Caroline spoke to BBC Radio London about the Metropolitan Police's lack of action on burglaries.
Caroline said:
in London last year, 37726 burglaries were reported and yet in one in three, the police don't even bother to turn up to see what's happened and to suport you. I think that's astonishing because that's when you feel most vulnerable.
Responding to the confirmation that HS2 is to pause work on the Euston Tunnel, Caroline said:
“This news only goes to show that the Conservative Government is incapable of learning from the failures of past infrastructure projects.
“Changing your mind half way through a project and pausing individual sections only leads to increased costs in the long-term alongside significant eyesores in local areas.
Responding to the news that Sadiq Khan’s expansion of ULEZ will face a judicial review, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Deputy Chair of the Transport Committee Caroline Pidgeon AM said:
“We all agree tackling air pollution is one of the most important issues for Londoners. Poor air quality is literally costing lives.
“However, any expansion of ULEZ should come with investment in public transport to offset the costs for communities in outer London.
Responding to Met Commissioner Mark Rowley’s letter on wrongdoing by police officers, Liberal Democrat Assembly Member and Police and Crime Spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon AM said:
"It is clear that the problems faced by the Met are as bad as many of us feared.
“Cleaning up the organisation is going to be incredibly resource intensive and take many months and years.
Information uncovered by the London Liberal Democrats has shown that not one of the Met’s Basic Command Units (BCUs) in London met the target response time for S-grade 999 calls – such as road traffic collisions, hate crimes, anti-social behaviour and burglaries – in the past three months.
The target response time for S-grade calls is 60 minutes. But between December 2022 and February 2023, not a single Basic Command Unit had an average response time of below 1 hour 15 minutes, with the average response time being 2 hours 2 minutes
Writing for the OnLondon website, Caroline Pidgeon advocates for more use of the railways for freight, to reduce the numbers of heavy vehicles on the road.
Caroline says:
With a long-term, ambitious target, freight’s impressive track record of delivering for London and the country and be extended further, in the process – most importantly for Londoners – delivering the clean air and healthy streets we all desire. More rail freight really is a win-win for London.
Caroline Pidgeon has written to Transport for London to respond to their consultation on lorry safety in London.
Caroline stressed the importance of introducing some key measures: automatic emergency braking, intelligent speed adaptation, and compulsory driver training on safe urban driving.
With the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion imminent, Caroline Pidgeon pushed the Mayor to reinstate the buses that were cancelled in Richmond during the pandemic – but he could not commit to even reviewing the issue.
Caroline said:
Residents in Outer London will be really concerned. They want more buses, not fewer, across London.
The Mayor and Transport for London have claimed that there will be two new buses in the Borough of Sutton. Unfortunately, as Caroline Pidgeon's questioning of the Mayor revealed, there are no new bus routes – just tweaks to existing ones.
In the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, Caroline Pidgeon therefore asked the Met Commissioner to commit to stopping the closure of police stations – which are a core part of our frontline policing system and have been decimated.
Responding to Caroline Pidgeon's questions in the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, Baroness Casey admitted she would expect the numbers of officers dismissed for misconduct to be "in the several hundreds".
Caroline said:
"Huge change is needed for the Met Police to become a service for Londoners that we can all have faith in."
Responding to the announcement of the ‘Superloop’ bus network of express buses in outer London, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Transport Spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon AM said:
“As someone who has been proposing orbital routes in London for the best part of 15 years in the Assembly, I’m broadly supportive of today’s announcement.
“However, we need to see the details and a key test of whether or not this will be a beneficial policy is if these are genuinely additional bus routes, or a rebranding of old routes.
Responding to the publication of Baroness Casey's review of the Metropolitan Police, which highlights institutional racism, sexism and homophobia, Caroline Pidgeon said:
This report is deeply upsetting and appalling to read.
The shocking details make it absolutely clear - the Met has failed women and failed Londoners. Beyond the institutional misogyny, the reports of deep-rooted racism and homophobia show little has changed in the Met since the 1999 Macpherson Report.
Caroline Pidgeon has written to Newham Council to formally object to London City Airport's expansion plan, which would see more flights and longer operating hours. Caroline questioned the need for expansion – especially with other modes of transport, and remote working, providing alternatives to short-haul flights – and highlighted the increased noise and environmental damage that the plans would bring, as well as the impact on local transport around the airport.
Caroline Pidgeon spoke in the London Assembly in support of a motion requesting the Mayor to strengthen London's institutional response to violence against women and girls, and to write to the Home Secretary to call for a register of domestic abusers, and for misogyny to be made a hate crime.
Caroline said:
Caroline Pidgeon has written to the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner giving the Liberal Democrats' response to the Met's draft turnaround plan.
Caroline wrote:
At People's Question Time, Caroline set out the Liberal Democrats' practical proposals to make the Ultra Low Emission Zone work for Londoners.
Caroline said:
Caroline Pidgeon AM has criticised the Mayor for rejecting the London Assembly's motion calling on him to help outer Londoners with the impact of the Ultra Low Emission Zone by investing in bus services and expanding the car scrappage scheme.
Caroline said:
As a survey revealed that 79% of Londoners believe there is a need for more free water fountains and refill stations at Tube stations, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“Like most of the UK, London has too few water fountains and refill stations. These should be as common a sight as ticket barriers and Oyster card readers.
“Getting people to carry a refillable bottle depends very much on them knowing there are refill points at transport hubs around the capital.”
On Thursday, the Assembly debated Sadiq Khan’s budget for London for 2023-2024. The Liberal Democrat Group secured an historic amendment to the Mayor’s budget – it is simple, affordable and will be effective in helping people in Outer London to cope with the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion.
The Lib Dems proposed:
