The 2012 election for Mayor of London took on a nail biting climax after early feelings of a landslide victory by Conservative candidate and incumbent, Boris Johnson were replaced by tense anticipation of a narrow margin win by either Johnson or Labour candidate and former Mayor, Ken Livingstone. The election result came in towards the last few minutes of the 4th of May after an over 25 hour wait for all London constituency results to come through. Delays had been incurred through computer problems related to counting of votes at Alexandra Palace at the start of proceedings and a recount of votes in the Brent & Harrow constituency.

The following is the verbatim of the transport pledges set out by Boris Johnson in his manifesto.

Protect investment in transport infrastructure to complete the upgrade of the Northern line and maintain momentum in delivering the upgrade of the Circle, Metropolitan, District and Hammersmith and City lines to support London’s economy and transform the network. I will not cut £1.14 billion from transport funding and put the upgrades at risk.

„Cut delays on the Tube by a further 30 per cent through my delay-busting plan.

„Ensure Crossrail stays on track, on time and on budget, bringing 1.5 million people within a 45 minute commute of the existing major employment centres of the West End, the City and Canary Wharf.

„Introduce Automatic Train Control on 48 per cent of London Underground rolling stock by the end of 2014, paving the way for the first driverless train within a decade.

„Insist that funding for Crossrail 2 from Chelsea to Hackney is part of the HS2 link.

„Secure from Government changes in Britain’s strike laws to introduce 50% minimum
turnout on ballots.

„Ensure transparency and honesty over fares policy.

„Protect the 24-hour Freedom Pass and ensure that it is available on TfL services to all
Londoners from age 60.

„Lobby the Train Operating Companies to extend the Freedom Pass for use on suburban rail before 9.30am.

„Guarantee concessionary fares for the elderly, young, job seekers and injured veterans.

„Introduce contactless ‘wave and pay’ style payments on the transport network, allowing
passengers to pay with their credit cards and mobile phones.

„Introduce a Courtesy Card to require those under 16s who benefit from free travel on the buses to treat other travellers with respect.

„Lobby the government to devolve rail franchising powers to the Mayor so that TfL can specify the standards to be achieved by private Train Operating Companies: this will allow me to hold down fares; aim for a minimum frequency of service of four trains an hour on local services; improve the conditions of rundown suburban rail stations and improve safety, with more station staff and CCTV.

„Work to extend the DLR from Lewisham to Bromley.

„Aim to develop a Tramlink extension to Crystal Palace.

Work with Network Rail on proposals for longer trains and increased capacity on the suburban network at stations on routes in and around London.

„Protect the network in full from Ken Livingstone’s plans to take £1.14 billion out of the transport budget, especially the suburban bus services on which so many people rely.

„Roll out the New Bus for London with 600 vehicles on London’s streets by the end of my term in 2016 as existing buses are decommissioned; and at no more cost than an existing hybrid bus.

„Roll out countdown machines to give people more real-time arrival information and improve passengers’ journeys.

„Continue to ensure that ramps on buses should always work and more bus stops are accessible.

„Launch a Congestion Busting Plan to:
• establish a £50 million Roads Blackspot Fund to relieve congestion at key locations in
London;
• establish the London Roads Task Force to propose long-term proposals to tackle London’s most notorious roads, including locations such as Hammersmith Flyover, Purley Way, Wandsworth Town Centre, Euston Road, Archway, and Kings Cross;
• introduce Lane Rental to tackle road works and expand the ‘Report It’ system to potholes;
• expand the role of the Metropolitan Police’s traffic police to keep traffic moving, including reopening roads faster after accidents; and continue to review the phasing of traffic lights to improve conditions for all road users.

„Direct money from Lane Rental to reduce the congestion caused by road works.

„Promote more shared space improvements to our public realm.

„Call on each borough to review parking in non-residential, strategic shopping areas to reduce any negative impact on businesses.

„Crack down on dangerous rickshaws.

„Set up a ‘Cabbie Cabinet’.

„Expand pedestrian countdown to continue to make crossings safer.

„Drive forward a new road tunnel under the river between Greenwich Peninsula and Silvertown.

„Lobby the Government for those living in Havering and Bexley to receive the same discounts on the Dartford Crossing as residents in Dartford and Thurrock.

„Never introduce a London-wide Congestion Charge or a £25 tax on family cars.

„Expand Cycle Hire to West and East, and explore expansion to parts of South London and town centres in outer London, including Bromley, Croydon, Hounslow, Kingston, Richmond, and Romford town centres.

„Improve cycle safety by reviewing the 500 cycle accident hotspots.

„Triple the number of cycle super-highways.

„Host a world-class cycling festival at the Olympic Park.

„Launch a new car ferry service at Thamesmead to Gallions Reach.

„Examine the feasibility of a new pedestrian river crossing between Vauxhall and Chelsea
bridges.

„Aim to double the capacity of river travel on the Thames by 2020 by creating new piers and increasing capacity to 12 million travellers a year.

„Protect the jobs and wider economic prosperity created by the global connections with suppliers and markets that Heathrow provides.

„Continue to oppose a third runway at Heathrow and oppose any changes in operation that measurably harm local people.

„Fight for a reduction in night flights and to ban the oldest, noisiest aircraft from Heathrow’s densely populated flight paths.

„Lobby for an increase in London’s aviation capacity through the development of a new hub airport.