London-wide + Lewisham stories

Blackheath Bonfire Night passengers should check for overcharging

The South London Press reports on the overcharging suffered by many passengers who travelled from Blackheath station after the fireworks display on 5th November - when station staff taped over the card readers at the station.

Caroline commented:
"Many would be unaware they had been overcharged and, for those who were, the onus was on them to collect the overcharged amount.

"It beggars belief Southeastern merely taped over the Oyster readers leading to so many people being overcharged on their Oyster cards."

You can read the South London Press article here.

4 January 2012 - 9:31pm

River Thames is a great opportunity for transport

The River Thames is a forgotten highway, a tube line effectively, across the centre of London and yet under-resourced in terms of transport.

In January, the London Assembly Transport Committee is looking into river transport services - so Caroline and other Committee members spent a chilly morning in early December out and about on the river with Thames Clippers from Putney to Erith, looking at the challenges and opportunities to really expand river transport services for Londoners.

23 December 2011 - 8:55pm

Accessibility of London's transport network still falls short

The London Assembly Transport Committee has published a report in response to TfL’s new proposals on transport accessibility, showing that step-free access and other accessibility measures fall far short of the growing need for them, with half of bus stops, two thirds of rail stations, and three quarters of tube stations, not fully accessible to people with limited mobility.

The report argues for a range of measures, including low-cost steps such as allowing manual ramps, upgrading pedestrian crossings, providing better training for bus drivers, and improving online and paper maps.

21 October 2011 - 7:53pm

Catford residents win battle for safety at the Tiger's Head junction

Campaigners are celebrating after Transport for London (TfL) finally agreed to make improvements to a dangerous road junction in Catford.

For years the local Residents' Association, Lib Dem councillors and Lib Dem London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon have been calling for better pedestrian crossing facilities at the junction of Bromley Road and Whitefoot Lane, the former site of the Tiger's Head. There have been numerous accidents and 'near misses' at the junction.

Caroline Pidgeon the chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee said, "After six years of false promises from both Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson, it is wonderful that much-needed pedestrian improvements will finally be made to this dangerous junction.”

17 October 2011 - 9:36pm

Four years of fare misery under Boris Johnson

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on Boris Johnson’s fare proposals for 2012, which he confirmed today will be set at RPI plus 2 per cent, said:

“This is the fourth year of fare misery that Londoners will face under Boris Johnson.

“He has already hit Londoners hard by hiking up bus fares from 90 pence to £1.30 for a single fare since he arrived at City Hall. Today’s further rise will really hit hard many people, especially those on low incomes.

“Boris Johnson has failed to tackle effective action to tackle fare evasion or cut waste which is widespread throughout TfL. If the Mayor got on top of these issues there would be no need for such severe fare rises, especially for low income Londoners.

14 September 2011 - 10:12pm

Surrey Canal Road Station - the campaign goes on!

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.

4 August 2011 - 9:20pm

The Big Switch – Lib Dems call for London’s buses and taxis to go electric

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.

4 August 2011 - 8:58pm

How can Thames Water create so much havoc for so many people?

Thames Water bosses have been severely criticised by Caroline Pidgeon following a water burst that paralysed rail travel across a large swathe of the South-East on 1st August.

An estimated 80,000 pasengers faced hours of chaos and delays after a Thames Water pipe triggered a landslide that blocked a key commuter route in and out of Victoria.

Caroline has now written to Thames Water asking them to introduce some form of compensation for the thousands of passengers that faced what many people have described as nightmare journeys.

2 August 2011 - 10:28pm

Assembly Transport Committee will review bank card payment plans

The London Assembly Transport Committee is reviewing TfL’s plans to make London the first city in the world where contactless payment is available on the entire transport network – starting with buses from spring next year.

The Committee will assess the benefits and the risks of using contactless bank cards to pay for travel, both for passengers and for Transport for London. TfL expects contactless cards will be cheaper to operate than Oyster, but the Committee will investigate security concerns that have been raised.

Chair of the Transport Committee, Caroline Pidgeon AM, said:
“Transport for London has big plans for the future of ticketing in the capital, but any changes must be geared towards increasing convenience and value for passengers.

“Security is also an issue. The use of contactless bank cards will be seen as a step forward by some people, but others may be reluctant to flash their debit or credit card at a ticket gate.

“We will review the benefits and risks of TfL’s short and long-term ticketing plans to ensure they are right for London.”

19 July 2011 - 9:33pm

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