In the news articles

Caroline Pidgeon slams undemocratic action by Conservative Assembly Members

11 September 2010 - 10:48am — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the decision by Conservative Assembly Members to once again walk out of the chamber at City Hall and prevent important items being debated by the London Assembly today, said:

"It is shameful that the London Assembly has today been prevented from debating key issues including the threat to people living in homes owned by the Crown Estates and the planned reduction in opening hours at tube ticket offices. These are bread and butter issue for Londoners and the London Assembly is here to make sure London's voice is heard.

"This disgraceful behaviour by Conservative London Assembly Members is an insult to the democratic process.”

Surrey Canal Road station campaign must continue – Caroline Pidgeon

2 September 2010 - 10:27pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, has received final confirmation this week that the Department of Transport will not provide £7 million in funding required to build a new train station at Surrey Canal Road.

Funding for the proposed station on the second phase of the East London Line has been considered by the Department of Transport over an extensive period of time. After lengthy delays in making a decision both Boris Johnson and Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, wrote on the 14th December 2009 to the previous transport minister urging that a final decision was made .

Commenting on the Minister’s reply Caroline Pidgeon, who is deputy chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, said:
“It is a great shame that after so many delays and passing of the buck that this situation has arisen. A crucial window of opportunity has long passed to quickly build a station. Sadly it is no longer possible to build a station and ensure its opening coincided with the opening of the second phase of the East London Line.

New name for Blackfriars station could provide huge boost to Bankside - Simon Hughes MP and Caroline Pidgeon AM

1 September 2010 - 9:24pm — Administrator

Key local attractions such as the Tate Modern and the Globe as well as the many businesses on the South Bank could be set to receive a huge boost if Network Rail agrees to change the name of the new Blackfriars station to Blackfriars & Bankside.

Simon Hughes, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, and Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Leader, have now received an assurance from Network Rail that serious consideration is being given to the proposal. Ian Coucher, Chief Executive of Network Rail has stated that he is “sympathetic” to the proposal and has initiated further work to be carried to examine the practical implications of the name change.

Bike hire scheme is tremendous - but Boris and Ken should be honest

15 August 2010 - 5:29pm — Administrator

In an article for the Liberal Democrat Voice website, Caroline Pidgeon warmly welcomes the new London bike hire scheme as a "tremendous idea", while pointing out that Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone are eager to take more credit for it then they deserve:

Despite its launch being associated with quite a number of problems – including a highly complex registration process, and a number of cyclists being overcharged – no one can deny that the scheme is proving incredibly popular. And let’s be realistic, no major scheme ever starts without at least some minor teething problems. Of course I will be chasing hard until these glitches are resolved, and they certainly must be, but the bottom line is that the bike hire scheme is a tremendous idea. Especially if the scheme is expanded it has the potential to help reduce congestion and pollution as well as making it easier for Londoners, visitors and tourists to get around the capital at very little cost. Most significantly it could play a vital role in transforming the status of cycling...

London needs better transport and fairer fares

12 August 2010 - 10:14pm — Administrator

In a guest column in the East London Advertiser this week, Caroline Pidgeon gives her views on transport issues across London:

We need to ensure that more people have access to good transport, if London is to become a fairer place...

Of course better transport is not the only step that needs to be taken. We also need to address the issue of fares... We shouldn't accept that fares have to be structured the way they are.

Other cities around the world such as New York and Paris have an honest debate about how fares are set. But we face just a yearly declaration from our Mayor.

If the voice of people on low incomes is to be heard, London fares need to be fair.

You can read the full article here (click on the front page of the Advertiser, and it will take you to Caroline's article).

TfL disappoints Hillingdon bus campaigners

12 August 2010 - 9:56pm — Administrator

The Harrow Observer reports on Transport for London's refusal to extend the H98 bus route through Hillingdon and Ruislip, despite a petition which Caroline Pidgeon presented to the Mayor in July on behalf of local residents.

You can read the full story here.

Jubilee Line fiasco must lead to new policy on tube upgrades

12 August 2010 - 9:46pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today’s apology by London Underground for the years of suffering faced by passengers on the Jubilee Line and the announcement that there will still be 15 weekends of full or partial closures before Christmas, said:

"This is grim news for all the Jubilee Line passengers who have suffered so much disruption over months and years. There is no light at the end of the tunnel just more and more closures.

The Mayor must rectify appalling treatment of disabled Richmond passengers

7 August 2010 - 6:33pm — Administrator

The Richmond and Twickenham Times newspaper is campaigning for Boris Johnson to meet disabled bus users from Richmond and hear from them at first hand about the inadequate public transport services they have to use.

Caroline Pidgeon is supporting the campaign and says:

I hope Boris Johnson, who is chairman of Transport for London (TfL), comes and hears at first hand about the appalling treatment facing Clare Watson and many other disabled people.

The Mayor must now take a lead on this issue and ensure that bus services across London really are accessible for everyone.

Mayor turns down Whitton residents' 110 bus petition

7 August 2010 - 6:27pm — Administrator

The Hounslow Chronicle reports on Boris Johnson's refusal to divert the 110 bus to serve Whitton High St - despite the petition that Caroline Pidgeon presented to him in June with the backing over over 1,000 local residents.

You can read the full story here.

Guided cycle tours are a flop - just like last year

28 July 2010 - 9:38pm — Administrator

Shepherd's Bush blogger Chris Underwood has a story on the failure and cancellation of the "guided cycle tours" that TfL offered in Hammersmith and Fulham in June.

The article includes Caroline's question to the Mayor on the subject:

Caroline Pidgeon: Can you give an outline of how the publicity strategy differed to last year’s, in light of the low participation rate last year?

Boris Johnson: Between last year and this year the approach differs in the following ways:

Link to existing cycle programmes: Cycle Fridays was a standalone initiative, marketed via an advertising campaign. This year, rides are being offered as a support product to help individuals take advantage of existing cycling programmes including the London Cycle Challenge and Barclay’s Cycle Superhighways. The publicity for the rides is incorporated into existing programme channels; the only cost incurred is for the rides themselves.

Create a flexible programme, which responds to demand: Last year the number of rides publicised were fixed, but this year TfL is closely monitoring participation in the rides.

Roll out the rides in short bursts: Last year TfL publicised a block of rides for 10 weeks and participation dropped off over time. This year, each set of rides will last no longer than five weeks before a break. If a particular programme is not generating sufficient demand, the remaining rides can be scaled back or cancelled.

Change the name: Awareness of Cycle Fridays was relatively high; however understanding of what was on offer was lower. To make this clear, TfL changed the name to ‘Guided Cycle Rides’.

Read the full story here.

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