London-wide + Camden stories

Assembly urges Mayor to rethink Tube ticket office staff cuts

The London Assembly has called on the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) to rethink plans to cull up to 800 jobs on the Underground because of the adverse affects for passengers.

The Assembly believes the proposed cuts will damage customer service and leave passengers feeling less safe at stations where only one member of staff is present, particularly early in the morning and late at night.

Ticket office hours will be reduced, forcing people into long queues for ticket machines. This will especially disadvantage passengers with disabilities who find it difficult to use the machines and who rely on Underground staff for assistance when travelling by Tube.

Jubilee line upgrade cost up to £12m

The Harrow Observer, the News Shopper and the Docklands24 papers all report on the revelation that the Jubilee line upgrade works have led to up to £12m in lost ticket revenue, as Boris Johnson admitted when responding to a question from Caroline Pidgeon.

In the News Shopper, Caroline says:

The upgrade of the Jubilee Line has turned out to be a case study in exactly how not to upgrade the tube.

There is now overwhelming evidence that carefully planned blockades of short sections of the tube for two or three weeks would be a far better way to upgrade the tube than the expensive fiasco of literally years and years of weekend closures.

You can read full coverage in the Harrow Observer, the News Shopper and at Docklands24.

Just what is the real cost of the Jubilee Line upgrade fiasco?

After years of disruption on the Jubilee Line further evidence has now come to light revealing some of the real costs from years of weekend closures on the tube line.

Following extensive questioning by Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, the Mayor has admitted that Transport for London has already lost between £10 to £12 million in ticket revenue due to the saga of continual weekend closures. Incredibly the Mayor is unable to even estimate what the final bill in lost ticket revenue will reach before the upgrades are ultimately completed.

Dangerous King's Cross gyratory needs to be fixed

The Islington and Camden Gazette newspapers cover London Assembly Lib Dem leader Caroline Pidgeon's criticisms of the Mayor over his failure to act on the King's Cross Gyratory system, which has seen 63 crashes since 2007.

Caroline says:

The Mayor can't explain away the facts. The one-way system is a very dangerous road, and it needs fixing.

Read the full story here.

Questioning the Mayor on cycle hire glitches

The BBC reports on the Mayor's responses to questioning from Caroline Pidgeon AM, the London Assembly Lib Dem leader, revealing the impact of glitches in the launch of the cycle hire scheme.

Question: Has any money been returned to Barclays since the start of the scheme for any reason?

Answer from the Mayor: The Barclays Cycle Hire sponsor agreement does incorporate measures to reflect the success of the scheme. The precise details however are commercially sensitive.
 
 

Mayor refuses to act on unsafe King's Cross roads

The London Mayor this week ruled out doing anything to make the King's Cross one-way system safe, despite figures showing it is one of Camden's most dangerous.

The Mayor said he has "no proposals" to make the roads in King's Cross safe. He told the London Assembly Lib Dems that there have been "few speed-related collisions" on the one-way system.

Why is the Mayor paying £500 a second for celebrity bike videos?

The BBC report on their website that written questions from Lib Dem London Assembly leader Caroline Pidgeon forced the Mayor to admit that TfL has paid celebrities £5,000 each for 10-second appearances in videos to promote the cycle hire scheme.

Caroline says:

It is scandalous that the Mayor is splashing out our money on frivolous celebrity videos, paying them £500 a second, when Londoners are facing huge hikes in fares.

The Mayor needs to get a grip.

Read the full article here.

Transport for All’s protest against ticket office closures

Caroline joined members of Transport for All outside City Hall on Wednesday 8th September as they protested against the proposed cuts to staff at tube stations. The Mayor is looking to reduce ticket office opening hours by around 7500 hours every week across the capital, and up to 800 staff may lose their jobs.

“For many people with disabilities and those with other mobility issues, the idea of reduced staffing at stations is simply unacceptable. The suggestion that machines can substitute someone in a ticket office when, for example, you might have a problem with your Oyster card, or need a boundary ticket, is just wrong. I am very supportive of flexible staff who can be out in the ticket hall helping passengers and then go into the ticket office to issue a ticket and help with fares advice as needed. The Mayor and TfL need to rethink their plans now” commented Caroline Pidgeon AM.

Arrogant high-speed rail company fails to consult Camden residents

Speaking to the Camden New Journal, Caroline Pidgeon has criticised the arrogance of HS2, the company set up by the government to develop a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham, in failing to consult and communicate with residents who will be affected by its plans.

Caroline said:

Not only have residents not been contacted, but as the vice chair of the transport committee I have been given no information from HS2 – that is just completely unheard of for a project of this scale. It shows a worrying degree of arrogance.

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