In the news articles
TfL admit King's Cross junction does not meet safety standards
4 February 2012 - 11:24am — AdministratorAs a result of questions asked to the Mayor by Caroline Pidgeon, Transport for London have admitted that a large junction at King's Cross does not meet their own safety standards, and refused to answer on why they have done nothing to comply with those standards.
You can read full coverage on the King's Cross Environment blog.
And on the same blog, you can read about Caroline's continued scrutiny and Boris Johnson's complacency on cycle safety issues.
Bow roundabout plans are just a first step
4 February 2012 - 10:36am — AdministratorSpeaking to the road.cc cycling website about TfL's initial plans to improve safety at Bow roundabout - a notoriously dangerous junction for cyclists - Caroline Pidgeon commented:
These improvements are only a first step - they must be followed through with a much bigger plan of work to improve safety and access for pedestrians as well.
TfL needs more than just tough talk on bus fare evasion
4 February 2012 - 10:22am — AdministratorAs the Mayorwatch website reports, the Mayor's "New Bus for London" shows signs that it will suffer from no less fare evasion than bendy buses did, with three separate doors.
Caroline Pidgeon commented:
Given that fare evasion stands at £63 million, it is time the Mayor stopped just talking tough on fare evasion and actually adopted some tough measures. His new London bus with its three sets of doors, will effectively be the new ‘free bus’ in London unless its conductors actually check people’s fares.
Tiger's Head junction work to start this year
28 January 2012 - 10:16pm — AdministratorThe Catford Central blog reports that TfL will start work this year on improvements to the Tiger's Head junction - and highlights Caroline's questions to the Mayor that prompted TfL to finally take action.
Cyclists facing feast or famine in search of hire bikes
20 January 2012 - 9:31pm — AdministratorCaroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group has exposed key failings in the way the London bike hire scheme is performing.
The failings, which could be holding back the success of the scheme, include:
- A widespread failure in the allocation of the bikes across the docking stations, making it difficult for people to either hire a bike, or return a bike at the end of a ride. Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show that in November 2011 there was on average 27 docking stations in London that had no bikes available for hire for between 6 to 8 hours each day. At the same time there were 31 docking stations that had no spare spaces for people to dock their bikes for between 3 to 6 hours each day.
- Internal Transport for London reports also obtained by the Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly have highlighted other problems with the scheme, which include:
Seven week holiday for fare dodgers
12 January 2012 - 11:52pm — AdministratorDespite hiking up fares at the start of 2012 the Mayor has delayed his plans to get tough on fare evaders, reveals Caroline Pidgeon, the leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group.
In August 2011 Transport for London started a consultation proposing to increase the penalty fare on all TfL services to £80 with the proposed introduction date for the new rate being the 2nd January 2012. On the 29th November 2011 the Mayor of London then signed a Mayoral decision which again stated that the increased penalty fare would start from the 2nd January 2012.
Good news on Waterloo ex-Eurostar platforms - but we need more
12 January 2012 - 11:50pm — Administrator
Speaking as the government announced that one of Waterloo's former Eurostar platforms can be used from May 2013 for commuter services, Caroline Pidgeon said:
"It is clearly good news that at least one platform is now to be brought back into use to help relieve overcrowding.
"We now need to see a timetable for when the other platforms will be open."
Read the South London Press's coverage here.
Caroline Pidgeon and Brian Paddick call for communities to stand up to criminals
10 January 2012 - 11:02pm — Administrator
London Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick today revealed how he would offer Londoners the chance to reclaim the streets from criminals and work with police to help reduce rising levels of crime.
Brian and his candidate for Deputy Mayor, London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, spoke to residents in Vauxhall about a recent spate of muggings in the area and their concerns about safety in the community.
TfL does more and more deals behind closed doors
10 January 2012 - 10:44pm — AdministratorCommenting on Transport for London's secrecy about its advertising deal with CBS Media, London Assembly Lib Dem leader Caroline Pidgeon commented:
"The end of the legal dispute might seem welcome but the key issue is whether it has come at a high price to Londoners.
"Despite Boris Johnson being elected promising greater transparency about how public money is being spent, the reality is more and more deals at TfL are being done behind closed doors."
Read the full story here in the Evening Standard.
17 Islington crossings not accessible to visually impaired people
4 January 2012 - 9:39pm — AdministratorThe Islington Gazette reports that - as revealed by Caroline Pidgeon's questioning of TfL - 17 pelican crossings in Islington are not safe for visually impaired people as they have no sound or rotating cones to indicate when it is safe to cross.
Caroline commented:
"It is a total disgrace that such basic safety standards are still not being met."
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