Keith Prince AM: 'Disastrous Streetspace rules unlawful'

Transport for London's disastrous Streetspace scheme has been ruled unlawful by the High Court - this must be a wake-up call for the Mayor.

The High Court found that Sadiq Khan "took advantage of the pandemic" to push through "radical changes" to our roads with no consultation. Shamefully, the court ruled that the Mayor ignored "the needs of people with protected characteristics, including the elderly and disabled".

The United Trade Action Group and Licensed Taxi Drivers Association brought the case to the court after TfL issued a traffic order creating A10 Bishopsgate bus-only corridors, banning access to taxi drivers. The court ruled this "unfair and irrational" scheme failed to recognise black cabs as a mode of public transport and was found to impact "adversely on certain sections of the public".

The High Court's ruling will have ramifications for all the illogical and poorly considered road schemes across London which have been introduced during the pandemic. The lesson from this expensive, chaotic experiment on our streets is clear – the Mayor and TfL must listen to Londoners. Without proper consultations, Londoner's voices will not be heard, and damaging measures can be rushed through to our city's detriment.

By failing to consult Londoners on major changes to our city's roads, TfL's efforts to get London moving have backfired disastrously. These rushed anti-car measures have caused congestion, delayed emergency service vehicles, and hurt London's struggling black cabs.

Sadly, instead of being a wake-up call for the Mayor, he's choosing to pursue an expensive appeal which could cost around £500,000 if lost. This will only throw good public money after bad. Sadiq Khan should drop his appeal and learn from the High Court's ruling. The Mayor needs to suck it up and accept he's lost instead of wasting more public money on his damaging traffic schemes.

Article by Keith Prince AM first published in the Romford Recorder.