What are the new transport priorities and how can TfL’s financial sustainability be secured? London doesn't function without public transport. And our pre-pandemic public transport funding models don't function without passengers. Nowhere is this more acute than for Transport for London. Revenues for the capital's transport authority were nearly twice as dependent on passenger fares as comparable cities. Now, of course, the network is reliant on hand-to-mouth handouts from central government. This is not a recipe for long term economic success, nor for hitting our net zero targets in the capital. London First has argued that a new funding model must be built for the city we want to see in the 2030s, but what does this city look like? And what is the role of an integrated transport authority in it? And how do we make the sums add up in a way that is both fair and sustainable?

There has been a lot of focus on carbon reduction, but less on the growth and jobs opportunities from doubling the size of the green economy by the Mayor’s stated target of 2030. London has a strong track record on decarbonisation as a C40 city – with CO2 emissions down 40% in 2017 vs. 2000 – but has a long way to go to achieve net zero (or intermediary targets). At the same time the capital has many distinctive competitive advantages that could lend it to being a first mover both in the UK, and globally.

The infrastructure sector employs a significant proportion of London’s workforce and it’s important that it represents the Londoners it serves, but some groups remain underrepresented. Britain Thinks published a report for the GLA in 2020 examining diversity and inclusion in the sector. It highlighted the significant under-representation of diverse groups across the workforce and in the infrastructure sector particularly. These organisations have a lower-than-average representation of women, ethnicity and are also less likely to implement initiatives that support the LGBTQ+ community. 

This session will explore how to help promote an inclusive recovery in London; What are the barriers to underrepresented groups entering the infrastructure sector? What more could be done to foster an inclusive environment? and will aim to shine the light on examples of best practise in overcoming barriers to recruit, support and develop a more diverse workforce.

Covid-19 has challenged fundamental assumptions about the world’s largest cities. Cities across the world have seen an unprecedented level of change: initially this was in response to massive, enforced, changes to behaviour, but as Covid recedes, cities across the world have become creative in their recoveries. Urban life is coming back with innovations in transport pricing, new designs for street usage, and fundamental questions about long-term demand for all forms of urban infrastructure. By bringing together voices from major cities around the world, we hope to spark discussions about how global cities continue to reinvent themselves post-Covid. 

Sustaining TfL’s operations has dominated discussions around funding for London’s transport network, but delivering new transport projects will be critical for the capital’s future. Post-covid, case-making for transport projects will need to centre on placemaking opportunities and Mayor Sadiq Khan stated in his manifesto that he would prioritise delivering the DLR extension to Thamesmead, which has the potential to help promote tens of thousands of new homes for Londoners and transform Thamesmead in the London Borough of Bexley into a thriving new quarter of London. While progress is being made on feasibility work for the proposed DLR extension, there is more work to do about how it will be funded. This session will bring together the key public and private sector stakeholders to set out the vision for the Thamesmead

The UK has set a target to reduce emissions to net-zero carbon by 2050. To achieve this ambitious target, we as a country will need to think carefully about the wide range of carbon emissions sources, and how best to reduce these.  Electric vehicles are not the silver bullet, but they are an important weapon in the fight against poor air quality and climate change. It is necessary for London to act to enable the transition to electric vehicles. At the end of this decade, sales of new internal combustion engine cars and vans across the UK will be banned. So it is also necessary for London to act now.  Some of the challenges are ‘hard’ challenges. For example, ensuring that the right charging infrastructure exists in the right places, and that the energy grid can cope with the demand. Others are ‘softer’ challenges, such as providing the right incentives to enable drivers to make the switch. This session will look at these challenges and discuss how London should approach optimising EV infrastructure delivery.

After more than a year of Streetspace interventions in response to the pandemic, and three months of the London e-scooter trial, what is the future of micromobility and active travel in the capital? Is the increase in walking and cycling sticking now that the city is out of lockdown? What is the role of cycle and e-scooter hire schemes in the economic recovery of the capital? What changes do we need in London’s infrastructure to encourage the routine adoption of micro-mobility modes?  And where do we go next as we seek safer, greener journeys and more liveable neighbourhoods?