At last weeks London Council Leaders meeting, which was addressed for the first time by the new Mayor for London, Boris Johnson, Waltham Forest Council Leader, Cllr Clyde Loakes urged the Mayor to prioritise the reinstatement of the Hall Farm Curve and the services it would deliver.

Speaking during a discussion on investment in major transport projects, the Mayor stated that he wanted to concentrate on improving and increasing the capacity on the tube network. In response Cllr Loakes said:

"Whilst Waltham Forest residents would welcome improving and increasing the tube network, you should also spend time looking into promoting the potential and opportunity that lies in the existing London overground network, as well as investigating ways of bringing new, as well as former rail infrastructure back into use.  The overground network is a vast source of untapped potential. To that end in Waltham Forest, we have been campaigning for the reinstatement of the Hall Farm Curve, which coupled with the reopening of the Lea Bridge Road Station, will create significant levels of extra passenger rail capacity, in east London. 

We hope you will throw your weight behind Waltham Forest and it's campaign to have the Hall Farm Curve reinstated and Lea Bridge Station re-opened- sooner rather than later?"

In response the Mayor said he will look into it.

Cllr Loakes also raised the need to keep motorbikes out of bus lanes, as they posed a serious safety risk to cyclists.