Barnet is to benefit from better transport under a proposed £10 billion, five-year investment programme to give London a 21st century transport system, unveiled by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone today.

Speaking at City Hall, the Mayor said:

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reverse decades of under-investment in Barnet and right across London. It marks an end to stop-start funding for London's transport. The programme will deliver real improvements in the services and capacity needed to keep passengers travelling in and through Barnet on the move."

The main benefit for Barnet included in TfL's 5 Year Investment Programme, subject to approval by the TfL Board, is:

  • £24m of funding to improve the A406 North Circular Road, including traffic junction and pedestrian improvements at Bounds Green and mitigation work for rat running, noise and safety in local side roads; and two smaller road safety schemes for Regents Park Road and Golders Green Road;
  • a number of neglected properties will also be returned to long term beneficial use helping to regenerate an area that has long suffered from the environmental effects of the high volume of traffic on the A406;
  • step free access to the key interchange stations at Finchley Central and Hendon Central.
  • In addition, the following improvements to Northern and Piccadilly line stations are planned to be delivered under the PPP:
  • Station refurbishments and modifications to Burnt Oak (to be completed 2005); Golders Green (2006); Colindale, West Finchley, East Finchley, Finchley Central, Hendon Central, Mill Hill East, Totteridge & Whetstone, Woodside Park, Southgate, Brent Cross and High Barnet (2010);

The Mayor added:

"The last four years have seen huge improvements in Barnet's bus services. This investment programme will build on this and deliver improvements right across the transport network.

"We have had to take hard choices. Even with the biggest transport investment programme London has seen since the Second World War, we cannot do everything we want to do this time round. But there have been no trade-offs between maintaining the existing system or launching new projects."

Work undertaken to improve transport in Barnet by TfL over the past four years benefiting all Londoners, including those with disabilities and the socially excluded, includes:

  • more reliable services and better information on all bus services;
  • licensing private hire vehicles to improve passenger safety;
  • funding for improving conditions for walking, cycling and road safety;
  • improvements in dial-a-ride and taxicard funding;
  • new low floor, fully accessible buses on 29 routes, increased frequencies on 34 routes, two new routes introduced (382, 460) and three new night bus routes (N189, N66 and N83) and;
  • funding for additional Metropolitan Police Officers and Community Support Officers to reduce crime and fear of crime, improve enforcement and tackle taxi touting.
  • In partnership with Barnet Borough, a range of local schemes have been introduced during 2004 including:
  • road safety schemes on High Road Whetstone and Barnet High Street;
  • the upgrading of Fiveways junction to improve conditions for all road users and;
  • the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone at Brent Cross.
  1. The Investment Programme will be formally approved by the board of TfL at a meeting on October 27th.
  2. Crossrail is not part of the Programme. TfL is progressing it as a joint partnership with government in expectation of a Hybrid Bill.
  3. Many of the projects listed are subject to further consultation or other statutory processes before they can be delivered, and may be delivered beyond the life of the Programme.
  4. Tube Lines are responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines;
  5. Metronet Rail BCV are responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the Bakerloo, Central, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines;
  6. Metronet Rail SSL are responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the Sub-Surface lines, the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and East London lines.