Caroline Pidgeon AM carried out a site visit with TfL to Blackfriars bridge on Monday 18th April to look on site at the new plans that TfL are proposing for the design of the junction.
The new plans, which would be introduced after the works to Blackfriars station are complete, result in the removal of an existing cycle lane and priority really given to vehicles rather than pedestrians and cyclists.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the Mayor’s announcement of a lead contractor to construct London’s cable car, said:
“A cable car crossing the Thames is a great idea, but it is a great idea being let down by poor financial planning and a lack of openness.
“The Mayor must now come clean and state why as recently as July 2010 he was claiming the cable car would cost £25 million, but already its projected cost has doubled.
Last Autumn saw the dreadful news that the late night service on the Clipper service was being removed from the winter timetable.
The good news is that following an excellent campaign run by commuters, Southwark Liberal Democrat Councillors and Caroline (read more on Caroline's site here and here) an evening service has now returned, starting from the 1st April.
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on a new approach being adopted by London Underground to upgrade work on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines where there will be no weekend closures simply for signalling installation and testing work, said:
”At long last Transport for London and the Mayor have woken up to the fact that a new approach to upgrading the tube is possible which avoids the utter misery of closing whole tube lines.
Caroline Pidgeon has exposed the immense waste by Transport for London (TfL) in allowing buildings in Catford to remain empty for almost 25 years.
Transport for London have been urged by Caroline Pidgeon and Lewisham Liberal Democrat Councillors to either refurbish the buildings or sell then.
Chris Maines, leader of the Liberal Democrat Council Group on Lewisham said "These buildings have just been sitting there unused for years and years now. It is a total waste of money.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and Vice Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the recent admission by Greenwich Council that Greenwich Foot Tunnel will now only be fully open 24 hours a day from some time in June, said:
"The 1.5 million people who use the Greenwich Foot Tunnel every year have been totally let down by Greenwich Council.
The News Shopper reports on the Mayor's promise - following a question from Caroline Pidgeon - to ensure the dangerous junction between Bromley Road, Whitefoot Lane and Southend Lane in Catford gets pedestrian crossings.
Caroline commented:
There have been far too many false promises about improvements to this junction made by the present and previous Mayors of London.
It is vital that promises are now met and that this junction is finally made safe for pedestrians
Local Liberal Democrats in Wembley have been stunned by revelations uncovered this week that the lift at Wembley Central station, installed by Network Rail several years ago, seems to have never actually been opened for public use.
Councillor Daniel Brown, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for transport, has demanded to know what Transport for London are going to do to improve services at the station and asked Caroline Pidgeon AM, Lib Dem leader at City Hall, to quiz Boris on how he planned to deal with resident’s pleas for better station facilities.
According to the Mayor, the lift to platform 1 hasn't been commissioned due to technical issues regarding the fire evacuation strategy, preventing the lift ever opening to the public.
Other facilities at the station, such as the Help Point, have regularly been broken, leaving vulnerable people at risk, and London Underground now say there is no money left for additional works.
The Wimbledon SW19 website reports on Caroline Pidgeon's question to the Mayor on how to improve the confusing signage at Wimbledon station, which leaves many passengers unsure as to where they should swipe their Oyster cards.
You can read the full article here.
The Going Underground and Mayorwatch blogs both have coverage of Caroline Pidgeon pressing the Mayor to remove the ban on guide dogs on escalators on the Tube.
Caroline commented:
The ban on blind people being able to take a guide dog onto moving escalators is outdated and must be changed. There is now clear evidence that trained guide dogs can safely use moving escalators so ending the insulting service that many blind people currently face when they use the tube.
