Now that the snow has (hopefully!) left us for the foreseeable future, I think it’s time to sit back and have a good think about the aviation fiasco which took hold of us last month and question for example, whether we can expect Heathrow to cope with the additional passengers coming to London for the Olympics in 2012? 

 Lets face it, it has demonstrated a pretty poor record when faced with adverse conditions like snow, strikes and security issues recently.  These have all caused unacceptable disruption to passengers, or in the case of snow, caused the airport to close altogether.

It is well known that BAA would ideally like to build another runway at Heathrow and cite capacity issues as the driver for that, but as recent events show that they can’t manage the airport adequately with the existing capacity, to have increased that would simply exacerbate the problems.

Given the operational difficulties at Heathrow whenever we’ve had adverse weather like snow, strikes and security concerns during peak travel times in the year like Easter, summer and winter breaks, will it be able to cope with the Olympics?”

A Presentation to the Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee (HACC) meeting before Christmas showed that up to 90 per cent of the Olympic family will be passing through Heathrow Airport during two particular weekends in July and August 2012.  In 2012 more than ever, London will be on show to the world and many foreign visitors, including almost all the Olympic family will be using Heathrow airport.  Granted, we’re unlikely to have snow in the middle of summer, but BAA needs to up their game and be fully prepared for every eventuality.  If Heathrow has to close during the Olympics, it will make London a laughing-stock.

A High Court ruling today blocked resident’s attempt to stop an increase in flights to and from City Airport.  Members of the “Fight the Flights” campaign argued that noise pollution levels at the airport are already very high and therefore any further increase would result in an unbearable increase in levels of noise and disruption to their lives.

The legal challenge was based upon Newham Council’s failure to consult neighbouring London Boroughs of Waltham Forest or Redbridge or their residents before permitting an increase in flights from between 70,000 and 80,000 per annum to 120000.

Murad Qureshi who is deputy Chair of the London Assembly Environment Committee has supported the campaign by Fight the Flights by raising the issue of air pollution and the plight of residents at Mayor’s Question Time.

http://mqt.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question.do?id=32300

http://mqt.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question.do?id=30897

http://mqt.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question.do?id=29882

Murad said: “This was a case which challenged Newham’s decision based upon its technical decision making process.  The court has not ruled upon the morality of Newham’s decision”

“The outcome of this ruling means that Newham Council are able to make a decision which has vast consequences on the quality of so many people’s lives but without proper consultation, this is inherently wrong regardless of the legal technical merits of the case”

Murad goes onto say: “The Mayor should use his office to at least make a case for the many Londoners who will be affected by this decision.  The fact that a decision may be outside of his direct powers has not stopped him commenting in the past.  Only this week, he has spoken up against his own party’s policy in advocating massive airport expansion.  It seems that Boris only speaks up when it suits his own agenda, this is not good for Londoners”

 Ends

Notes

For further information please contact Nikki Salih, PA to Murad Qureshi, on 020 7983 4400

The London Air Quality Monitoring Statistics produced by Kings College London show that the number of days pollution levels recorded at the site fell outside the Government’s Air Quality Strategy Objectives in 2010 topped a staggering 91 days.

This figure massively exceeds the EU recommended level of 35 days.

London Assembly member, Murad Qureshi, said: “These figures reveal the stark and dangerous reality of air pollution in Acton. It’s a problem which has gone on for too long and which requires affirmative action, from the council, mayor and government. 

“Despite a well organised residents’ campaign they have been let down by the authorities. The importance of air quality and the devastating effect on people’s health is simply not given enough credence by the Mayor.

“I intend to keep pushing for action and in particular for more concrete action from the Mayor and TfL who don’t appear to have a grip on this issue.  Lip service and monitoring alone do not reduce air pollution”

The plight of residents of Horn Lane in Acton was highlighted by Londonwide Assembly member Murad Qureshi at a meeting of the London Assembly’s Environment Committee.  The Committee met last week and were able to question representatives from Transport for London about steps they were taking to reduce air pollution in the capital.  Labour assembly member Murad Qureshi who is also deputy chair of the Environment Committee chose Horn Lane as a prime example of where immediate action was needed.

The Environment Committee intends to continue its investigation into pollution hotspots in the forthcoming year.

The minutes of this and other meetings of the Environment committee can be viewed at: http://www.london.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeId=143

Ends

Notes

For further information please contact Nikki Salih, PA to Murad Qureshi, on 020 7983 4400

Now l have said before that l cannot see why we can’t have both Spurs and West Ham share the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 games in London (similar to Rome). Alas we did not get a joint bid for the stadium so it’s a straight tug of war between the two London clubs.

I was persuaded in favour of one club as a result of my trip as an away fan to the big game yesterday at White Hart Lane.  This experience once again confirmed in my mind that the current Spurs stadium is definately not the easiest ground to get to by public transport, especially after queuing at the station in the rain following a treck down an incredibly busy Seven Sisters road. There are similar issues at Upton Park, however,  not to the same extent, as thankfully, there are more options for leaving the vicinity around the ground.   The issue of sports travel is an area which was examined in a report produced by the London Transport Committee which looked at sports travel in London and in particular ways in which to enhance travel for fans to and from sporting events .

On the other hand, transport links to the Olympic Stadium are excellent, so inevitably, for an away supporter travelling to either of the clubs proposing to move there, travel will be lot easier but the reality at the moment is that only one is likely to remain in the premiership to host top flight games

So, that’s 2 very good reasons why it has to be Tottenham Hotspurs for me to win the bid.  Having said this, I am concerned that the loss of the these grounds in North London will spell the death of the locality, as many like me, who live and work outside of the area have little reason to visit Tottenham without the pull of the Spurs grounds. So, with my London-wide assembly hat firmly on, I would advocate some serious stragetic thinking, because it would indeed be a great shame for a local area and it’s economy to lose out as a result of such a move as it would take many decades to replace the club with anything similar to the scale of presence which it currently commands in the locality.

As for the issue of other uses for the stadium, such as athletics, it’s hard to see how it can ever be filled again as it will be during the 2012 games.  This point was particularly well argued by Paul Hayward in his sports blog in the Observer yesterday.  His piece also highlights the rather more realistic and viable offer by Spurs to revamp Crystal Palace athletics stadium as part of the deal.  Even this long standing iconic venue  struggles to host more than one or two major events annually so it would indeed be non sensical if the Olympic Stadium were to be forced down a similar track.

Another argument which has been mooted against Spurs, are clubs leaving their home turf.  In fact clubs have moved around in London before.  Look at Arsenal which moved from Woolwich to Highbury and Millwall from the Isle of Dogs to Lewisham.  So this is not unheard of.  In fact this is a historic opportunity for a high profile club to make a similar move to a new and what will no doubt be an equally historic venue.

In the event that West Ham are successful in getting the Olympic site, Tottenham Hotspurs, Haringey Council and Transport for London (via the Mayor) will have to take a serious look at the approved plans and improve the transport infrastructure such as the Victoria line.  This will not only benefit away fans like myself but also the tens of thousands of loyal home fans who want to watch their team play without the inevitable stampede which now takes place.  Also not forgetting the many more residents who have to carry on with their daily lives and travel around their local area which must be incredibly difficult during the big games especially.

Murad around town at the weekend

Figures in response to a question which I put to the Mayor just before the christmas break, reveal that the usage of the hire bikes tails off significantly over the weekends in comparison to weekdays ,by almost half.  This trend grew over September, October and November of 2010 and suggests to me we need to be encouraging local residents in central London to use the bikes more over the weekends.   (Not withstanding seasonal considerations, of course)

The highest  concentration of subscribers for the bike hire scheme are in Central London boroughs like the City of Westminster with 13,632 followed by Kensington & Chelsea with 8,537.   The merits of the bike scheme  have already been sold to the young professional (predominently male) commuters, so it is now time to bring on board the more casual weekend user for leisure and moving around the neighbourhood.  A good way of doing this , is by dropping the annual subscription fee which currently stands at £45.00.    There is a fundamental difference between those who select bike travel during the working week as the most expedient mode of travel during the busiest commuter time, and casual weekend users, who can take or leave the scheme because they are less time constrained or because they may choose not to make a particular journey at all.

Following his latest column in the Daily Telegraph, it would appear from a first glance that the Mayor knows his onions.  This appearance is however undermined greatly and is indeed ironic once you realise that he has failed to deliver on his own notion that we ” lasso that rampaging Indian bullock and get some more traction for Britain” .  He has managed this by closing the London offices in both Mumbai & Delhi during his term so far, so its a bit rich for him now to advocate something which he initially rejected as a waste referring to them as “embassies” during the last Mayoral contest.   He then had to be persuaded by London business to maintain them once in office, while quietly closing them down when staff lost their positions.  All this while it’s recently emerged that only 7 per cent of UK exports go to the China, India and Brazil.  These are the economies seen as the locomotive of global growth, illustrating well the foresight of Ken’s regime.

So whilst Boris may know his onions, it would appear that what he doesn’t know, is how to cook them!

Another Boris own goal

Murad Qureshi says that despite getting plenty of feedback on his two previous drafts, the Mayor’s final strategy still will not protect Londoners from unnecessary pollution levels or prevent the UK being fined by the EU for breaching air quality standards.

Murad said: “He abandoned the six monthly inspections of taxis as soon as he became Mayor, did not introduce phase 3 of the Low Emission Zone last month and over Christmas he will get rid of the West London Congestion Zone Extension.  This final air quality strategy will not make up for the regressive steps he has already taken.  We know air quality in London has deteriorated and is London’s biggest public health issue.  The EU is all over us about it.

“It’s taken him two and a half years to realise that his first step on this front – to remove the six monthly inspection of black cabs – was not at all helpful.  Now he’s decided to reinstate some form of six monthly inspections from 2013.  The third phase of the LEZ will be implemented in Jan 2012 rather than in Oct 2010.  At this rate by 2012 we’ll be back to where we were in 2008 but by then it will be too late to avoid being hit by EU fines.

“We need a Mayor to stand up for Londoners, to identify problems and deal with them and to acknowledge that air pollution kills 20 times more than road traffic accidents, although it doesn’t get the same attention.  But as usual with Boris, all we get is charm, bluster and hot air.”

London’s poor air quality kills an estimated 4,000 people in the city each year and the EU have started legal proceedings against the UK because of it, but the Mayor of this fine city thinks it better to pretend there is no problem rather than address it.

Ends.

Notes

Murad Qureshi is a Londonwide Labour Assembly Member and is the Assembly’s Labour Group Environment spokesperson.

The Mayor’s Air Quality strategy can be found here:

http://www.london.gov.uk/publication/mayors-air-quality-strategy

Further information please contact Nikki Salih at 020 7983 4400