This latest agreement takes the total support from Government to Transport for London since the start of the pandemic to over £4Bn. But the capital’s Mayor Sadiq Khan said it is not the deal he wanted, describing the short term settlement as “yet another sticking plaster”. He added that “there are very few options” available to fulfil the Government’s insistence that TfL raises a further £500M to £1Bn of revenue a year by 2023.

One condition of the new package is an expansion in the use of automatic train operation on the London Underground. But the Mayor hit back: “I’ve made it crystal clear to Ministers that we will object to any future requirement to force TfL to implement driverless trains on the London Underground. It would cost billions of pounds and would be a gross misuse of taxpayers' money at this critical time for our country.”

Commenting on the financial settlement, London Travel Watch director Emma Gibson said she is pleased that TfL has had its funding deal extended, but called for more clarity on how the new £300M savings will be made. “Being able to socially distance is the number one concern of Londoners returning to public transport for the first time,” she said. “The savings required as part of TfL’s new finance package must not result in cuts to the frequency of buses and trains, because that would make them more crowded, reduce passenger confidence and in turn risk London’s economic recovery.”

Centre for London’s chief executive Nick Bowes added: “This latest deal comes not a moment too soon. But London desperately needs a fair and long term financial settlement. The Government must work with the Mayor to agree a deal that ensures London's transport system won’t grind to a halt and can support the city’s economic recovery and that London’s public transport network befits its global city status.”

He added: “Transport for London must also look for better ways to fund London’s transport system. Smart road user charging could help to secure the extra funding that TfL needs.”

The financial news comes as Transport for London announced that 11 further pedestrian crossings in the capital will be reprogrammed to give people priority over vehicles. At each site, green signals will be shown to pedestrians until traffic approaches rather than the other way around.

So called ‘green person authority’ is already in place at locations including Stratford, London Bridge, Wimbledon and on Queen Victoria Street in the City.

London's walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman said: “We know that safety is a key concern for people walking around London, and giving pedestrians priority is a powerful way of putting them first and making it easier to cross London's roads.”

Green person authority will be installed at the following sites by the end of June:

*           London Road by James Street – Barking & Dagenham

*           Gale Street by Becontree Station – Barking & Dagenham

*           Bishopsgate by Great St Helens – City of London

*           Long Lane by West Smithfield – City of London

*           Woodcote Grove Road by Smitham Downs Road – Croydon

*           Kingston Road by Rothesay Avenue – Merton

*           Red Lion Street by Church Terrace – Richmond Upon Thames

*           St Georges Way by Ebley Close – Southwark

*           Wrythe Lane by Muschamp Road – Sutton

*           Green Wrythe Lane by Aultone Way – Sutton

*           Cavendish Square by Henrietta Place – Westminster

(Photograph: Transport for London)

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