This is the post on diamond geezer. I like the fact that it references the 5000th.
From tomorrow the name of Boris Johnson will be added, forever, to the list of UK Prime Ministers. Well done London, because arguably it's his eight years at the helm of the capital that propelled him to the highest post in the land. So I've trawled back through my archives to remind us how his mayoralty went, and perhaps learn some lessons about what to expect from a BoJo premiership. My clickable retrospective starts almost exactly twelve years ago...
Yesterday the Conservative Party (finally) launched its London Mayoral Candidate shortlist. It's a list of four right-on souls, one of whom will be selected to stand against Ken for Mayor in London-wide elections next spring. How very exciting. The Conservatives have taken months longer than expected to reach the shortlisting stage because insufficient major figures put their name forward for this prestigious post. Things were so desperate that not even DJ Mike Read could be persuaded to put his name forward. But now we have four successful applicants. ... It'll be Boris, obviously. (22 Jul 2007)
Boris Johnson MP - "I'm looking forward to putting a smile back on the face of Londoners." (28 Jul 2007)
So London has spoken, and Boris Johnson is to be the Conservative candidate for next year's London Mayoral election.... Boris romped home with more than 75% of the vote, at least among the 19000 Tories and 1000 non-Tories who bothered to vote in the primary phase. He'll need a lot more support than that to win in May. (28 Sep 2007)
Boris Johnson has managed to plant an incredibly alluring idea in the minds of London's electorate. "Vote for me and I'll scrap all the bendy buses and bring back Routemasters." As campaign ideas go, it's brilliant. Alas that's not what he's promised at all, it's just what people think is on offer... Oh London, I worry about you sometimes. And if you can't see through Boris's Routemaster ploy, then I fear you deserve everything you get. (19 Mar 2008)
When Boris Johnson isn't canvassing to become Mayor of London, he has a day job as Member of Parliament for Henley. But, I wondered, does being MP for Henley provide any relevant experience for taking the reins of the capital? Would throbbing multicultural London (population seven and a half million) be a better place if it were more like genteel riverside Henley-on-Thames (population ten thousand)? So I headed upriver to Henley at the weekend to find out. And what do you know, I think Boris has it sorted. (28 Apr 2008)
• Number of outer London boroughs directly responsible for Boris's election last night: 6 (3 May 2008)
"The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today announced the closure of The Londoner newspaper saving London nearly three million pounds. A percentage of this saving will be spent on planting 10,000 new street trees as London's new Mayor continues to deliver on his manifesto pledges." (14 May 2008)
And so Boris's alcohol ban slaps down on public transport in the capital. It's a cheap and easy ban to impose, although rather more expensive to enforce. We now face the ridiculous situation whereby tube trains leaving central London termini must be dry, whereas inter city services will happily sell you a can, a beaker or a bottle. That's everybody's civil liberties curtailed so that a bit of minor anti-social behaviour can be quashed. (1 Jun 2008)
"Fare rise will fix Ken's TfL black hole"(Evening Standard)
It'll also fix Boris's scrapping of the £25 Congestion Charge for guzzly 4×4s and fund the cost of replacing bendy buses with pseudo-Routemasters. But sssh, no mention of that in the lapdog Standard. (5 Sep 2008)
So new trains are on their way, and Boris is duly chuffed that they'll be entering service on his watch. Just don't call them bendy trains, however much the concertina-ed interior reminds you of bendy buses. And do try to ignore that fact that Ken announced these new carriages all of two years ago, and all that's really changed this week is that there's a now a prototype you can sit in. Or more probably stand in. (28 Sep 2008)
"I have asked GLA and TfL officials to produce an initial report into an island airport in the Thames estuary" (6 Nov 2008)
After Bonfire Night came Bonfire Day. TfL's latest business plan has incinerated several slow-burning transport projects, each liberally doused with car-friendly petrol by our beloved Mayor. A few important projects that Boris inherited, such as Crossrail and (most of) the East London line, will be prioritised. But their funding will be secured by sacrificing various smaller projects, generally at the expense of residents in boroughs that voted for Ken. TfL's emphasis will be on upgrading existing networks, not branching out into new areas, no matter how great the local need. Boris refuses to raise taxes to pay for anything, including it seems investment in London's future. There'll be no new transport projects in the pipeline for his successor to open, but never mind, eh? (7 Nov 2008)
Today's winning design will one day become a much-loved icon of London, replacing the evil cyclist-crushing bendy bus, and tourists will flock from all around the world to ride it. Londoners will once again have confidence in their elected officials, safe in the knowledge that their hard earned taxes aren't being wasted on pointless vanity projects. And residents in the Outer London suburbs will be able to say "Look, there goes Boris's new Routemaster, it's great to have this noble beast back on our streets again, now hop into the car darling and let's drive down to the shops." (19 Dec 2008)
I thought it would be good to have a sponsor this year because big fireworks are terribly expensive. So I asked a fridge manufacturer to give us lots of cash, and in return I'm allowing them to write patronising PR drivel on websites, and plaster their logo across the Embankment. Now where's the harm in that? It also saves me having to charge £10 a ticket for spectators (although, hmmm, maybe next year). (31 Dec 2008)
Has it really be a year since London swapped Ken for Boris? Yes it has, which explains why you haven't been able to move all week for BJ retrospectives in the media. But what's BoJo actually done for the capital in the last 12 months? What are his big schemes, what's he forced through and what's he cancelled? Here's my attempt at a semi-comprehensive list... (2 May 2009)
The 507's not just a bus route, it's an electoral policy in action. Last week the 507 was operated by the "writhing whales of the road" - Boris's much-derided bendy buses. And now they're gone. Extinction starts here, on this minor commuter route running between two mainline termini. The big question - was it worth the effort? (26 Jul 2009)
"Can’t believe that the Thames disappeared off the tube map whilst I was out the country! It will be reinstated..." (18 Sep 2009)
Stuff climate change. What London needs, obviously, is a new carbon-guzzling airport, otherwise international air travellers will go somewhere else and the UK will become less important and that would never do... So Boris is looking east to somewhere where nobody lives and no Londoner votes. To an artificial island in the middle of the Thames Estuary. Yeah right. (21 Oct 2009)
Only last month Boris delighted in announcing that an enormous lump of public art would be erected beside the Olympic Stadium. This sculpted tower of coiled steel will be called the ArcelorMittal Orbit (but only to people who write press releases), and has been designed by artist Anish Kapoor. (25 Apr 2010)
The rear platform will only be open when there's a uniformed presence on board, which'll be at busy times only. If the staff budget gets squeezed, which would seem likely, then expect to be trapped on board and bloody angry that you can't get off because that was the whole point of the new bus wasn't it? Most of the time the door will be shut, which is an utterly wasted opportunity. (18 May 2010)
CS2 isn't officially due to be operational until next Summer, but the latest of Boris's bank-sponsored cycle lanes is already making an appearance. A blue stripe has been daubed along parts of Bow Road and Mile End Road over the last week or two, and bikes are already speeding their way along. Sounds great? I'm not convinced. (11 Dec 2010)
OMG, it's a cablecar! I bet you didn't expect to see this on a tube map. Here's Boris's aerial pipedream writ large as a thin black line connecting the Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks. TfL's Business Plan has little concrete to say, except that "the service will make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the Thames in east London. Crossings will take around five minutes and the cable cars will carry about two million passengers per year." (30 Mar 2011)
One of the defining themes of Boris's first year as Mayor was the cancellation of transport projects. Let's not take the DLR to Dagenham, let's not build a bridge to Thamesmead, let's not drive a tram through Camden, there's no money. Now suddenly, as the last year of his mayoral term begins, quite the opposite. Last week a massive splurge of potential DLR extensions seeped out, merely aspirational at this stage, not much likelihood of happening soon. And yesterday came the official Taking-Seriously of a possible Northern line extension to Battersea. I wish I were more excited. (10 May 2011)
City Hall (Sat, Sun): Ever since Boris scrapped monthly weekend openings, Open House is your only opportunity to see London's seat of government from top to bottom. (17 Sep 2011)
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "A cable car spanning the majestic Thames would not only provide a unique and pioneering addition to London's skyline, but also offer a serene and joyful journey across the river. Passengers would be able to drink in the truly spectacular views of the Olympic Park and iconic London landmarks whilst shaving valuable minutes from their travelling time." (9 Oct 2011)
"He may have been 58 but he was very fit and very road aware. He has not just decided to cycle to work - he has always cycled. It's awful, just absolutely awful. To think that Brian will end up as another statistic on Boris Johnson's cyclist superhighway." (1 Nov 2011)
London's last bendy bus departs tonight. The articulated fleet has been on our streets for less than a decade but bows out tonight, shipped off to any other town or country who'll have them instead. Many have hated them (long, obstructive, uncomfortable), while others have loved them (fast, accessible, 'free'). Whichever, I've been out to sample one final bendy bus ride before Boris obliterates them from London's roads altogether. (9 Dec 2011)
There was condensation on the front window, even though weather conditions didn't seem to merit it. The upper air conditioning hissed relentlessly, like niggling mechanical tinnitus. It was impossible to see out of the back window because the bus's iconic design prevents it. The ceiling was a bit low for anyone tall getting up from an upstairs window seat. Rather too many of the downstairs seats require you to face backwards, or to step up before sitting down, or both. But nobody noticed any of this, neither those on the bus nor those watching it pass. All they saw was a gorgeous modern vehicle with a human face, and a Routemaster-like rear platform for hopping off between stops, and a Mayoral promise made instantly real. To fully understand the significance of the New Bus For London, watch the happy faces of the voters who've ridden it. (1 Mar 2012)
In two months time Boris Johnson hopes to be back at his desk in City Hall with a big grin on his face. But what would he do over the forthcoming four years? His newly-published Nine Point Plan supposedly tells all. But is this a set of pledges for the future, or a tick-list of successes past (or a confusing mix of both)? (6 Mar 2012)
My letter from Boris appears to be a nothing but a devious data-harvesting exercise masquerading as a helpful offer to facilitate my postal vote. No chance - I'll be attending my local polling station in person, as usual, on May 3rd. (22 Mar 2012)
25 reasons why London will be voting for Boris Johnson tomorrow(2 May 2012)
1) He's a laugh, isn't he?
Voted for Boris (1st + 2nd choice) 1,054,811 (52%)
Voted for Ken (1st + 2nd choice) 992,273 (48%)
If Bexley and Bromley were in Kent, Ken would have won. (5th May 2012)
Boris has pushed through his vanity project in a little over a year, aided by insufficient sponsorship money and a stash of taxpayers' cash. Although East London certainly needs more river crossings, it's hard to argue that an aerial solution for pedestrians and cyclists only is the most efficient way to hike people across the Thames. As I've mentioned several times before, the cablecar goes from nowhere quite useful to nowhere quite useful, along a route few normal commuters would ever need to use. Instead it's far more likely to be frequented by tourists, come to see the "delights" of East London, if the sponsored tube map can tempt them out. (19 Jun 2012)
Mr Johnson's had a good Games, hasn't he? A grinning face on a global stage, a jovial word for every occasion, even a fortuitous zipwire dangle. That's the joy of having a predecessor with vision, and a large team behind you in whose reflection you can bask. That's also his nationwide profile significantly lifted. I always suspect Boris would rather be President than PM, because that's less effort, but the latter's maybe rather closer after 2012. (11 Sep 2012)
There are greater architectural battles to be fought in London than the Fruit and Wool Exchange and its adjacent multi-storey. But it's clear that heritage now counts for very little when the alternative is jobs and shopping, because the economy is the Mayor's clear overriding priority. Indeed every time Boris has been called on to judge some new building project turned down by councillors, every time he's ruled in favour of the redevelopers. (12 Oct 2012)
The pay-as-you-go bus fare rises by 3.7% in January. That's a whopping 56% rise since Boris came to power, whereas Ken actually decreased fares over the previous five years. Equally Ken was ruling through a time of plenty whereas Boris has virtually no money to play with, so maybe the difference isn't surprising. (8 Nov 2012)
Every year, on the weekend closest to April 23rd, the Mayor throws a St George's Day bash in Trafalgar Square. Yesterday he threw a Feast of St George, or at least his underlings did - Boris probably only signed the piece of paper that paid for it all. And I'm guessing he agreed a slightly smaller sum of money this year. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, you understand, but the clues were there. (21 Apr 2013)
To boost tourist revenues this spring and summer, TfL has published a full-colour leaflet entitled Fly across the Thames. There are hundreds of these leaflets at stations, even at those miles away from the Greenwich Peninsula, issued in hope of luring additional visitors aloft. On page 2 Boris introduces this "handy link between the O2 and ExCel", and mentions "jaw-dropping views of London's skyline". (23 Apr 2013)
I checked my thermometer. It had read 26°C in the office, and 26°C in the street, and now it read 31°C. You might expect the temperature aboard a bus to be a bit warmer than its surroundings, except this is a bus with air conditioning, and if that aircon doesn't keep the temperature down then it's worthless. (10 Jul 2013)
Bow Police Station closed its doors for the last time on 22nd June. That's permanently closed, after 110 years of service, due to cuts, rationalisation, austerity and stuff. I got a leaflet through my door at the time, not to announce the closure outright but to list instead the remaining police stations in Tower Hamlets, its outposts halved overnight. (18 Aug 2013)
Up until now TfL have gone out of their way to be careful not to call them Routemasters, because they're not. Routemasters are much-loved 50-year-old inaccessible workhorses with a permanently open rear platform, and these shiny things very much aren't. Except that earlier this week TfL sent out a press release calling this same bus the "New Routemaster". (7 Dec 2013)
As well as being Mayor of London, Boris Johnson is also self-appointed overlord of three North Kent villages. They have the misfortune to exist where he'd like to build a 3200 hectare international airport, and he wants to wipe them from the map. It's a bold and eye-catching scheme, but also expensive and impractical, hence today the Davies Commission is pulling the plug. (2 Sep 2014)
The plan is for sleek new trains to replace all the existing stock on the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Waterloo and City and Central lines. But not just yet... All the new trains will have a driver's cab, despite Boris's pledge he'd never buy a new train with such a facility, because it won't be technically possible to run entirely automatic trains from day 1. (10 Oct 2014)
50 reasons why the Garden Bridge will be excellent
33) Absolutely everybody wants it, apart from those with a hatred of beauty. (19 May 2015)
TfL is meeting this morning to discuss, among other things, the Croxley Link. Their job is to rubberstamp increases to the project's funding and to oversee the transfer of the entire project from Herts County Council to London Underground. Thus far HCC have led on the entire delivery structure, but cost escalation and programme slippage have caused concern and now their time is up. The Mayor is essentially saying thanks to Hertfordshire for getting everything this far, but TfL's better at this than you so we'll take over now thanks. Funding arrangements will be officially transferred at the end of July, and then it's all systems go. (17 Jun 2015)
When the Mayor announced the launch date for the Night Tube last September, many of us circled September 12th 2015 on our calendars in red pen. Social plans were made, hotel rooms quickly sold out, and several wedding venues were fully booked. But last night on the war-torn streets of London, Boris's firm pledge proved nothing but a hollow sham. (12 Sep 2015)
This is Boris's final fare settlement, with next year's due to be implemented by his successor. And whereas Boris has been happy to raise fares to protect investment, at least one of his potential replacements wants a fare freeze for the duration of his four year term... If fares don't rise, several unpalatable choices will have to be made regarding cuts, contraction and commercial activities. Indeed come 2020 we may look back at Boris's reign over the TFL budget as some kind of golden age. (13 Nov 2015)
Two years ago London was up in arms at the thought of losing its ticket offices, and rounds of disruptive strike action were on the cards. Yesterday TfL successfully snuffed out its last remaining ticket offices to a chorus of no disapproval whatsoever, as well-trained passengers embraced a digital future, almost without even noticing. (19 Dec 2015)
In just 100 days time, London goes to the polls to decide who runs City Hall after Boris. Once the master of inactivity has departed, who are we going to get instead and what do they stand for? (26 Jan 2016)
Her Majesty the Queen today visited the unfinished Crossrail station at Bond Street to boost the credentials of the Lord of Brexit, Boris Johnson MP. She wore a special matching hat and coat in Crossrail purple, and he announced that the new railway will be described as the Elizabeth line in all of its brand collateral. (24 February 2016)
There was just time yesterday to sneak out one last 80 page report on a matter very close to the outgoing Mayor's heart - that bloody airport again. There's only one way an estuary airport might ever get built, and that's if the man with the big idea suddenly becomes the man in charge of it. But for that to happen would require blustering Boris Johnson to somehow become Prime Minister, a scenario so ridiculously unlikely that... oh, hang on. If the Brexit referendum splits the Tory party and David Cameron falls, his successor might just arrive in 10 Downing Street with all the donkey work for an estuary airport already complete. (21 Mar 2016)
As Boris departs his post at London's helm after an eight year voyage, it's time to take a commemorative trip to view his legacy.
• 2.00pm Victoria Park: Our tour ends here, at the site of the plaque unveiled to commemorate Mayor Johnson's triumphant zipwire dangle in the summer of 2012 - the precise moment that his elevation to the post of Prime-Minister-In-Waiting was confirmed. London's not so much losing a chief as bequeathing a leader. (5 May 2016)
