London-wide + Barnet stories

New X34 bus needs to be frequent and reliable as an alternative to cars

Caroline Pidgeon has responded to Transport for London's consultation on the new X34 bus route, which will run between North Finchley and Walthamstow as part of the Superloop.

Caroline stressed the need for a frequent enough service to create an attractive alternative to driving, as well as dedicated bus lanes to avoid buses getting stuck in traffic.

Catalytic converter theft has soared to worryingly high rates

The London Assembly Liberal Democrat Group has obtained figures showing soaring rates of catalytic converter theft across London, with Barnet and Hillingdon the worst afflicted boroughs.

Group leader Caroline Pidgeon said:

“A crime that hardly existed in 2017 soared in 2019 and remains at worryingly high levels across much of London, with gangs most recently targeting cars in Barnet, Enfield, Ealing and Hillingdon.

Meeting the Chief Rabbi and campaigning in Hendon

Caroline visited Hendon in Barnet with the Liberal Democrat London Assembly candidate Zack Polanski and local activists. They went out to talk to local residents and commuters about the Half Price fares before Half Past 7 campaign, which proved to be very popular.

Caroline and Zack then met with local Hackney Liberal Democrat Councillor Ian Sharer, who took them to meet with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, where they discussed tackling the important issue of hate crime in London, school places and a range of other local issues.

Caroline said: “It was a real honour to meet with the Chief Rabbi in Hendon and we thank him for his time. He had insightful views on how to tackle hate crime, an issue that needs addressing in London.”

Mayor must now come clean over plans for Night Buses

Caroline Pidgeon AM, Liberal Democrat London Assembly transport spokesperson, commenting on the announcement that the launch of the Night Tube has been deferred, said:

"This is a big climb down for the Mayor. His retreat is entirely due to his error in setting a specific start date before all the staffing arrangements and other issues had been settled.

"By pushing for a set start date the Mayor strengthened the union’s negotiating position.

One Hour Bus Ticket: a long-standing focus for Caroline and the Lib Dems

Dave Hill's London blog in the Guardian looks at the proposal by potential Labour mayoral candidate Christian Wolmar for a bus ticket valid over multiple journeys for an hour - and points out that this has been a long-standing policy of Caroline Pidgeon and the London Assembly Liberal Democrats:

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