TfL commissioner Peter Hendy gave a lecture at the LSE last Tuesday as part of the Urban Age programme on the future of cities. I couldn't be there to hear it, but I've been sent a CD. I found it both interesting and astute. Hendy kicked off with an anecdote about using the LSE toilets when he was a conductor on the No 11 long, long ago before explaining TfL's function and its relationship with the mayoralty. "The mayor decides and we deliver," he said, adding that the mayoralty's advent has meant a partial redress of historic under-investment in London's transport: there just aren't enough London MPs to force up the budget, he explained.
The parts about Boris repay re-listening. Hendy paid tribute to him for recognising the importance of chairing the TfL board, and did so without mentioning Tim Parker or using the word "belatedly." He said that "to the surprise of many, Boris is as keen on social inclusion as Ken was." He had a good story about the part good transport links can play in this, saying that every time a new orbital bus service is launched there's trickle of letters along the lines of, "thanks for that, now I can take a job as a cleaner at the airport." Let's hope the Boris years produce more of those.
After that, Hendy summarised the new Mayor's policy areas, defending the recent dropping of those Livingstone era infrastructure projects (the one point where he voiced disagreement with his previous boss), insisting that Johnson really is committed to a "cycling revolution" (as Kulveer Ranger did on the Politics Show this afternoon) and revealing that he and Boris had had a valuable discussion about this when cycled into town together from Clapham recently. Picture that scene.
A particular point of interest was his pledge to give a thousand pounds to the chosen charity of "anyone who can prove I was in favour of the Thames Gateway Bridge." Did I detect a message being sent to Sockistan? He also said he "not apologetic about losing the old Routemasters," and during questions at the end, he politely declined to reveal the outcome of the WEZ consultation. All in all, an assured performance both in terms of transport knowledge and political diplomacy. At TfL quiet pride is taken in the efficiency with which it has put itself at the new mayor's service. This was a demonstration of it.
