Lessons from America, Part 2

12.00.00am GMT Wed 21st Mar 2001

Not only does New York have hard plastic seats, but also a much lower grade of finish on everything and, whilst the graffiti has gone from the body of the subway, the windows are now covered with the etched equivalent of graffiti — scratching. Standing on the platforms, I was suddenly aware how clear the visibility the length of our London platforms is compared with New York. The platforms there are riddled with structural columns, obscuring a clear view. It is utilitarian and still quite user-hostile.

The signing is confusing. Of course, we do have world-acclaimed graphics for our tube both in identity and information. In New York there are very few stations that have information boards letting you know which train is coming and how long it will be. In fact although I travelled the subway all the time, I never saw one. We here are used to having that facility, and you sure miss it when it isn't there. They will however be introducing such a system-wide in due course.

On the other hand, except for the Sunday, in Manhattan and one journey back from Brooklyn, I never had to wait more than a few moments for a train during daytime hours — so perhaps the need to know or to keep me informed so that I didn't fret was less.

New York is clearly a work in progress, but the state it was in the 1970s was clearly far worse than our current state and the struggle continues on bring in a decent standard throughout the system. In its worst period, something like one out of every two trains was having to be taken out of service for one reason or another, fires on the lines every day, and so on. Our catastrophe waiting to happen is overcrowding and the exacerbation of the failure rate — spiralling to disaster. A tube train every 90 seconds would solve the immediate problems here in London. Let's get the infrastructure sorted. Tarting up operations should be secondary — although important in the long run.

New York runs a 24-hour service with night trains every 20 minutes. This timing means that these trains right through the night are full, and therefore the numbers of people using them enhances safety. We need to assess our own requirements if we are looking to provide a 24-hour service. We also need to understand that the program we will embark on will be long term and will mean lines out of operation during the renovation period — so transport alternatives need planning. We also need to understand the length of time this will all take.

Where New York transport is weak is on long-term planning for capacity to cope with forecast growth. The other glaring fault line is the lack of integration between the different bodies who control New York. There is no single overarching body as we now have in London which links planning, economic development and transport ? let alone paying heed to overarching themes of sustainability, equalities and health as enshrined in the Act for the Greater London Authority.

So in the tale of two cities, what can I bring back from New York to London? Obviously, a deeper and wider knowledge of our soon to be sister city, a city whose economy, populations and life patterns are so similar to our own. All of us on the trip gained knowledge about transport modes as well as some very specific and real ideas on design, accessibility, customer service, and perhaps on how to work with a 'strong mayor' model in perhaps a more constructive way than New York's Mayor and City Council.

Our report will be ready in a month and come to the Transport Policy Committee that I chair.

The Transport Policy Committee's major investigation into 'Funding, Safety and Service Issues on the London Tube' will come after the general election. But in the meantime, voters in London will have the chance to cast their own verdict on Labour's privatisation plans. We've already had four wasted years with little to show for it other than Minister for London Keith Hill's energetic letter writing to the Evening Standard defending privatisation. It's about time Kiley was allowed to get on and do for London what he did for New York.