The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has announced that the West London tram plan through Southall Broadway may not go ahead.

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has announced that, on the assumption of a positive government decision on the construction of Crossrail, he and the local boroughs will work together to address the problem of improving public transport on the Uxbridge Road via a bus-based solution rather than the tram originally envisaged.

Crossrail stations planned for Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing, Ealing Broadway, and at Acton, would significantly increase public transport capacity in the area and make a bus solution more practical and cheaper.

Crossrail is expected to be completed in 2015 and in the meantime, the Mayor and Ealing Council have agreed to work together with the other local boroughs to deliver an improved bus priority system along the Uxbridge Road, one of the busiest in London.

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said: "The construction of Crossrail will mean a massive improvement in public transport capacity serving West London. A positive decision on Crossrail will mean that substantially improved bus services become a practical alternative to a tram along the Uxbridge Road to meet the need for more public transport, boost the local economy and to deal with rising congestion in the area.

"I am pleased that we have reached an agreement with Ealing Council to work together along these lines to deliver the best solution for people in this part of west London."

Councillor Jason Stacey, Leader of Ealing Council, who opposed the tram solution, said: "The Council welcomes this announcement, and the positive indications that Crossrail will be given the go-ahead. Ealing's traffic problems require different solutions and we will be working constructively with TfL to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in the borough."

The tram plans could lead to roads in and around Southall Broadway becoming gridlocked rat runs, because right hand turns from Uxbridge Road into South Road and right hand turns into Lady Margaret Road would be banned.