London Mayoral elections

If you own a car, then the outcome of the elections for London mayor will no doubt  have an impact on you wallet. So we take a look at the candidates and see how their transport policies could effect you.

And after all the crosses are counted, don't forget to pick up next week's copy of Auto Express (Issue 1,011), where Britain's most outspoken motoring commentator Mike Rutherford gives his verdict.

Ken Livingstone (Labour)
- A £25 a day charge for high carbon-emitting “gas guzzlers” to enter the central
- London congestion zone and no charge for the greenest cars, with a London-wide Low Emission Zone to keep the worst polluting lorries out of London.
- Extend use of Freedom Pass (Mayor Livingstone is the only major candidate eligible for an OAP Freedom Pass on 2 May)
- Spend £600m a year on new bus routes and more frequent services. Improve services while holding down fares.
- Continue with plans for a new bridge in the Thames Gateway, a £0.5bn, six-lane motorway crossing.

Boris Johnson (Conservative)
- Reform congestion charge and scrap £25 charge
- Abolish bendy buses
- Run a competition to find a 21st century Routemaster as a replacement that has full disabled access, runs on clean fuel and has conductors.
- Allocate £2million for safe cycle parking
- Double the number of police on buses
- Put the commuter first. Rephase traffic lights to get traffic moving more smoothly
- Lobby government for powers to fine utility companies that run overtime when digging up the roads.
- Make transport more convenient

Brian Paddick (Lib Dem)
- Introduce a 20mph speed limit on residential streets
- Implement the Cross River Tram project delivering a zero-emission high-capacity tramway to Peckham, Brixton and Camden with a spur down a pedestrianised Oxford Street.
- Introduce a thousand hire bikes released to subscribers by Oystercard, plus Car Club hire cars in every locality.
- Scrap Western Zone of congestion charge, as well as the £25 charge and low-emission zone.
- Conduct a feasibility study into introducing a £10 Congestion Charge using the boundary and technology on the GLA perimeter already installed for the LEZ scheme. The charge will be targeted at long-distance car-driving weekday commuters (7am-10am).
- Introduce ‘tag and beacon’ technology which enables drivers to have the charge deducted from a screen-mounted smartcard sensor.
- Develop a billing system where congestion charge is sent to the registered keeper of vehicle once a month, or once charges reach £50 – no more fines for just forgetting
- Pedestrianise Oxford Street
- Introduce a carbon tax on new cars
- Sponsor trials for hybrid engined black cabs to replace Band G taxis
- Extend ultra-light rail tramway system

Sian Berry (Green Party)
- Founder member of the Alliance Against Urban 4x4
- A 20mph city-wide speed limit on all but a handful of major routes
- A car-free West End initially on Sundays, then every day.
- Treble the cycling budget to £150m a year. Have street bikes available across the city.
- Introduce major new tram and rail lines and an all-night Tube service at weekends.
- Rapid expansion of car clubs to lower ownership while increasing occasional access to vehicles.