Have these men bought the same transport ticket?
And so it's over.
That unlikely alliance of campaigners, the councils, the residents and environmentalists have won.
The third runway has been scrapped by the new Government. A campaigner I've met many times over the years said she couldn't stop crying when she heard the news this afternoon.
When I asked her what she's going to do now, she said she's going to go back to being a mum. There will be parties tonight in Sipson which was due to be demolished.
It was always common ground between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
As Transport Xtra point out.
There is caution from campaigners because there's a history of broken promises over expansion at Heathrow.
Campaigners say they'll be pushing for a timescale now on how long the third runway will be ruled out for. They want an indefinite committment.
Analysts have told me the airline industry will now be looking to make contact with the new Government to put its case for expansion elsewhere.
They will be very disappointed and will have fears Heathrow will no longer be competitive. And there is still serious concern it could hit jobs and the economy.
Take a walk down Coldharbour Lane in Hayes and most there will probably think a lack of capacity at Heathrow will be a huge blow.
The airport's owner BAA aren't saying much. A spokesperson said:
"We will work with the new Government to ensure that airports policy provides the strong international trading connections on which the UK's jobs and future competitiveness depend."Elsewhere there's also common ground on transport. Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats want longer franchises for the trains. With Crossrail both have supported it but neither will write a blank cheque. That could mean we see it reduced in size, perhaps shorter carriages or shorter routes.
Crossrail executives did tell me on Monday though that they were confident the funding would appear.
And what about Transport for London?
No comment from them at the moment. But could the Government's grant to them be cut as part of the comprehensive spending review?
Is London's position now stronger with a Conservative dominated Government and a Tory Mayor?
And will Boris Johnson's relationship with David Cameron make a difference?
Let me know what you think...
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.