Caroline Pidgeon features in a BBC London report on the news the TfL is heavily encouraging Londoners to work from home during the Olympics... but demanding that its own backroom staff come to the office.
Caroline told the BBC:
Greenwich Lib Dem Chris Smith writes on his blog to welcome the news that - after questioning from Caroline Pidgeon in the London Assembly last week - the Mayor has identified Greenwich, Vauxhall Cross and Croydon as pilot areas for new combined cycle and pedestrian spaces which will be separated from motor traffic. The London Cycling Campaign has been strongly making the case for this in its "Love London, Go Dutch" campaign.
Commenting on the news that the project to deliver "new Routemaster" buses will have put only four new buses on the streets by the end of May, Caroline Pidgeon told the Evening Standard:
"The Mayor has repeatedly made misleading claims about the new London bus. Initially he claimed that the research and development costs would be picked up privately, but we soon discovered that it would be taxpayers who would foot the massive bill.
"The starting date for the first bus operating on London's roads was then delayed. Now we find out that the repeated promise of eight of these buses operating in London by the end of May is set to be broken as well.
"It is time Boris Johnson stopped writing newspaper columns about the new London bus and instead gave clear answers about why this expensive project is not matching the promises he has made to Londoners."
Talking to the Evening Standard about the news that Transport for London has delayed the introduction of "wave and pay" facilities for credit and debit cards on the Tube, Caroline Pidgeon commented:
“No one is against new technology but the delayed start of Wave and Pay is a great opportunity to ensure the new technology works properly from day one of its introduction.
“At the same time the Mayor and TfL must ensure that whenever it starts people who decide to stick with Oyster ‘pay as you go’ don’t get penalised with higher fares.”
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on new proposals from Transport for London to allow Oyster card users to check their accounts online and to allow Oyster customers to submit refund applications online, said:
“These improvements are welcome and indeed long overdue. Last year alone passengers using Oyster Pay As You Go were wrongly charged maximum fares totalling over £66 million.
Speaking to the South London Press about a row of homes in Catford which Transport for London owns but has left empty since 1987, Caroline Pidgeon said:
It is shameful these publicly owned properties have been empty for 25 years. Not only has this been a terrible waste of public money, but the properties are a complete eyesore. It is time TfL stopped making excuses.
You can read the full story here.
After lobbying from local MP Simon Hughes and Caroline Pidgeon, Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, TfL have now started work to improve the junction at Abbey Street, where cyclist Ellie Carey died in a collision with a lorry last year.
TfL has now told Ellie Carey’s father Allister in an email that work is about to start to provide advanced stop lines for cyclists at the junction. Trixi mirrors, which allow lorry drivers to see cyclists waiting at traffic lights, will be installed on the Tower Bridge Road by the end of May. This comes after Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker MP changed the rules to allow trixi mirrors to be installed by local authorities without permission from the Department of Transport.
TfL also said that they would be holding a full consultation on proposals for an improved scheme for cyclists and pedestrians at Abbey Street later this summer.
Passengers using Oyster Pay As You Go were ripped off by many millions of pounds last year at tube and train stations across the capital.
Passengers wrongly faced maximum fares for their journeys at every London Underground and National Rail station, with the weekly amount of incorrectly charged maximum fares exceeding more than £1 million.
Across London Underground, National Rail network stations, the DLR and London Overground stations, the total amount of maximum fares charged reached a staggering £63,950,000 in 2011.
Speaking to the Guardian about the costly project to build a cable car link from North Greenwich to the Royal Docks, Caroline Pidgeon said:
"While the cable car will be an attractive addition to London's skyline I question whether it will provide a practical transport link for many people on a daily basis."
Caroline joined local Councillors Ian Bond and Gwyneth Deakins out and about in Redbridge on Saturday. The team met local residents and highlighted the terrible problems crossing the main road by the Charlie Brown Roundabout. Cllr Richard Hoskins and other local residents and campaigners joined the team to support the crossing campaign.
Speaking to the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian about TfL's failure to install pedestrian crossings and traffic lights at the roundabout, Caroline said:
"People shouldn't have to take their lives in their hands just to get across the road. It's absolutely staggering.
"We need to make sure something is done urgently to make it safe. The crossing needs to be up to minimum safety standards and this is a big issue at this election for me."
Read more here in the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian and in the Yellow Advertiser.
