Letter: Transport trap

Geoffrey Thompson
Thursday 15 July 1999 00:02 BST
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Sir: As ever, Ken Livingstone makes an impressive case for his transport policies ("My blueprint to end the transport misery in London", 14 July). But, in addressing only buses and the Underground, he risks falling into precisely the same trap that he fell into in the Eighties - overlooking the huge tracts of Greater London that are not served by the Underground.

In the Eighties, Underground-free Bromley kicked up a huge and successful fuss at having to pay for cheap fares that did not benefit the borough directly.

If a future policy of cheap or frozen fares does not embrace the main- line railways in all parts of the capital (this isn't an inner vs outer London issue or a north-south one), it will benefit certain parts of the city disproportionately and risk the sort of row we saw nearly 20 years ago.

Integration will benefit us all.

GEOFFREY THOMPSON

London SE13

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