CITY Hall has formally scrapped a bus transit scheme after abandoning plans to build the Thames Gateway Bridge. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced last Tuesday (March 31) that the Greenwich Waterfront Scheme, which depended on the bridge, would not

CITY Hall has formally scrapped a bus transit scheme after abandoning plans to build the Thames Gateway Bridge.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced last Tuesday (March 31) that the Greenwich Waterfront Scheme, which depended on the bridge, would not go ahead.

As Transport for London published its budget of �9.2bn for 2000/10, up from last year's �8.1bn, a number of projects have been scrapped or put back.

The Mayor said: "TfL have done their best to balance the books in an extremely tough economic climate."

The transit route would have connected Ilford, Barking and Dagenham Dock with North Greenwich via the East London Transit, which is currently under construction.

John Biggs, London Assembly member for City and East, said: "It's a backward move for East London.

"If the mayor wants the area to grow in the way he suggests then he will not achieve it by slashing investment.

"The people of East London will lose out again because of this short-sighted decision."

He added that he would be lobbying the mayor to reverse this decision.

The mayor also ditched plans for a �750million DLR extension to Dagenham Dock last November, which was essential for the construction of 10,000 homes on Barking Riverside.

Last week, however, Simon Milton, deputy mayor for Policy and Planning made a shocking U-turn by announcing the DLR extension could go ahead if the government would guarantee a "financial assurance" of �100million.