In the news articles

Mayor overestimates revenue from Barclays sponsorship

Dave Hill at the Guardian writes about the Mayor's exaggeration of the benefits of the cycle hire sponsorship contract with Barclays, pointing out Caroline Pidgeon's questioning that highlighted the true figures:

"Barclays," proclaimed the Mayor, has "saved Londoners about £50 million" through its sponsorship of cycle hire and superhighways. The key word in that assertion is "about."

As in the past the Mayor appeared at best unclear about how much money Barclays has and eventually will transfer to London's savings account in return for his inviting it to carpet brand its streets.

Met's loss of expertise is a serious concern for London's policing

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and deputy chair of the Police and Crime Committee, commenting on the sudden departure of both the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, said:

“It is shocking that two public servants with such vast experience should be departing so quickly from the Met when the Deputy Mayor for Policing is so clearly not up to speed with the key policing issues facing the capital.

Assembly launches investigation into cyclist safety in London

With 16 deaths on the capital’s roads last year and injuries also on the rise, where is London going wrong on cyclist safety? What more needs to be done to make Londoners safer on their bikes? And what could the capital learn from cities with good cycling records?

The London Assembly Transport Committee has recently launched an investigation aimed at drawing together issues around cycling in the capital, assessing how effectively improvements are being delivered, and identifying further solutions.

Questions over Thames Cable Car still remain

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the announcement that the Thames Cable Car will open from midday on Thursday 28th June said:

“It is welcome news that the Thames Cable Car will be open before the Olympic Games, as additional forms of transport will be helpful in dealing with the exceptional pressures the capital will face later this Summer, and help spectators travel between the Excel and O2 venues.

Waterloo & City Sunday service is welcome

As TfL announced that the Waterloo & City line will run on Sundays during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in an attempt to relive congestion, Caroline Pidgeon told the Evening Standard:

“This is a welcome development. Transport for London should use this opportunity to examine potential weekend demand and see whether there is a case for regularly running trains every weekend.”

Thames cable car - we need answers on costs and fares

Speaking to the Evening Standard about the Thames cable car that is shortly to open, Caroline Pidgeon said:

“After misleading Londoners and claiming two years ago that the Thames cable car would not cost a penny of taxpayers’ money it is time the Mayor provided some honest answers.

“Not only do we need to know when it will finally open but the Mayor must also tell us how much a ride will cost and whether Oyster will be accepted from the start.”

Urgent action needed to prevent Olympic travel chaos

Talking to the Evening Standard after several days plagued by Tube line suspensions, Caroline Pidgeon said:

"It is bad enough that there were even planned Tube closures over these last few special days.

"However last night's suspensions on three more Tube lines were a dampener to the weekend and Bank Holidays matched only by the weather."

"With just 50 days to go to the start of the Olympics we need far clearer assurances from the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) that the Games will not be disrupted by this type of repeated Tube chaos."

You can read the full story here in the Evening Standard. And read more at The Week.

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