please empty your brain below
Cost control is an ongoing process, businesses find new ways to save money every year, why should not government?
Council tax, I assume that £445 is from against future inflation. Of course the even bigger comparison would be how much you taxes would rise under Ken. We know his track record. Especially with all his campaign promises that fall apart after a moments examination.
If he can deliver another 1,000 police men, well fine. Whether anything more than 10% ever patrol, is another thing.
No political manifesto stands up to scrutiny. Anyone ever recall coming to the end of a term and saying: "Yes, this one did do everything".
That said... TfL are quite clear that Ken's 7% fare reduction can only be financed by drastically curtailing the Sub Surface Upgrade - so maybe Boris does have a valid point.
The tube is no better in terms of performance (IMHO slightly worse) than what it was back in 2004/2005.
Improving accessibility, giving the staff shiny news radios and making them adhere to health & safety policies dreamt up by desk-bound manager, does not actually make for a better service or make the trains run on time.
Hang on i'm, ranting.. and i and don't want to turn into a grumpy old man who complains about things all the time...
Trouble is - who to vote for instead who has any hope of defeating him? I can't find any enthusiasm to vote for Ken this time. For a man who has championed diversity and equality throughout his political career, Ken is picking some very strange and scary friends at the moment.
'Improving accessibility... does not make for a better service.'
Better accessibility is a boon for all users of the underground.
Installing a lift means long distance travellers no longer have to lug heavy suitcases up and down escalators or stairs - which is good for the person with the suitcase, and good for all the commuters who would have been stuck behind them on the stairs.
To say nothing of the wheelchair bound, who get to go places they could never get to before.
After that.... I suppose it has to be Ken over Boris, there are too many reasons why Ken is better for London, and Boris worse. Wish there was a better choice.
G
Since making the tube more accessible, I have not seen a single - NOT ONE - passenger in a wheelchair. Ironic really that their 'accessibility' symbol is that of a wheelchair, when in reality it should be of a child-carrying vehicle...
i'd like the tube to have a better service.
- i'd like to see Piccadilly drivers not abandon their train at South Harrow for two minutes to use the toilet meaning i miss my connection further down the line
- i'd like to have trains announce where they are going BEFORE the doors close thus actually allowing me to get off the train if i'm on the wrong one.
- i'd like to see major Zone 1 & Zone 2 stations actually have accurate 'Next train...' information boards, which is a better indication of how the service is really running over any pre-recorded announcement.
- i'd like not to be told continually there is a 'Good Service' when i've just missed a train and have to wait 18 minutes for the next one
- i'd like for trains not to linger for five minutes outside terminating station being told "we are waiting for a spare platform" when upon arrival there is a spare platform in addition to the one i've just arrived in (and no other train has left)
- i'd like there to be enough drivers on the Central Line so that they don't continually cancel trains and turn them early
- i'd like TfL/LU to spend NO MONEY whatsoever on telling us they are 'upgrading the tube', because for as long as I remember the Underground is continually have works done to is somewhere, and every single penny that they have spent on publicity and promotional material could be spent on fixing any of the things i have mentioned above instead...
Which line/lines do you travel on? Some (e.g. the Victoria) only have a couple of accessible stations for the whole line.
And not all disabled people use wheelchairs.
In Lord of the Rings they had a shorter walk... :)
I only picked up on your accessibility comment - can't disagree with the rest of your post.
If you've a better idea for a graphic symbol to denote step free access than a wheelchair, I'm sure TfL would like to hear from you!
Of course it's all nonsense. Their saving is based on the notion that ken would continue to increase the Mayor of London precept at something like 7% like he did in his first term. But in his second term, the precept didn't go up anywhere near as much. And what Ken would have done had he won last time is completely unknown.
Essentially is a big fat lie. But as we're talking about politics here, we can politely call it spin.
I don't normally comment, but I definitely agree with you on the terminating trains point - Jubilee Line terminating at Stratford comes to mind!
I hope we get more than some trees - we got some of Boris's last lot of trees. Of the three planted only one remains.
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