Caroline's news

Caroline recently took part in a meeting with Transport for London over their controversial decision to close the lifts at both Bermondsey and Canada Water tube stations for the next three months.

Local Liberal Democrats have already written to Boris Johnson expressing their concern about the impact this will have on local residents and have urged the Mayor to reopen at least one lift to enable disabled people and parents with young children to be able to access the Jubilee Line without having to go all the way to London Bridge.

At the meeting, attended also by Simon Hughes MP and Councillors Anood Al-Samerai and David Hubber (pictured), TfL defended their policy of simultaneously closing both lifts but have promised to take active steps to publicise the sudden closure of both lifts, including providing extensive information on electronic notice boards on the Jubilee Line and possibly on local buses.

Caroline recently joined Liberal Democrat mayoral Brian Paddick at a fundraising event for the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith. She was also joined by Steve Bradley, a Liberal Democrat London Assembly candidate and Lambeth Councillor.

A year ago the centre was struggling to raise funds to buy the premises in which it is situated. Now following a grant by the Irish Government and other fundraising the management of the centre are planning to demolish and totally rebuild the facility, including residential housing.

A full report on plans for the centre can be seen at the Shepherd's Bush blog.

Caroline continues to urge both the Mayor and Transport for London to address the issue of Oyster overcharging, which still affects many honest passengers, especially by train and tube.

The Evening Standard recently reported that in 2011 the level of "incomplete" journeys was £66.5 million, compared to £63 million in the previous years.

Although some minor changes have occurred to the way Oyster operates the Mayor and TfL have failed to address the main causes of Oyster overcharging, which is when every passenger is automatically charged the maximum fare, which regularly occurs when the machines are not operating or the stations are very crowded.

Commenting on another major disruption to the Jubilee line during the rush hour on 22nd March, Caroline Pidgeon said:

"This line is critical to ensuring London keeps moving during the Games, but far from seeing improvements, reliability has been falling.

"The Mayor and Transport for London need to detail actions that will be taken in the next three months to turn this round."

And just 4 days later, hundreds of passengers had to walk out of a broken down train and through a darkened tunnel to safety.

Caroline said:

Writing for the Politics First website, Caroline Pidgeon sets out the case for key London Liberal Democrat policies, ranging over:

• A one hour bus ticket, so people can make two or three short bus journeys for the cost of a single fare
• Reduced early bird fares for journeys before 7.30am - helping some of London's lowest-paid workers
• Comprehensive measures to make cycling safer - and make roads safer for all Londoners