Caroline's news

With the final East London Line (ELL extension) coming under budget, Caroline Pidgeon has called for the cancelled station at Surrey Canal to be reinstated.

A recent Transport for London report has revealed that "phase two" work on the line is expected to come in more than £4 million under budget.

The new section of the line from Surrey Quays will run through Peckham to Clapham Junction from late 2012. It will connect to the main section of the line which already runs from north London, through Southwark, Lewisham and onto Croydon.

Caroline Pidgeon AM joined local Liberal Democrats out campaigning in the Bush Hill Park by-election on 28th July.

Caroline joined Paul Smith the local Lib Dem candidate and other local Liberal Democrats working in the area, delivering leaflets and talking to local residents.

A Big Switch to electric buses and taxis can cut London’s appalling air pollution, dramatically reduce premature deaths and ill health, and help meet climate change targets. The London Assembly Liberal Democrats have put forward an ambitious programme to convert high mileage buses, taxis and light goods vehicles to electric power by 2020. The plan was launched with Caroline Pidgeon AM and Mike Tuffrey AM with support from the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP.

Caroline Pidgeon joined Carshalton Lib Dem Councillors Hamish Pollock, Alan Salter, Jill Whitehead and Peter Fosdike along with local MP Tom Brake, and former Lib Dem Councillor and Sutton Seniors activist Chris Pennington, to look at a number of transport concerns in the Carshalton area on 19th July. Caroline walked around Carshalton Ponds and Carshalton High Street before attending a Carshalton Local Area Committee discussing a range of transport issues with local residents and councillors.

High Speed Rail has been a key policy for the Liberal Democrats for many years, as part of our plans to reduce domestic flights and get people out of their cars and onto rail. The Government has recently consulted on its plans for High Speed 2. As Liberal Democrat Spokesperson, Caroline has responded to the consultation.

In addition, the London Assembly Transport Committee held a hearing in July to hear from all sides about High Speed 2 and its impact on transport in London, as well as carrying out site visits to Euston and Old Oak Common.

It is clear that should High Speed 2 go ahead, a lot of investment will be needed in London’s transport infrastructure, including a new tube line, if London is to cope with the potential increase in passengers.