How to raise £1bn annually for net zero transport

This article contains a fivefold strategy for the mayor, assembly and parliament to pursue: i) Turn all paths into shared paths throughout London and the metropolitan greenbelt, with minimum width set by secondary legislation; ii) Create half a dozen bike priority outer borough town centres; iii) Extend the DLR, Tram and Overground in the outer boroughs; iv) Build 3-4 suspension swing bridges; two short rail tunnels; and v) Build up to eight car and lower van toll tunnels.

There are three purposes for the toll tunnels: i) To raise revenue for bike, pedestrian, and public transport investments and improvements; ii) To nudge most outer and inner borough households into e-vehicles; and iii) To make north-south journeys and south-south journeys more comparable to east-west journeys (M4, A40), and diagonal journeys.

There are additional benefits of the toll tunnels, direct and indirect: To London households, businesses, productivity, competitiveness, and society at large; Less pollution and noise; Better access for vans, lorries, cyclists and similar; On the new toll, and the existing (strategic) road network; Improved access, for the self employed, SME and skilled professionals.

• How to raise £1bn annually for net zero transport (pdf 4p)
• Planning in London 

Brothers in Arms: London priorities for a prosperous England

England is maybe in need of a reset after fourteen years of Tory and LibDem merry-go-round governments; Akin to a banana kingdom? London is by many seen as the solution; As England's saviour in shining armour? I will in this article, argue that London and Londoners need to tweak direction, and tweak attitude: For north and middle England to resurrect and prosper. I the author, is London born, and lived for a short decade, north-of-the-north, in Edinburgh.

The future of London and England is bright and promising; But only if national, regional and local decisions makers act together, Universities, research institutions, royals, churches, businesses, unions; professional, voluntary and non-goverment organisations included. Maybe for a quarter, third, or half of these organisations, to refocus their 'reason d'etre' away from London as we know it. And for half of these organisations to anchor their centre of activities in one of the dozen largest cities elsewhere in England, away from the East South East. The rich, academics, intellectuals and educated included.

Will this be London's armageddon? Without parliament, government, lobbyist, political media, political NGOs, two dozen ministries; Altogether 50-100k high income people and professionals; Including their spending power and influence; Throughout London and the home counties? Or will London continue to succeed and prosper? Like non capital cities across the North Sea and beyond; Places such as Rotterdam, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Geneva, Zurich, Milano, Lyon and Barcelona.

What do the above strategies mean for London? Is it the end of the metropolis as we know it since 1945, 1979 or 2000? Can London adapt, tweak and nudge itself into an accelerator of prosperity; Of not just itself, but also the nine largest cities of the North, Yorkshire and Midlands included? For London, this may result in one hundred thousand fewer superior paid jobs, a quarter million fewer households, and a hundred thousand fewer students. A apocalypse or armageddon? Or a manageable tweak of direction? Improving social mobility, social well being, and quality of life. Both for Londoners within a streamlined London. And for the inhabitants of the nine largest cities of northern and middle England.

• Brothers in Arm PiL133 3p PDF
• Planning in London