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.
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:
As the London Loves Business website obtained figures suggesting the cable car from the Royal Docks to North Greenwich is consistently costing more to run than it collects in fares, Caroline Pidgeon has argued it makes no economic sense as a stand-alone project and will only bring benefit as an integrated part of the transport system:
"Despite TfL spending a fortune on advertising and promoting the cable car, the passenger figures and the income generated by the cable car remain dismal.
Caroline Pidgeon's questions to the Mayor have revealed that between 2013 and 2014, the hours lost due to lift closures on the Tube have risen by 50%, harming the freedom to travel of disabled people and those who depend on step-free access. The main reason was the lack of available trained staff to operate lifts.
Caroline said:
Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today’s announcement that half of TfL’s rail and Underground stations will be step-free by 2018, said:
“Any progress on making more TfL rail and Underground stations step-free is obviously welcome.
“However we can hardly be complacent when the reality is that in three years’ time half of all TfL rail and Underground will still be permanently inaccessible to disabled people and the many other people who require step free access.”
Commenting on the latest knife attacks affecting Londoners - and especially teenagers - Caroline Pidgeon AM, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, said:
As the latest disappointing figures on the Thames cable car showed that fewer people use it in a day than use the Tube in just two minutes, Caroline Pidgeon commented:
"Despite the cable car being long established and fast approaching its third anniversary its passenger numbers remain dismal.
"Quite frankly with so much public money spent on the project the best option would be to turn it into an integral form of public transport.
As a Freedom Of Information request revealed that just one person has given feedback to the Metropolitan Police's consultation of the use of body-worn cameras by officers, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“The technology should make the police more accountable to the public and help route out police malpractices committed by a very small minority of police officers.
Caroline Pidgeon AM and Stephen Knight AM visited the Lee Tunnel in East London to see first hand the engineering works that have created this tunnel which will take sewage from the River Lee area to Beckton to the sewage treatment works. In time once the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel is built this will connect to the Lee Tunnel.
Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on a report by the insurance company Aviva which has analysed police road traffic collision data between 2009 to 2013 on London’s roads, said:
These figures confirm that cycling around many gyratories and especially roundabouts such as the Elephant and Castle is nothing less than a Tour de Danger for cyclists.