LONDON TRANSPORT

Motion Text

That this House welcomes the Government's acknowledgement, in its Green Paper on transport, that a policy encouraging people to leave their cars at home and to use alternative forms of transport is now widely supported by the British public, that the emphasis must now be switched from roads to public transport and that more weight must be put on public transport in future spending decisions; believes now is an appropriate time to address the inadequate levels of London Transport core grant as cuts in this funding are delaying urgent improvements on the scale that is required to meet present day requirments and to overcome the deterioration brought about by decades of underinvestment; believes that the use of above-inflation fare increases is putting the cost of public transport beyond the reach of London's poorest and should be abandoned; and urges the Government to declare that there will be no further cuts in London Transport's core grant, that where public and private finance fails to meet London Transport's core grant, that where public and private finance fails to meet London Transport's investment needs there will be an increase in public funding to help bridge the gap and that the policy of fare capping on Britain's railways will be extended to London's tube and buses; and further urges the Government to use savings from the roads programme and higher revenues from fuel duty to increase London Transport's core grant in order to speed up improvements and finance the capping of fares.