§ Lord Lukeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will commission a review of the number and location of piers on the River Thames, with particular reference to the convenience of existing piers and their proximity to public passenger transport on land. [HL1404]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonThe Government fully appreciate that the provision of high quality piers in convenient locations is essential to the development of sustainable Thames passenger services. That is why our Thames 2000 initiative includes the construction of new or replacement piers in at least four key locations (Blackfriars, Tower, Waterloo and Westminster). The transfer of the management of key central London piers to the London Transport subidiary London River Services Ltd was an important step towards integrating piers and river services fully into the capital's public transport network.
Responsibility for managing river services after July 2000 will fall to the new Mayor of London. The mayor will have a statutory duty to have regard to the desirability of promoting and encouraging use of the river and especially river passenger services. It will be for the mayor to consider whether to carry out a review of piers.