Sadiq Khan has vowed to rule out introducing “any form of pay-per-mile smart road user charging system” as he set out his plans for a third term at City Hall.He also pledged to continue his partial Tube and bus fares freeze “as long as economic conditions allow” and to try to bring the Olympics back to London in 2040.The Labour mayor used his 2024 manifesto, which he launched on Thursday, to attempt to shut down Tory claims that motorists face a new levy to drive in London if he wins a third term in a fortnight.The row has raged since he mentioned road pricing in his book, Breathe, published a year ago and after Transport for London began work on its future road charging systems as it looks up upgrade the “back office” technology required for the Ulez and congestion charge.The manifesto, unveiled at an event in North Greenwich in which he was accompanied by under fire Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, includes plans for a “second Superloop” route of express buses in outer London.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00So, here it is, Sadiq Khan's 2024 Mayoral Manifesto.
00:05At times it's felt harder to get hold of than a JK Rowling blockbuster,
00:10but it's out today and Sadiq Khan has been talking about it here in Greenwich.
00:14In your manifesto you categorically rule out pay per mile.
00:18Why did you feel the need to do that?
00:20I don't think I've ever seen in a campaign as many lies, misinformation
00:26and disinformation that I've seen from the Tories in this campaign.
00:30And the concern we have is some Londoners may fall for these underhand tactics by the Tories.
00:36And so, to avoid the scaremongering, fairmongering and lies
00:40leading to Londoners believing that, we've been quite explicit in this manifesto, it's not happening.
00:45You did mention it in your book though, didn't you, and that was less than a year ago.
00:49Isn't actually pay per mile a really good idea?
00:52So, we were talking then about not expanding UNESCO to all of London.
00:56And so, the reason why pay per mile is not required in the short to medium term,
01:00and I've ruled out as long as I'm mayor,
01:02is because actually we've got the biggest cleaners zone in the world.
01:05We've got a situation now where I'm promising if I'm re-elected,
01:09not to wait till 2034 for our buses to be zero emission, but by 2030.
01:14We now have more than a third of the country's charging points,
01:17more than a thousand rapid charging points,
01:18but I'm promising if I'm re-elected to have 40,000 charging points by the end of this decade.
01:23We're also promising, by the way,
01:25to have more cycle parking for those who want to cycle 40,000 as well.
01:28So, we're doing other things, which means pay per mile is no longer on the radar or on the agenda.
01:33There is an argument, which you talked about in relation to other cities looking into as well,
01:37which is the issue of simplifying schemes for those who are driving.
01:41I'm quite clear that as long as I'm mayor, we're only doing PPM.
01:44So, what does this manifesto actually say?
01:47Well, there's a blockbuster pledge to continue providing free school meals
01:52for all London primary school children for four more years.
01:56This was begun about a year ago because of the cost of living crisis
02:00and has proved exceptionally popular.
02:03There's also a promise to try to maintain the fares freeze.
02:07Fares are currently frozen, at least partially, until March next year.
02:11And Sadiq says that if the economy allows,
02:14then he will maintain the partial fares freeze,
02:17which essentially means that single pay-as-you-go fares are frozen year after year.
02:22And thirdly, there's a big hint that he will try to bid for the 2040 Olympics
02:28to bring the world's greatest sporting occasion back to London.
02:31It was last year in 2012.
02:33Can it come back again to the Olympic Park?
02:35Well, Sadiq is going to give it a crack.