London Transport: latest travel round-up

From ULEZ to e-bike fires.

Transcript

00:00Hello, I'm Jack Abella with London TV and this is the latest transport roundup from

00:06the capital. A union has called for e-bikes to be banned from the London underground following

00:12an explosion at Rainers Lane station. The incident occurred when a cyclist was wheeling

00:17the e-bike towards a train and was about to board it when the bike exploded. The explosion

00:23sent toxic fumes across the station and caused temporary disruption to the Piccadilly and

00:28Metropolitan lines causing delays on the London underground. The London fire brigade was

00:33called to extinguish the blaze as a result of the incident. Aslef, the train drivers

00:39union has now threatened strike action unless Transport for London implements a ban on e-bikes.

00:46An Aslef union rep has said an explosion on board a train would have almost certainly

00:51led to serious casualties or deaths. The Aslef spokesman added that if it led to a derailment

00:58there was a real risk of a mass casualty event. It beggars belief that Transport for

01:03London is still allowing these potentially explosive devices on their services. Now Transport

01:11for London has responded and said their primary concern is people's safety and they were reviewing

01:17their risk assessment following the fire caused by the e-bike. Londoners are facing significant

01:25changes to the city's road system especially for drivers. On April the 7th the new Silvertown

01:32tunnel will open along with tolls for drivers at both the new tunnel and the existing Blackwall

01:38tunnel in East London. Drivers will now be charged £8 a day during peak hours. Now while

01:45some support the new tunnel arguing it will reduce congestion on the old Blackwall tunnel

01:50and improve the reliability of the crossing which frequently closes for maintenance by

01:56offering an additional route, critics are concerned that the tunnel will exacerbate

02:02pollution and congestion. Caroline Russell, a Green Party councillor, has voiced concerns

02:09that the funding for the tunnel through the tolls might lead future mayors to maintain

02:13high traffic levels to ensure revenue potentially undermining environmental objectives. Speaking

02:21of environmental news in the capital, the controversial ultra-low emission zone expansion

02:26which was introduced in August 2023 has reportedly led to a 27% reduction in nitrogen dioxide

02:34levels across London. The expansion of EULAs which extended to the outer zones of London

02:40has been praised by London's Mayor Sadiq Khan who implemented it and he has highlighted

02:45the pollution reduction. However, critics particularly from the Conservative Party have

02:51dismissed the data claiming that it relies on assumptions and speculative projections.