Slamming trams on Ealing's streets

12.00.00am GMT Mon 3rd Feb 2003

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson on the London Assembly, joined hundreds of protesters on the streets of Ealing, in a march against Mayor Ken Livingstone's plans to put a tram down the Uxbridge Road.

"You can't ram a tram down Ealing's streets without a jam," Ms Featherstone quipped. "Trams are a brilliant idea, but not in narrow congested streets carrying a lot of through traffic."

"Ken's failure to consult Ealing's residents has become a textbook example of how not to carry out a consultation. Liberal Democrats did their own small survey to check up on Ken – I wrote to 500 Ealing residents. So far we are getting 83.5% opposed to Ken's tram scheme.

"People's thinking here is sophisticated – it's not just nimby-ism. They want really good public transport links: but they want them thought out properly."