Cyclists' website road.cc reports on statistics - produced in answer to a question from London Assembly Lib Dem leader Caroline Pidgeon - showing that Christmas Day saw a peak in the use of the cycle hire scheme, with 3,768 journeys made.
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on figures published today by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and TfL showing that more than two million journeys a week are now being made using Oyster Pay As You Go on London’s commuter rail services, said:
“While celebrating the increased take up of Oyster on rail travel both the Mayor and the train operating companies are ignoring the fact that too many train users are being ripped off by being overcharged when they use Oyster Pay As You Go.
On the first day of reduced ticket office opening hours affecting commuters across London, Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commented:
"In 2008 Boris Johnson promised in his election manifesto to keep ticket offices on the Tube network open. Now in 2011 he is closing the very offices he promised to save. The reduction in opening hours means that ticket offices are now effectively closed for many people. Is that really offering passengers a better service?"
The total level of unpaid Congestion Charge by embassies based in London will soar through the £50 million figure this month predicts Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group.
At the start of the year £48.7 million was owed to Londoners by embassies. Transport for London (TfL) have now confirmed that as of yesterday the figure had reached £49.4 million and that later this month the total unpaid bill will exceed £50 million.
Caroline Pidgeon commented:
“The amount in unpaid Congestion Charges and Penalty Charge Notices owed by embassies is now so large that it could pay for more than 260 new buses on London’s streets, or fund the significant expansion of the cycle hire scheme, or alternatively reduce fare rises.
“It is disgraceful that £50 million is now being denied to Londoners by embassies that dodge paying the Congestion Charge. The small minority of embassies that think it is acceptable to evade paying the Congestion Charge are insulting each and every Londoner.
The London SE1 website has an article on the Mayor's admission - when questioned by Caroline Pidgeon - that he has suspended plans for a "Blue Light Museum" honouring the history of London's emergency services, which would combine the collections of the Fire Brigade Museum in Southwark, the London Ambulance Service's museum in Ilford, and possibly the police's Black Museum in Scotland Yard.
The Evening Standard reports on the pressure on the Mayor from the London Assembly to restrict free travel privileges to TfL employees themselves - not to anyone that they share an address with.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the London Assembly Lib Dems, is quoted:
Staff should retain rights to free travel, but it costs £30 million a year to allow TfL employees to nominate a friend or family member to get free travel. This money could go towards holding down fares. It is madness that friends, family members and even lodgers of TfL staff can get free travel.
Caroline Pidgeon was guest speaker at the Lewisham Lib Dem Supper Club in January at a Thai restaurant in Brockley.
Caroline spoke about the transport issues in London where the Mayor has really let Londoners down, and listened to concerns from local members about local issues such as keeping safer neighbourhood teams and the libraries that are under threat from Labour-run Lewisham Council.
The Metropolitan Police Service last week admitted that in the next two years there will be severe cuts across London in the number of police sergeants working in Safer Neighbourhood Teams.
Following questions from Caroline Pidgeon, a Liberal Democrat member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, budget figures supplied by Tim Godwin, the Acting Commissioner of the Met, revealed that over the course of the next year 100 Sergeants posts are set to be lost from Safer Neighbourhood Teams across the capital. Assistant Commissioner Godwin also admitted to Caroline Pidgeon that by April 2013 a total of 300 sergeants will have been lost from London’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams, cutting in half the number of sergeants across London currently allocated to the neighbourhood policing teams.
The Enfield Independent newspaper covers a debate on the Alternative Vote referendum at Enfield Civic Centre.
Caroline Pidgeon argued for AV at the debate, saying:
If we want people involved and engaged in democracy then we need for them to know that their vote will actually count.
Having to get over half the votes of constituents is a bare minimum you should achieve and for too many parts of the country that's not the case and that can't be right.
You can read the full article here.
Caroline Pidgeon AM took a small group of members from Barnet around City Hall on Thursday 27th January. Caroline talked about the work of the Assembly in holding the Mayor to account as well as showing the team the amazing views form the top of City Hall - London's Living Room.
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.
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the Mayor’s latest call at City Hall for a new airport covering London and the South East said:
“The coalition government has ruled out a third Heathrow runway or a further airport in the south east. Boris Johnson should now be slapped down by the Government for his ongoing comments, which are helping no one.
Crossrail's latest design proposals for Ealing Broadway station would delay the station completion by at least two years and downgrade the planned station by removng the three planned escalators and two new footbridges planned across the tracks.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the London Assembly Liberal Democrat Group and Vice Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee came to Ealing Broadway last week to see for herself what this could mean for Ealing Broadway station.
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.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today’s Judicial Review decision upholding Newham Council’s decision to significantly expand London City Airport said:
"Many people in east and south east London are already facing serious problems with noise and disturbance from air flights. Today's decision provides the green light to increased misery for many more Londoners.
Caroline Pidgeon, commenting on the replies from the Mayor of London and the Commissioner for Transport for London, following her questioning today about the value of money of the new bus for London said:
"Despite spending a staggering £7.5 million there will be just five of these new buses on the roads by the time Boris Johnson’s term of office comes to an end. Boris Johnson promised far more to Londoners.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, speaking ahead of the Mayor’s seminar on the “need” for increased aviation capacity in London and the South East, said:
"Boris Johnson's position on airports is full of contradictions. He opposed the expansion of City Airport in his election, yet once in office he has been happy to support its substantial expansion. He has also spent the last two years backing the fantasy idea of an airport in the Thames Estuary - uniting every council and environmental group against him.
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on Boris Johnson’s threat to introduce driverless trains on the London Underground, said:
“Instead of baiting the unions with veiled threats the Mayor needs to find a way to work with the unions to put an end to unnecessary strikes and to keep London moving".
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.
On Friday 7th January Caroline met with local residents, the Chair of the Transport Committee and Transport for London officers to discuss the poor transport services to many people in the Southampton Way area of Camberwell, currently served by the 343 bus route.