In the Evening Standard's coverage of the 2010 tube and bus fare rises, Caroline is quoted on the impact of higher fares to the travelling public:
This will be a slap in the face for the millions of Londoners who will be seeing no increase in their pay packets this year.
The Southwark News reports on the implications for Southwark of the Mayor's new transport strategy - which includes neither the Cross River Tram nor the South London Line.
The article quotes Caroline on the tram issue:
Anyone looking at the Mayor's Transport Strategy would search in vain to find even a single mention of the proposed Cross River Tram, despite the fact that it is 354 pages in length!
It is now abundantly clear that Boris Johnson has no intention at all of ever wanting to introduce a Cross River Tram. The warm words by the Mayor and his transport adviser have now been exposed as being utterly worthless.
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the Mayor’s fare package for 2010 which is hiking up tube and bus fares and cutting bus and tube services in outer London, said:
"For the second year in a row the Mayor is punishing Londoners with an inflation busting increase in fares. Incredibly even a short bus journey involving just one change will set people back £2.40.
"People in outer London will be particularly aggrieved to be paying even more for a poorer service.
Caroline Pidgeon joined Tom Brake MP and Lewisham Lib Dem councillor Chris Maines to highlight the threat that the Government's cuts pose to the future of London's Freedom Pass.
This cut would be a hit of £1.8 million on the council tax payers of Lewisham, according to Liberal Democrat Cllr Chris Maines.
“The Government are moving resources away from London and they are planning a cut that would effectively mean that cross borough travel on buses in London would not be funded.
“This would be a double whammy for Lewisham residents who were promised by Tory Mayor Boris Johnston that he would allow the freedom pass to used before 9.30am on local trains. A promise not yet kept.
Caroline Pidgeon and Jelil Ladipo, Newington Lib Dem councillors, joined Canon Grahame Shaw from St Paul's Lorrimore local square, along with many local residents, to protest against overdevelopment of the Old Police Station Garden on Walworth Road.
“This is an overdevelopment of this site. Ideally we would like it to become a small community green space – much needed in this busy part of Walworth. The planning application is simply a bad design and far too big for this site, ignoring the historic design on many local buildings including the old police station. I hope the Council will reject it” commented Caroline.
