnson yesterday attacked Ken Livingstone for making “unfunded” promises on the campaign trail, claiming that the Labour candidate has failed to identify funding for at least £2.7bn worth of pledges. In a document entitled “Can’t Afford Ken”, Johnson’s team claim to have identified 24 spending commitments made by Livingstone that go beyond the existing [...]
Tube stops to have Wi-Fi March 14, 2012 London’s commuters will be able to connect to the internet while underground from July when a Wi-Fi network is rolled out across the Tube. Virgin Media will sponsor free Wi-Fi during the Olympics at 80 of the London Underground’s 270 stops. A further 40 stations will be added to the network after the summer, when [...]
Ken offers a fare cut as Boris pushes investment March 26, 2012 Transport has become the defining issue of this mayoral campaign, with voters facing the choice between one candidate that promises a fare cut and another that says fare rises are a necessary evil to fund investment. Ken Livingstone’s campaign experienced a surge in support after he set out the “Fare Deal” pledge to cut the [...]