‘Under Sadiq Khan we also have more congestion by having roundabouts like Highbury Corner’

• REGARDING Sem Moema AM’s letter (Time is short for TfL to secure proper funding, February 11), Transport for London’s funding did take a massive hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but this is not the whole story.

TfL did, in fact, have a government subsidy but under the stewardship of the previous London mayor – now the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip and prime minister Boris Johnson – he advised the then government that TfL did not need any subsidy and asked for it to be withdrawn.

The government did so. Apparently the idea was that TfL would manage on its day-to-day takings through the fares taken on the buses, tube, Overground, etc. This probably worked while TfL was used to the great extent that it was before Covid.

Had the subsidy not been abolished by the government, under Johnson’s instruction, TfL would be in a better position than it is today.

I agree TfL needs to have a properly funded settlement in place but the current London mayor does not seem to have helped matters.

Yes, usage of TfL road, Underground and rail services are getting busier but relying on fare box takings to cover the whole of TfL’s needs – making the bus service better by having buses that are cleaner fuelled, replacing time-expired rolling stock on the Underground network, as well as replacing worn-out signalling equipment – does not come cheap.

We keep on hearing and seeing the slogan “every journey matters”. So what happens? We see bus routes shortened or cut and service gaps between buses lengthened.

Under Sadiq Khan we also have more congestion by having roundabouts like Highbury Corner with one side taken out, forcing traffic to use the three remaining sides in both directions.

I was under the impression that the first rule of traffic management was to keep traffic flowing smoothly, not to cause bottlenecks.

JE KIRBY, N16