Campaigning articles

Caroline recently held an action meeting at Vauxhall Cross with local Lib Dem Cllr Rob Banks and a representative from Viva Vauxhall Residents’ Association. Representatives from Transport for London (TfL), the police and the Public Carriage Office (PCO) attended to talk about the issue of taxi touting in the area and to come up with an action plan to try to tackle this nuisance and dangerous issue.

The following actions were agreed:

• TfL will clarify police powers under the Road Traffic Act 1998 to seize motor vehicles being driven without valid insurance;
• TfL will explore the options of changing the use of the taxi parking places on South Lambeth Place to accommodate Private Hire Vehicle (licensed mini-cabs) drop off and pick up;
• PCO to advise on good practice in other areas such as in Kingston town centre to see if we can persuade Lambeth Council to adopt suitable solutions;
• TfL to establish a problem solving group to tackle taxi touting in Vauxhall. Members to include the local police safer neighbourhoods team; PCO; Metropolitan Police Service cab enforcement unit; local resident representatives; local Private Hire operators.

Caroline Pidgeon AM, London Assembly Liberal Democrat lead on transport, commenting on Mayor Boris Johnson’s 31-page document “Way To Go”, published today, said:

“There is much to welcome in Way To Go, but it is alarming that key projects like the Cross River Tram and DLR extensions are dismissed as ‘political’ when they have a strong business case and would regenerate disadvantaged communities at a time of economic downturn.

Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Liberal Democrats’ transport spokesperson at the London Assembly, says the Mayor, also the chair of Transport for London, is clearly not fully clued up on the capital’s transport issues.

Caroline says: “Mayor Johnson floundered when asked key questions of fact on whether London transport will be ready for the 2012 Olympics.

“He was clueless about TfL’s £40 million cutback on the North London Line at Camden Road station which will mean only six trains an hour to Stratford instead of eight.

Commenting on the news that Connect, London Underground’s £2 billion digital radio system, has had over 100 faults reported in the last two months causing at least three major closures, Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Liberal Democrats' transport spokesperson at the London Assembly, says:
“Whilst teething problems may be expected on new systems like this TfL and Mayor Johnson must do all they can to ensure public safety.

“The new radio system is a brilliant idea – linking up every train, station and staff member – but if it’s failing like this then the whole point of it is lost.