Sadiq Khan has been accused of being “asleep at the wheel” as the London Mayor was slammed for allowing a “labryinth of traffic gridlock” in the capital.
Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall claimed London’s black cab trade has been “entangled in red tape”.
In an Op-Ed for GB News, Hall said: “Take a trip across London, and the iconic black cabs are a common sight.
“They’re not just a way to get around; the black cab symbolises our city’s historic character and resilience.
Sadiq Khan has been accused of being “asleep at the wheel”
PA
“But, under Mayor Sadiq Khans’ watch, our cabbies have not been treated right – they’ve been entangled in red tape, locked out of city hall, and left to navigate through the labyrinth of traffic gridlock.”
She added: “But it isn’t just these charges that are pounding this trade.
“Congestion on the streets is hardly helping, either.
“We all know traffic is hardly a new gripe in the city, but it just seems to be getting worse.
“There was news last week that Transport for London bus drivers are considering strike action because of the gridlock caused by LTNs.
“Whilst it’s hitting everyone, cabbies are left to pay the price with fewer jobs coming in when the streets they navigate daily are choked with gridlock, often exacerbated by the very LTNs purportedly designed to bring this congestion down.
“I get it; drivers and passengers will be frustrated with a high-minded policy like this that doesn’t seem to work in practice. Cabbies are rightly wound up with the consequences of policies that were meant to enhance, not impede, the flow of traffic.
“Sadiq, however, just doesn’t seem to care. And I can’t say I’m shocked – he seems to be asleep at the wheel these days.”
The Mayor has faced criticism for the expansion of the Ulez zone in London, which was extended to cover the whole of outer London.
Hall has said she will reverse the scheme if she is elected mayor.
But Khan has defended the expansion, which rolled out to the whole of outer London earlier this year, saying: “More than half of Londoners with asthma live in outer London.
“Twenty-four of the 30 GPS with the largest number of asthma patients are all in outer London.
ULEZ FURY:
“Nobody put up with dirty water, we shouldn’t put up with dirty air.”
The Mayor also said he has put in changes to support Londoners with non-compliant cars, including putting more money towards the scrappage scheme.
The scheme provides financial assistance to help eligible London residents scrap vehicles that don’t meet the Ulez emissions standards.
