Caroline's news

The South London Press reports on the overcharging suffered by many passengers who travelled from Blackheath station after the fireworks display on 5th November - when station staff taped over the card readers at the station.

Caroline commented:
"Many would be unaware they had been overcharged and, for those who were, the onus was on them to collect the overcharged amount.

"It beggars belief Southeastern merely taped over the Oyster readers leading to so many people being overcharged on their Oyster cards."

You can read the South London Press article here.

Figures obtained from TfL by Caroline Pidgeon have shown that several pedestrian crossings in Havering do not meet minimum safety standards - either because they do not have the required equipment to make them safe for blind and partially sighted people, or because the time to cross is too short for people with limited mobility.

The crossings are located at:

• Abbs Cross Lane/Hornchurch Road/High Street, Hornchurch
• Rom Valley Way/Rush Green Road (Roneo Corner)
• Oldchurch Road/Thurloe Gardens/South Street, Romford
• the A12 at Colchester Road/Whitelands Way
• Eastern Avenue/North Street/Havering Road, Romford

Commenting on the news that 4000 BMW cars will be shipped in from Germany to transport officials during the Olympics, London Assembly Lib Dem leader Caroline Pidgeon said:

"As we were promised that the 2012 Games would be the greenest Olympics ever to take place, only electric vehicles should have been considered.

"Electric vehicles are not only quieter, but far less harmful to people’s lungs.

"The 2012 Games should have been a big boost to the growth of electric vehicles in the UK, but instead we have vehicles which merely add to London’s serious air pollution."

Read the full story here in the Daily Mail.

The London SE1 website reports on Caroline Pidgeon's question to the Mayor about the cost of the office space TfL is renting in the Palestra building in Southwark:

Caroline Pidgeon: With work underway to look at co-location of Underground and Surface Control centres, are you aware of any lower-cost office space in Greater London than currently proposed at Palestra?

Calling for further action to install Trixi mirrors that would ensure lorry drivers can see cyclists at dangerous junctions, London Assembly Lib Dem leader Caroline Pidgeon said:

"After so many cycle deaths this year on London's roads and a rise in cyclists killed or hurt on roads across the UK as a whole, it is time for real action on making our roads safer for cyclists.