Mayor Cancels 60 Hydrogen Vehicles...

The plans would have seen the square's lawn become more accessible

London Mayor Boris Johnson has shelved an £18m plan to transform Parliament Square into a pedestrian piazza.

The plan to ban cars around the area would lead to increased congestion in central London, Mr Johnson said.

In a separate announcement, the Mayor cancelled 60 Hydrogen Vehicles which were aimed at developing low-polluting, Sustainable Transport in the City.

The scrapped plans prompted the Green Party's Darren Johnson to call the mayor an "environmental disaster".

On Wednesday, the Mayor announced plans to shelve the pedestrianisation of Parliament Square saying Transport for London (TfL) advised it would lead to increased congestion in Westminster and central London.

This scheme would have turned a green glade of heroes into a vast, blasted, chewing-gummed piazza Boris Johnson

He said: "This scheme would have turned a green glade of heroes into a vast, blasted, chewing-gummed piazza.

"There is absolutely no sense in Londoners paying £18m from their already stretched transport budget in order to reduce capacity on London's roads."

The project, which was given the go-ahead by former mayor Ken Livingstone, was scheduled to be ready for the London 2012 Olympics.

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