Text your news & pics
Text your news or pictures (plus 'SLNEWS' or 'SLPICS') to 80360. click here for details »
Gangs out, better trams in: Ken's plan for Croydon
6:46pm Friday 11th April 2008
Comments (16)Ken Livingstone said improving Croydon's tram service and getting kids out of gangs and off the streets would be priorities if he was elected for another term as London mayor.
Speaking to the Croydon Guardian during a visit to the town earlier today he said: "The most dramatic thing for Croydon is bringing the tram into public ownership. We will run it to the max with a much more frequent service and a better service to New Addington."
“The most dramatic thing for Croydon is bringing the tram into public ownership. We will run it to the max with a much more frequent service and a better service to New Addington.”
Ken Livingston
He said Transport for London would purchase a new fleet of trams for Croydon as part of its takeover from Tramtrack and the network would be extended to Crystal Palace.
In response to the recent spate of knife crimes in Croydon Mr Livingstone said he has campaigned long and hard to get the Government to introduce a new law so anyone caught with a knife would get an automatic prison sentence. "If you have a few high profile cases you can break the habit," he said.
"If there is a problem in a particular school, we should swamp that school with police to search the students and their lockers."
He suggested that fingerprint and DNA technology could be used to find out who owned any weapons found.
He said: "There is nothing for kids to do in London at the moment, we need to get kids off the streets and into training.
"We need to provide things for them to do in the evenings and on the weekends and give them role models and mentors. A lot of them have been failed by the education system. We will be providing a proper second chance for these kids."
Mr Livingstone also addressed members of Croydon's Business Improvement District (BID) during his visit to the borough.
What do you think of Ken's plans for Croydon? Have your say using the comment feature below.
To discuss this story in our forum click here.
Your Say YourCroydon Guardian
Mr J Jones, Croydon says...
12:17am Sat 12 Apr 08
Also, someone needs to remove the free bus passes from the scummy kids unless they behave themselves, of course.
Shirley, Croydon says...
10:53am Sat 12 Apr 08
c.
It seems they know what is worrying and important to the people.
So Ken, why, after being in power for so long have you not dealt effectively with these problems that you clearly recognise at election time?
The only difference the London mayor has made to me is traffic penalties , congestion tax, 350.00 per year subsidies from my rates.
shirley, Croydon says...
10:57am Sat 12 Apr 08
c.
It seems they know what is worrying and important to us.
So Ken, why, after being in power for so long have you not dealt effectively with these problems that you see with Great Vision at election time?
joe, Coulsdon says...
3:25pm Sat 12 Apr 08
Jim, Croydon says...
9:54am Sun 13 Apr 08
Happysnapper, London says...
3:33pm Sun 13 Apr 08
David, Croydon says...
6:17pm Sun 13 Apr 08
No Ken - kids actually have more to do now than ever before. What did kids have to do after the second world war? They made up their own games. No DVD players in their bedrooms, no computers or consoles, etc.
Go to the Purley Way playing fields on a weekend and look for kids playing. If you are lucky you may see 4 or 5. What kids lack is proper parenting (parents should be their primary role models), and whatever they are given they want more. Give a kid a £100 toy and he plays with it for 5 minutes. Give him/her the box it came in and he/she will play with it for an hour....
As for the trams, do we really want to open the floodgates from New Addington any more? I'd rather we made it easier for the more desirable people from Wimbledon to get to and from Croydon and built our own version of Hadrian's Wall to protect us from the East....
Kes, Upper Norwood says...
8:18pm Sun 13 Apr 08
Nick, Croydon says...
6:03am Mon 14 Apr 08
youve already said all i have to say.......
Whats the point in arresting everyone found carrying a knife....all we hear about is prisons being overfilled!
And yes.....take the free travel away from these scummy kids...... and Enforce it. Why should we all listen to God awful music played at full volume on phones, and have these kids jumping all over busses and trams etc...... Make em pay, you never know, they may actually have to walk somewhere....... or maybe they will just stay at home.....where they cant affect the public.
Bob Peel, Croydon says...
7:32am Tue 15 Apr 08
Me too Kes. For me its Boris and BNP.
The second choice is to ensure that when its counted the politicians might just see what is upsetting the voting public.
Lefty Livingstone and his SWP chums need to be removed from office.
ARABELLA HAMILTON FORTESCUE, south croydon says...
8:54pm Tue 15 Apr 08
TEENIE BOKO, SURREY says...
8:56pm Tue 15 Apr 08
LORD FAUNTLEROY, FAUNTLEROY CASTLE says...
8:58pm Tue 15 Apr 08
jonnyr, West Wickham says...
1:58pm Wed 16 Apr 08
Lets face it, despite the ongoing Evening Standard smear campaigns against Ken he will win again because elitist Boris is not a viable candidate (or even a Londoner). Although my first vote is with Sian.
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
9:54pm Wed 16 Apr 08
Tram plan: Ken Livingstone
In this section
- Second Croydon Fashion Festival a success say organisers
- Green fingered adults create their own garden
- Freediver at Holmes under water
- Purley conservation zone under threat warns English Heritage
- Car park signs to be installed after council victory
- Lifesaving nurse nominated for Croydon Champions
- Businesses must make most of summer in Croydon
- Motorist branded 'menace' after totting up 44 years in driving bans
- Life sentence for double jeopardy killer
- Barwell promises openness on expenses if elected as MP
Sponsored Links
Local Links
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
SV, Croydon says...
10:35pm Fri 11 Apr 08
This promise of new trams, presumably longer and running more often will put the tram system back to the best in Europe.
This is great news for everyone in Croydon as it will help cut congestion too.