Transport articles

Caroline formally raises Northern Line Extension concerns to TfL

21 December 2012 - 8:18pm — Administrator

Responding to Transport for London's consultation on the extension of the Northern Line to Battersea, Caroline Pidgeon has set out concerns in a number of areas:

The value-for-money case for this scheme compared to alternatives
Capacity on the Northern Line and at Kennington station
Temporary shafts
Kennington Park shaft
Noise mitigation measures
Local area improvements
Considerate construction

Cable car usage reaches record low

21 December 2012 - 10:41am — Administrator

Greenwich Lib Dem blogger Chris Smith reports on the weekly figures showing the lowest usage yet on the Thames cable car, and echoes Caroline Pidgeon's concerns that the cable car is being managed more as a tourist attraction than a serious form of transport.

2013 must see dramatic improvements in Tube access

21 December 2012 - 10:37am — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and chair of the London Assembly transport committee, commenting on the announcement that manual boarding ramps on the Tube which were introduced during the London 2012 Games at 16 Tube stations will now be kept and extended to more stations, said:

Overground link is welcome - but we need the South London Line back

15 December 2012 - 11:44pm — Administrator

Caroline was joined by Simon Hughes MP trying out the new London Overground Service from Surrey Quays in Rotherhithe to Clapham Junction. The team went out on the new route on its first day of operation on Sunday 9th December. Simon and Caroline had also been out the day before supporting local campaigners against the final day of the South London Line from Victoria to London Bridge. The new line does allow many more journeys to be made in Zone 2 avoiding busy Zone 1.

Mile End plans offer little for cyclists

14 December 2012 - 9:33pm — Administrator

Proposed improvements to the Mile End Road and Burdett Road junction are totally inadequate and fail to provide any significant benefits for cyclists, claims Caroline Pidgeon AM, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and chair of the London Assembly’s transport committee.

Responding to Transport for London’s (TfL) consultation on the review of this junction, which is part of a wider exercise to review the safety of 100 junctions across London for cyclists, Caroline Pidgeon said:

“Quite frankly these proposals appear to be the weakest plans to have emerged from TfL’s junction review so far. The introduction of mandatory cycle lanes is welcome, but there is little else that will benefit cyclists. Indeed some of the changes will make the junction more intimidating and potentially even more dangerous."

‘Wave and Pay’ must give passengers the best deal, says London Assembly

14 December 2012 - 9:29pm — Administrator

The London Assembly today welcomed the introduction of 'wave and pay' cards on London's transport network, but warned that Transport for London must ensure that the new technology does not disadvantage any passengers.

In 2011, the London Assembly's Transport Committee published "The Future of Ticketing", which set out how 'Wave and Pay' could be made fair to all passengers and not disadvantage those who continue to use Oyster. The Assembly heard confirmation from TfL that it will review and act on its recommendations as the new technology is rolled out.

Cable car is little more than a tourist attraction

2 December 2012 - 5:06pm — Administrator

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the latest figures for ridership on the cable car which show that daily ridership has fallen to as low as 301 passengers on one day and that just 16 Oyster card holders used the cable car more than five times in the week ending 21st October 2012 said:

“Outside of weekends and school holidays the passenger figures for the Thames cable car are pitiful. It is now increasingly clear that the Thames cable car is little more than a tourist attraction and not proving a useful link for people who regularly commute across the Thames.

“Of course if the Mayor had just been honest about this from the outset and honoured his claim that the scheme would be funded entirely from private funds there would be no complaints. But that is not what he promised Londoners.

“Having poured so much public money into the scheme the Mayor must now ensure it operates like an integral form of public transport. A good start would be to ensure that people with a relevant Travelcard are not charged again for using a publicly funded transport scheme.”

Gearing Up for a safe cycling city

22 November 2012 - 12:01am — Administrator

A report from the London Assembly Transport Committee, which is chaired by Caroline, warns that the number of cycling injuries on London’s roads has risen by 50 per cent since 2006 and recommends doubling funding for cycling and targets for the number of journeys made by bike.

Gearing Up calls on the Mayor to respond to falling cycle safety by prioritising ways to encourage more people on to bikes and reduce serious cycling incidents on London’s roads.

The Assembly’s recommendations to the Mayor, Transport for London (TfL) and the Government include:

Cable car needs to be a serious mode of transport

19 November 2012 - 11:44pm — Administrator

Speaking to the BBC about the extremely low passenger numbers on the Thames cable car, Caroline Pidgeon said:

"All we're seeing is a publicly funded tourist attraction rather than a serious mode of transport. What the Mayor now needs to do is to incorporate it in the Travelcard network, to make sure people are using it, rather than the handful that are today."

TfL's lack of ambition as superhighway stops short

19 November 2012 - 11:31pm — Administrator

Talking to the local 853 blog, Caroline Pidgeon criticised the lost opportunity to link Lewisham to central London with a cycle superhighway.

“Just one week after the Mayor and TfL were boasting about the new Victoria to Lewisham Superhighway we now discover that the plans have been seriously scaled back," said Caroline.

“The excuses for not linking the Superhighway to Lewisham show a total lack of ambition by Transport for London.

“This foolish decision suggests the Mayor of London is not really serious about introducing Dutch-style cycling infrastructure across London.”

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