Vijay Pattni finds out what the former Greater London Council leader is doing in the middle of a bustling town centre stuck on the loo…

People are walking past and pointing at former London Mayor Ken Livingstone.

Livingstone – himself no stranger to publicity – shrugs it all off as he explains.

“We’re filming a documentary on water usage”.

As the camera crew takes five, a few onlookers hustle past the former Mayor, who was recently beaten by Conservative candidate Boris Johnson in the 2008 London Mayoral elections.

So what does Ken think of Boris’s transport polices?

“When we know what Boris Johnson’s congestion policies are, we’ll comment on them”.

He’s clearly not a man who minces his words. The former leader of the Greater London Council introduced the controversial congestion zone to one of the biggest, most polluted cities in the world.

But despite being ousted by Johnson, Livingstone is still passionate about saving the city from congestion.

“You need to constantly bear down on reducing car usage”, says Livingstone, “and increasing public transport, cycling and walking.”

He shakes his hands around and his attention his razor-sharp – it’s clear the ex-Mayor still wants to clean up London’s streets.

“If you can get a one or two percent shift from cars into public transport, or cycling or walking, that will greatly solve congestion problems.”

But Livingstone faced a public backlash after introducing the congestion charge.

Want a car to beat the London congestion charge? We’ve rounded up 18 motors which are congestion charge free

And luxury sportscar maker Porsche - who make the 911 sports coupe (pictured) - mounted a legal challenge after Ken Livingstone announced a higher congestion charge rate for the most polluting vehicles - £25.

But in the 2008 elections new Mayor Boris dropped the proposed increase as one of his first acts in the post, following Porsche’s “successful” challenge.

So why did Ken look to tax London’s drivers?

“If we didn’t have the congestion zone we’d have gridlock.

“The only reason London was the first city to introduce the congestion charge is because we have the worst congestion. It got to the point where if we didn’t do something, London would have been gridlocked to its centre.”

The Government is reportedly considering backing a similar congestion charge scheme for Manchester city centre, making it the first provincial city to follow London in congestion charging.

But Livingstone is confident of the charge and its benefits: “If you took the congestion charge out you’d eventually have gridlock”.

And Londoners are still divided over congestion charging – an enthusiastic onlooker muscles his way through the camera crews to get to Ken and shakes his hand vigorously.

“Well done Ken – good job”, the onlooker says. Ken manages a wry smile and is buoyed by the sentiment.

“Once you had the congestion zone in place it made it so much more attractive for people to cycle into the centre of London”, says Livingstone. “My worry is if Boris reduces the congestion zone or undermines it in any way.

“London’s like New York. In the centre, where quite a lot of rich people live, car ownership is very low. A lot of very comfortably well-off people have given up their car, or if they’ve got a car they only use it occasionally, such as on weekends.

“We’ve actually seen a 100 per cent increase in cycling over the last eight years.”

So is congestion actually getting any better?

“There is a constant level of increased car usage because the population is going up.

“When the congestion charge came into force in 2003, 70,000 less people drove into central London. It’s still 70,000, but gradually, congestion comes back because the population increases.”

So does Ken Livingstone actually drive into London?

“I’ve never actually learned how to drive. I was born and brought up in London, and I used to work in the NHS, so I actually couldn’t afford a car.”

How does London’s first Mayor get around the capital?

“I just built my life around public transport and walking.”

Ken stifles a laugh as he remembers.

“My partner has a car though – she was brought up in Radlett, so getting a car for her was the chance to escape to London to party as a teenager!”

And what does she drive?

“She’s got a Toyota Prius.”