Twice as many car trips in outer London - report

The report by the Centre for London says millions of Londoners are being "pushed" to own cars due to a lack of sustainable travel options

Twice as many car journeys are made in outer London compared to the inner city, a report has found.

Conducted by think tank Centre for London, it claims a lack of sustainable travel options are forcing residents to rely on cars.

It is calling for more bus routes and cycle lanes to be built to accommodate both local journeys and commutes into the city centre.

A spokesperson for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told the BBC he was "determined" to improve London's public transport network "particularly in outer London".

'Less than two miles'

The think tank, a registered charity that says it is politically independent, found 38% of journeys in outer London were made by car, compared to 19% in inner London.

It says it receives funding through public, private and third-party donors, including Transport for London, Uber and a number of London councils.

Its report also found more than half of outer London car journeys are less than two miles (3.2km) long and says both public transport and cycling infrastructure in outer London is designed for commuting, "not for local trips".

Claire Harding, interim chief executive of Centre for London, said: “There are 5.4 million people in outer London, as many as live in Scotland. But many of these people don’t have access to the transport options that their inner London counterparts enjoy."

The Elizabeth line links a number of outer London locations to the city centre

Tim Thomas, head of transport policy at Be First - the regeneration arm of Labour-led Barking and Dagenham Council - says the area "has been underfunded for many years".

He says residents want to travel using sustainable means but "there are too many barriers for them to overcome".

A total of 62% of respondents in the study said they would use public transport more often if it was more reliable.

The think tank is calling for increased bus and train services in outer London, alongside better infrastructure for walking and cycling.

It also wants to see new bicycle and car-share schemes in the area.

A spokesperson for the mayor said Mr Khan had delivered a "transformational" Elizabeth line and the new Superloop bus service would provide "valuable and fast connections to outer London town centres".

They also say the mayor planned to add "over one million kilometres" to other areas of outer London's bus network by spring 2024, as well as delivering 25km (15.5 miles) of new bus lanes.

However, the cost of these developments was indicative of how outer London was "held back" by funding, the report says.

The new Elizabeth line is estimated to have cost about £19bn. It opened last year, nearly three-and-a-half years late.

Ms Harding added that improving sustainable local travel options, "not just commuting", was at "the heart of making London a more liveable city".