Caroline's news

Many bike hire docking stations lack even a single bike for many hours each day, new figures obtained by Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, have revealed.

The London Assembly’s Transport Committee has called on Mayor Boris Johnson to clarify funding to enable a station at Woolwich to be up and running in time for Crossrail’s launch in 2018.

While the station box at Woolwich is now in place ready for tunnelling to commence, there still remains no agreement about funding the fitting-out of the new station. At a recent Transport committee (7 March), representatives from Crossrail Ltd told Members that a resolution was needed between sponsors Transport for London and the Department for Transport and partners Greenwich Council and Berkeley Homes, by mid-2013, if the station was to be ready for passengers by the launch.

Caroline recently visited Downham fire station to give her support to the local campaign by local residents and Liberal Democrats to save the fire station.

The fire station is situated in the south of Lewisham and serves people living in Bromley as well as Lewisham.

The campaign to save the fire station has already generated a petition signed by more than 4500 people.

The London Assembly’s Transport Committee has written to George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to urge him to fund the proposed electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking railway line.

Electrification of the line would bring significant improvements for both freight and passenger traffic, including reduced overcrowding for passengers, improved connectivity with the rest of London’s rail network, environmental benefits and the ability to run longer trains on the line.

Commenting on the traffic problems building up around Rotherhithe Tunnel since the introduction of a poorly announced restriction on wide vehicles, Caroline Pidgeon said:

“Despite Transport for London having a year to prepare for the start of this policy it seems very few people are aware of this new ban on wide vehicles being allowed through the Rotherhithe Tunnel.