Mayor Boris Johnson recently published his strategy for London in 2050 – a world city of several million more Londoners than now.

Barnet leads the way in population ambition, with a 50 per cent increase. Yet the infrastructure necessary for that is under-planned and even ignored.

For example, I talked to the Colindale Peel Centre developers and they’re not concerned about extra traffic their housing scheme would generate. Since Barnet has always promoted “road, roads, roads and roads” the council hasn’t been bothered either.

But every Barnet housing site increases road congestion by a small amount. At Brent Cross it is by a huge amount – Barnet predicts more than 29,000 extra cars per day in the area. New roads are not possible in most of Barnet and they’re not a sustainable answer.

The Peel Centre plan is to concrete over the police playing fields and running track. I fear Barnet will deliberately rush through approval before Boris Johnson produces a strategy with UK Athletics and England Athletics “in the autumn”.

It doesn’t take a genius to suggest that the Peel Centre facilities should be used by young people from across London, given the Northern Line station next door. All Barnet Borough Council will tell me is how to drive to Copthall instead – a pitiful response.

The Peel Centre developers also want a privatised road system on their site and no segregated cycle paths on roads – another clash with Boris Johnson’s policies.

‘Boris-2050’ talks about better orbital public transport, yet proposes nothing new across outer north London. Barnet therefore needs to lobby City Hall for something better than more road congestion.

A good start would be to force the Peel Centre developers to leave space for future tram lines next to Colindale Avenue. They could run from Colindale station to a new London overground station at the RAF Museum (part of Boris Johnson’s Old Oak Common HS2 plan) and then continue via Finchley Central across the whole of Barnet.

Is it too much to hope that Barnet politicians can think long term like the mayor?

John Cox

Chelsea Close, Harlesden