On 12 Nov, 20:04, Michael Hoffman wrote:
Mizter T wrote:
I'm minded to agree, though I can also see that the new organisation
could perhaps have taken on the name 'London Transport'. But you're
absolutely right to say that TfL is about so much more than LT was -
and LT certainly had something of a parochial attitude.

Incidentally before anyone blames this all on Mr Livingstone I don't
think the 'Transport for London' name had anything to do with him - it
was a decision made before the first Mayoral election, presumably by
the GLA civil service implementation team (or whatever they were
called), and thus presumably approved by the then Minister for London.

And until LUL became part of TfL, didn't London Regional Transport still
exist?
--
Michael Hoffman

Yes - LRT continued to exist as a central government controlled body
that controlled LUL until the transfer to TfL. The reason of course
being that the government wanted to implement the PPP deals before the
transfer to Mayoral control.

I remember this arrangement leading to some confused reporting in 2001
when Bob Kiley - who had the role of Transport Commissioner in the
brand-new TfL organisation - was sacked as Chairman of the LRT Board
(seemingly still referred to as just the LT Board) by the SoS for
Transport Stephen Byers. I guess that the SoS for Transport and his
advisers had originally thought that making Kiley, the top man at the
new TfL, the chair of the soon-to-be-disbanded LRT was a conciliatory
move. However Kiley was of course always going to do the Mayor's
bidding, which included taking the government (I think it was actually
through LRT) to court over the imminent PPP deal. Given his position
he was hardly going to last long at the LRT Board, let alone as Chair
- looking back on it I'm amazed he was ever given that role!

However back to the essence of your point - despite the continuing
existence of LRT I genuinely don't see that this would have been a
barrier to the new GLA transport organisation taking the name 'London
Transport'. I'm certain that LRTs short reprieve was not the reason
for the new 'Transport for London' name - instead I'd think the new
TfL name would have been chosen largely for the reasons John Band
stated - i.e. it was a new, all encompassing transport body with a
new, integrated approach. The new name signalled a fresh start.

I must admit that when I first heard "Transport for London" I thought
it was a bit of a mouthful, and I did wonder whether the newly elected
Mayor might change it back to LT. However it's grown on me (perhaps
just through familiarity - then again perhaps my initial recoil was
just a bit of knee-jerk conservatism), and it would appear to be a
name that is now fairly widely accepted and used by Londoners, along
with - to an extent - the acronym "TfL".

On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:29:29 -0000, "Paul Scott"
wrote:


"Ian Jelf" wrote in message
...
Looking at a recording of today's Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph,
it appeared to me that the wreath laid on behalf of Transport for London
wasn't in the "Roundel" shape I seem to recall it being in previous years.

Was I correct in my observations and - if so - does anyone know the reason
for the change?

I always thought it an especially appropriate and moving shape for a such
a tribute.

Surely the wreath represents London Buses, not TfL?

Paul


I recall Paul that the right for LT to march past the Cenotaph and lay
a wreath was because of the bus drivers who had gone to France in the
course of the First World War to drive London buses, the B types, as
troop transports.
Reg

"Reg M" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:29:29 -0000, "Paul Scott"
wrote:


"Ian Jelf" wrote in message
...
Looking at a recording of today's Service of Remembrance at the
Cenotaph,
it appeared to me that the wreath laid on behalf of Transport for London
wasn't in the "Roundel" shape I seem to recall it being in previous
years.

Was I correct in my observations and - if so - does anyone know the
reason
for the change?

I always thought it an especially appropriate and moving shape for a
such
a tribute.

Surely the wreath represents London Buses, not TfL?

Paul


I recall Paul that the right for LT to march past the Cenotaph and lay
a wreath was because of the bus drivers who had gone to France in the
course of the First World War to drive London buses, the B types, as
troop transports.

Thats my understanding also.

Paul S