Transport inequality in London laid bare in new report

A new report has revealed the shocking extent to which Londoners living south of the river are having to contend with inferior transportlinks in comparison to their northern counterparts.

The report, Bridging the Gap: Tackling Transport Inequality South Of The River, comes off the back of a YouGov poll commissioned by the GLA Conservatives. YouGov surveyed over 1000 Londoners living in boroughs north and south of the river to gauge their perceptions and experiences of the capital’s transport links.

The poll data reveals a significant gap between the transport links in the two parts of London. 50 percent of South Londoners have more than a 30 minute walk to their nearest Underground station – more than double the number of North Londoners. Shockingly, over 30 percent of residents living in boroughs south of the river are required to make a bus journey of over half an hour to get to their local Tube station, compared to just 5 percent of those in the north.

The relatively new Night Tube is perceived to be much better in North London, with Londoners maintaining by a ratio of three to one that the night services are better there.

Unsurprisingly, almost six times as many Londoners believe that boroughs north of the river have superior transport services overall, with just six percent of respondents maintaining that the links are better in the south.

The report’s author, Assembly Member Andrew Boff, said that it was incumbent on the Mayor to abolish the “unacceptable transport inequality” by prioritising transport upgrades in South London, improving the state of TfL’s finances and developing a new transport strategy for South London.

Commenting, Andrew Boff AM said:

“Transport isn’t just about getting people from A to B; past infrastructure upgrades in London have significantly improved quality of life, put rocket boosters under regeneration and housebuilding and enhanced employment opportunities. This means that redressing the unacceptable transport inequality between north and south London is essential to enhancing social justice and spreading opportunity.

“Our report casts new light on how South Londoners are having to deal with a transport system which is significantly poorer in comparison to the rest of the city. Any Mayor interested in combatting inequality would seek to redress the balance as a matter of urgency.

“Sadly, Sadiq Khan has failed to deliver the transport changes that South London so desperately needs. He’s admitted that TfL hasn’t carried out a single piece of research into the challenges faced by South London commuters under his mayoralty, while a whole host of infrastructure upgrades – from the Sutton Tram to the Bakerloo Line extension – have been cancelled or postponed.

“The next Mayor of London needs to develop a transport strategy for boroughs south of the river, meticulously monitor the inequality gap that currently exists and prioritise infrastructure upgrades in South London. In order for these infrastructure upgrades to go ahead, the terrible mess that Sadiq Khan has made of the TfL finances needs to be cleared up.”