A bridge not far enough

Published by Leon P for Verve Communications in Environment and also in Communities, Local Government

A living bridge: do we need it or is it just nice to have? The Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP) asks the Mayor of London to prioritise a new crossing for East London

Ros Dunn, Thames Gateway London Partnership's Chief Executive said today "While we can see the attractions of a living bridge, London's needs would be far better served by a further crossing to connect East London north and south of the river. In this time of scarce resources, we should prioritise a bridge that we need rather than one that would be nice to have. The Mayor's support for this is a bit rich so soon after his decision to cancel the Thames Gateway Bridge with no commitment to an alternative."

The Thames Gateway Bridge would have:

• cut cross-river journey times
• kick-started regeneration in the area
• created the potential for 42,000 new jobs
• been only the fourth road crossing east of Tower Bridge, compared to the sixteen between Vauxhall and the M25 in the west.

This is why TGLP seeks an early decision on a further river crossing for East London capable of generating benefits on the scale described above.