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. 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.
The mayor's ill-fated fascination with ridding London of cars hasn’t helped this with so-called 'Low Traffic Neighborhoods' (LTNs) being rolled out left, right and centre. For Sadiq, LTNs are just another weapon to be used in his war on London’s motorists, another tool in his kit as he tries to impose his vision of a carless city on unwilling Londoners.
It won’t be how I do things if Londoners vote me into office in May.
London cabbies deserve a mayor that is on their side because time and time again it is cabbies who stand up for Londoners. I’ve witnessed firsthand the struggles this trade faces every week. I am inundated with stories from cabbies of ludicrous road schemes, passengers hit by Sadiq's unfair Ulez expansion, and Londoners worried about Sadiq's plot to bring in universal road user charging should he keep the top job next May.
Last week, I wondered about how the introduction of ‘pay-per-mile’ would change the cab trade.
If the Mayor sneaks in road user charging by the back door, are we facing a future where cabbies have two meters above the dash? One for their fare, and the other for Sadiqs?
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.
I’d make sure local councils across London had the power to sort this out, to get rid of bothersome LTNs quickly if they needed to. Locals would get a say too. Why? Because local communities must have a say in policies that directly impact their day-to-day life. Let’s make the process simpler and make it easier for councils to remove or adjust these schemes where there is local support. London's cabbies deserve roads free from unnecessary problems, allowing them to provide the top-tier seamless service we all know and love.
We need a reset in how the cab trade works with city hall – and that starts with getting Sadiq out, and me in. A mayor that wants to work with the cabbies, not see them off the streets. Policies that impact the cabbies need to be made with them in mind. It's time to shift away from a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach and embrace a strategy that reflects the needs of our city.
The struggles faced by our cabbies under Sadiq Khan's heavy-handed anti-car administration are proof of a broader problem – a lack of understanding and support for the backbone of our city's transport network. I believe in championing policies that prioritise the interests of Londoners and those who contribute significantly to our city's life. Cabbies are not just drivers; they are the heartbeat of London's streets, and its high time they stopped getting nobbled by this Mayor.
If I’m voted in next May, as your Mayor, I will work tirelessly to cut the red tape and bring down the traffic gridlock that plagues our cabbies. By giving local councils a hand up, scrapping the unfair Ulez expansion, and getting cabbies around the table, I will put my foot on the gas for an era where our iconic black cabs can navigate London's streets smoothly and efficiently, ensuring reliable and convenient service for all Londoners. Together, let's back our cabbies and keep London moving.
Susan Hall is the Conservative Party candidate for the London Mayoralty.
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