Nuxx:991d31a9-8a94-4379-abe5-e88f4be98264@k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com

Path: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!postnews.google.com!k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail Message-ID: <991d31a9-8a94-4379-abe5-e88f4be98264@k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com> From: Nuxx Bar  Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re=3A_Ken=27s_=A318m_plan_for_Parliament_Square_is_scrapp?= =?ISO-8859-1?Q?ed?= Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 08:09:40 -0700 (PDT) References:  Lines: 69 Organization: http://groups.google.com NNTP-Posting-Host: 88.105.129.172 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: posting.google.com 1218035380 11659 127.0.0.1 (6 Aug 2008 15:09:40 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:09:40 +0000 (UTC) Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com; posting-host=88.105.129.172; posting-account=7_6kYAkAAABD6HrjM0VxehwvZOKMxm4g User-Agent: G2/1.0 X-HTTP-UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; en-GB; rv:1.9.0.1) Gecko/2008070208 Firefox/3.0.1,gzip(gfe),gzip(gfe) Bytes: 4569 Xref: perfectly-safe.chapmancentral.co.uk uk.rec.cycling:661265

On Aug 6, 4:08=A0pm, Nuxx Bar  wrote: > Hooray hooray. =A0Another one of Livingstone's spiteful anti-motorist > plans is flushed down the toilet like the shit it is. =A0No wonder > Spindrift and the other trolls hate Boris so much. =A0He's probably had > many death threats by now. =A0He'll probably have to evacuate City Hall > soon if Spindrift gets his way. > > Increasing green space is all very well, but there's no reason why it > has to be done at the expense of motorists. > > Ken's =A318m plan for Parliament Square is scrapped > > Katharine Barney, Evening Standard > 06.08.08 > > Plans to pedestrianise Parliament Square have been scrapped by the > Mayor. > > Boris Johnson had previously said he would put his predecessor's > proposals on hold to study the impact on motorists. But today he > announced he will cancel the =A318 million plans, claiming the move > would cost too much, destroy green space and cause congestion. > > Transport for London advised the Mayor that the required > pedestrianisation would have a significant negative impact on traffic > flow, not only in Westminster but also in central London. > > Mr Johnson said: "There is absolutely no sense in Londoners paying =A318 > million from their already stretched transport budget in order to > reduce capacity on London's roads. > > "The last mayor was famed for his love of blocking the traffic but > this scheme was a step too far. We are committed to ambitious urban > realm projects, but not this one." However, the decision sparked anger > from environmentalists who branded it an "idiotic" decision. Green > Party London Assembly Member Jenny Jones said: "The pedestrianisation > of Parliament Square was a key decision and an important move to make > London more beautiful and tourist friendly. This is a disastrous and > idiotic decision." > > Ms Jones also said she feared for similar projects on Victoria > Embankment and Tottenham Hale which had been agreed under Ken > Livingstone. > > They were all part of the former mayor's 100 public spaces programme > pushed aside by Mr Johnson, The Mayor says he is committed to > improving open spaces but will do so by following his own strategy and > not that of his predecessor. He has already absorbed the programme's > sponsor design organisation Design for London-into the London > Development Agency. > > Now Mr Livingstone has added his comments to the row and lambasted Mr > Johnson for cost cutting and hypocrisy. > > Speaking to Building Design magazine, he said: "This is an > administration that is basically cost-cutting. Boris doesn't want to > end up in upsetting the motorists and the AA. It should be an amazing > world square, not a squalid traffic roundabout." > > But a spokesman for Mr Johnson said he was determined to improve > public areas but would do so in a realistic and achievable time frame. > > He said: "The Mayor is committed to delivering important public realm > improvements but the 100 public spaces programme was highly > aspirational with only five schemes completed after eight years and 13 > more proposed. In due course the Mayor will announce his own strategy > for public space improvements."

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