London Mayor Sadiq Khan has fired at motorists once again, claiming it would be a “problem” if everyone used cars in the capital. He stressed it would not be okay for everybody to “jump in a car” to get around the city with other options needed. The Mayor stressed that “alternatives to cars” were urgently needed, with a focus on more affordable public transport options and cycling on his radar.
Mr Khan accepted that some Londoners have “got to use their cars or vans” for work but seemed to suggest it was “easier to walk” in many circumstances. Sadiq Khan made the remarks in a feature-length YouTube interview with Dr Hilary.
Speaking on The Dr Hilary Show, Mr Khan said: “Firstly, look, we’re a city that is now a city of 9.7 million. That’s before you include people coming every day, working and so forth.
“Now, we’re no longer a Roman village. So, if everybody jumps in a car, there’s a problem. So, what we’ve got to do is make it easier for people to have alternatives to using their cars where possible.
“Some people have clearly got to use their car or their van if they are a plumber, electrician or whatever. So, easier to walk, wider pavements, easier to cycle and making it safer.
“We’ve increased fourfold the amount of cycle network. Why? Because cyclists are fine when they’re confident, but often you’re not confident because you’re worried about being run over.”
The interview comes just weeks after Sadiq Khan opened a consultation to ban vehicles across a major tourist hub.
A public consultation has been opened on whether to pedestrianise Oxford Street after plans were first announced last year.
If approved, vehicles would be completely banned from using the road between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch.
However, last week Mr Kahn suggested he would not tighten Ultra Low-Emissions Zone (ULEZ) rules anytime soon.
The expansion of London’s ULEZ scheme back in August 2023 was widely controversial with protests against the move.
A recent analysis found that as many as 97.5% of cars now comply with the ULEZ criteria.
Speaking to the Standard, Mr Kahn commented: “I have got no plans to move the goalposts in relation to the ULEZ standards.
“Londoners have done, and are doing, the right thing: getting rid of non-compliant vehicles and, when they need a car, getting a compliant vehicle.”