Caroline's news

Hornsey Health Centre needs better bus links

Caroline Pidgeon AM joined Lynne Featherstone MP out in Hornsey to campaign for better bus links to the new Community Health Centre on the old Hornsey Central Hospital site.

Whilst the new Health Centre is very much welcomed, Transport for London completely overlooked that it would bring with it more people wanting to travel to it.

London Lib Dems slam the government on Freedom Pass cuts

London Lib Dems have reacted angrily to news that the concessionary fares scheme in London will be cut by £29m this coming year.

It is yet another clear sign that Gordon Brown has given up on London, choosing to sacrifice capital seats for marginals elsewhere in the country.

London taxpayers have always paid for the Freedom Pass, which covers pensioner travel on all forms of transport. But when the Government introduced the national free bus scheme, they agreed to contribute to the cost and cover journeys made by tourists and neighbours.

Dial-A-Ride "relaunch" leaves users cut off

Recently Caroline Pidgeon highlighted failures in TfL's Dial-A-Ride service for disabled Londoners.

In October, TfL "relaunched" the service - and published a new phone number to report any problems. But two weeks after the relaunch, this feedback line still has not been connected, leaving users with no way to tell TfL about any issues with Dial-A-Ride.

Caroline Pidgeon said:

If the Mayor simply ensured that Dial-a-Ride users were listened to he would not make the insulting claim that Dial-a-Ride's service is continuing to improve.

It is already bad enough that Dial-a-Ride users face extensive delays in booking trips but now every day 400 trips are refused to Dial-a-Ride users across London - a figure far higher than two or three years ago.

Freedom Pass cuts - a double whammy for Londoners

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the Department of Transport’s new consultation on the national bus concession in England, which proposes to remove almost £29 million of funding for London’s Freedom Pass, said:

“After Boris Johnson’s decision to hike bus fares by 20% Londoners now face a double whammy with this savage cut in funding for the Freedom Pass.

“London is the only major city in the country to be hit by these Government proposals. Hard up London council taxpayers, who are already facing a steep rise in fares, will now have to pay even more in their council tax to maintain London’s Freedom Pass.

“This is an outrageous proposal by the Labour Government who are insulting London’s pensioners, disabled people, as well as council taxpayers across the capital."

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