The ugly side of Boris Johnson’s car supremacist policies

Toby Young:

My five-year-old daughter's best friend was run over last week. It happened on the pelican crossing on Uxbridge Road, opposite St Stephen's Primary School in Shepherd's Bush.

Miguel is the third child from St Stephen's to be hit there this year.

In each case, the cause has been the same: a child has started to cross, only to be marooned in the middle of the road when the green man has started to flash. Like all pelican crossings, it simply doesn't give you enough time, thanks to the Mayor's decision to reduce the length of time all traffic lights in London stay red in the hope of reducing congestion. Linford Christie might be able to make it but a child doesn't stand a chance.

That was yesterday. Today there's another revelation:

One in five pedestrian crossings at junctions in London do not give people enough time to cross the road, it has been revealed. Figures obtained by London Assembly Lib Dems show 472 crossings do not comply with the minimum timings guidelines.