Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today’s admission by the Mayor and Transport for London that weekend closures and upgrade work on the Jubilee Line will not be completed until July, said:
“The Mayor, who is Chair of Transport for London, must now apologise to Londoners for this further delay in completing the upgrade of the Jubilee Line.
Across London's roads regrettably, about one cyclist dies every month, with a disproportionate amount of these fatalities being women struck by left-turning lorries. There are measures that be taken to prevent these deaths, especially through the use of the Triximirror. This is s simple device, mounted at a junction, that allows a lorry driver a clear view of their left hand side as they pass through intersections. Despite their low cost, there are just 30 Triximirrors in operation across London.
A campaign to ensure their roll-out across London has been started by campaigners in Camden. You can see full details of the campaign, which has the full support of Caroline, here at the Guardian website.
You can also support the campaign by signing the petition here.
Passengers are being overcharged more than £1 million a week when using Oyster, with overcharging occurring at every tube and train station across the capital, new figures obtained by Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group leader, have revealed.
The top ten stations where passengers were ripped off last year were:
| Waterloo | National Rail | £2,452,000 |
| London Bridge | National Rail | £2,300,000 |
| Liverpool Street | National Rail | £1,615,000 |
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the Mayor’s announcement today about crime statistics on public transport and his claim to be providing extra policing on to the transport network said:
“The Mayor should take great care when boasting about crime statistics on London’s transport network, especially as the overall fall in crime seems to hide some very disturbing rises in bus crime in about a third of London boroughs.
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, today called on the Mayor of London to look at whether Transport for London could take over the running of certain rail routes serving Londoners.
Following her questioning of the Mayor at City Hall she said:
“There is a chasm between what the Mayor promised train commuters before he was elected and the harsh reality facing so many commuters each and every day.
The Camden New Journal reports on the "Steeles Village" area at the lower end of Haverstock Hill, where Lib Dem councillors have joined local residents to have the area's name more widely recognised.
Caroline Pidgeon has also taken up the case in a London Assembly question to the Mayor.
You can read the full story here.
The Telegraph covers the advice by the 2012 Olympics organising committee that commuters should stay at home and avoid public transport during the Games, despite polls showing that 80% of Londoners plan to be in the city as normal.
Caroline Pidgeon comments:
Instead of relying on many commuters staying at home or avoiding London we need assurance that plans are in place and the transport network will be able to cope to prevent gridlock across the capital.
I fear travel will not be as easy as they hope.
You can read the full article here.
Caroline Pidgeon AM went on a walkabout with local resident Lynn Whiting to look at various transport issues in the Haverstock Hill area just before Christmas.
Issues discussed included the potential expansion of the cycle hire scheme to the area and how small changes could be made to the area, also known as Steele’s Village, to ensure local traders can continue in business and that the area is thriving again.
“It was wonderful to meet some shopkeepers and to talk to local resident Lynn about plans to transform the area for residents and traders. I will continue to work with Lynn and local Lib Dem Councillors” commented Caroline.
The Independent and the Daily Mail have both covered the Mayor's admission, in response to questions from Caroline Pidgeon, that £11.6m has been spent so far on rail replacement bus services during the Jubilee Line upgrade works.
Caroline said:
The delayed upgrades to the Jubilee Line has been bad enough for passengers and businesses, who have had to put up with terrible disruption and closures for far too long. It is now rubbing salt into the wound to discover that farepayers are picking up another huge bill.
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today’s confirmation that Thameslink will go ahead in its entirety, virtually doubling the number of north-south trains running through central London at peak times said:
“This announcement is a great day for commuters and London’s economy.
“Firstly Crossrail and now the confirmation that the Thameslink project will go head in full means that train capacity across the whole of London will be greatly increased within an decade.
“At a time of such tight public finances and when difficult short term decisions are having to be made in so many areas it is excellent news that long term plans to improve transport in London have not been compromised.”