Khan - A disaster for cycling in London...

As ever, I think the reality is far more complex than folks accept.

1. BoJo & Gilligan, like then or loathe them, flipping delivered from a standing start following the 2012 election (not the 2008 one obviously - blue paint). And Gilligan managed to deliver London's first truly high quality schemes in some very unexpected places. This should not be contested.
   
2. That said, come on, idea Sadiq has done sod all? Is incontorvertibly rubbish. He was on track to triple the mileage of protected space in one term that Boris delivered in one term - ie he hit a run rate of double Boris'. But he didn't just do that. He actually ended his first term with 5x more cycle tracks than there were before. He's also got, during the crisis/Streetspace, more boroughs doing more cycle schemes than we've ever had before. That's obviously not all him, but it is under his watch. Lambeth, Islington particularly obvious, but Hounslow, Southwark etc. also. And who ever thought Harrow, Ealing, Wandsworth, Tower Hamlets etc would try to do as much as they did.
   
3. Issue is now we've seen some faltering backsteps from many boroughs. That is IMO partly Gilligan to blame - across England we've seen councils weak on active travel fail to deliver during crisis or pulling stuff out. There should have been far more clarity upfront about need for engagement and political leadership (not Gilligan's style IMO - he's a 'just do it' kinda guy), and far more work with boroughs who were wobbly, but also far clearer on cost of inaction to boroughs. That stuff only now coming in - too late. And it'll take work from Sadiq, Will Norman, to fix those issues.
   
4. As per my thread @Backstop mentions, yup, there are some real issues IMO with Sadiq's time. I think there's been far too little laser focus on boroughs to deliver - loads of them making weak excuses to delay schemes. But more, there are some real issues moving forward schemes with every stakeholder just holding vetoes. Not just TfL Buses, although they do appear to be an issue alongside TfL "Network Assurance" - both of whom seem invested in focusing heavily on small delays caused in modelling by cycling schemes while ignoring huge delays from 'too many cars' etc. But they're far from lone culprits or even possibly main ones. Everyone gets a veto - Canary Wharf, Port of London Authority, Royal Parks, Crown Estates Paving Commission, hospital trusts, landowners, developers, councillors, business associations - in 6 years at LCC I've faced 'em all. My big question here is why does Sadiq talk big on zero carbon 2030 now and then, or on VisionZero, then immediately duck for cover after. There's no real staying power on these issues. That's the big problem. Boris made cycling his big thing. Sadiq hasn't got one thing. Now, that could mean he's achieving more across board. But it feels he's spread thing. After all, if you can't focus fully on climate as London's Mayor...? Anyway, last point is to say that Boris seemed to have some more success on quietening the angry anti-cycling stakeholders that he also faced. But even there, there's a question over whether he delivered more as a result or whether he actually traumatised a bunch of councils and Will/Sadiq's more emolient approach was paying longer term dividends.
   Just my rambling thoughts on issue that's far far far more complex IMO than Sadiq bad, Johnson good, or vice versa.