27 March (Part 1) - Another Adonis
This
time it is Lord Adonis, the last Labour government’s Transport Secretary, rather than
the bare bottomed variety. He has said that
building a Thames crossing
between Beckton and Thamesmead is a ‘no brainer’.
I’m inclined to agree if only because I cannot imagine this outpost of Greater
London remaining relatively isolated for the next 50 years. A bridge is not a
totally problem free solution but sooner or later one will have to be built, so why not
solve the problems and get on with it now? If it were not for Boris Johnson and
his favourite council leader it would have been finished last year.
Lord Adonis refers to both the Nimbys currently running Bexley council and the fact the last public survey showed that
68% of Bexley residents polled were in favour
of a bridge - a higher proportion than backed Bexley council’s latest round of budget cuts.
At the moment the only party acknowledging that the north of the borough needs better transport
infrastructure is Labour.
UKIP said they were against
it last year but have more recently indicated they are reconsidering. UKIP’s
Bexley manifesto is due out next week.
As usual. Bexley Conservatives are not very interested in anything more than half a mile north of
the Barnehurst to Welling railway line.