Following questions put by Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, the Mayor of London has admitted that South West Trains are the only train operating company in London now refusing to sell Oyster tickets or provide Oyster top-ups for passengers. The Mayor also admitted that South West Trains do not even have any plans to start selling Oyster tickets in the near future.
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.
The London SE1 website reports on Caroline Pidgeon's recent question to the Mayor, asking him to make representations to Network Rail to rename Blackfriars station as "Blackfriars and Bankside" on its reopening in 2011.
Boris Johnson claims not to be "closed-minded" but has still failed to give a firm commitment.
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.
The Evening Standard's "London At Large" blog has an article on the lack of bike hire docking stations around Brixton and Stockwell, which Caroline Pidgeon has raised to Boris Johnson at Mayor's Question Time:
Caroline Pidgeon: "I have had many people express dismay that most of the docking stations are north of the river. Will you rectify this by adding more south of the river, particularly to areas with no tube stations?"
Answer from the Mayor: "TfL is studying ways of expanding the scheme to benefit more Londoners and visitors to London. One of the basic premises of the scheme is that a dense network of docking stations needs to be in place throughout the cycle hire zone, as users rely on the expectation that there will be a docking station close to their desired origin/destination. Therefore, areas with no Tube stations could not be incorporated in isolation to the rest of the network but rather the entire area would need to be covered by cycle hire. Cycle hire, though a valuable addition to London’s transport modes, is specifically designed to serve short trips and is to be used in addition to other modes, such as the Tube."
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.
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.
The Richmond and Twickenham Times, whose campaign for accessible transport Caroline Pidgeon supports, reports that Transport for London bosses are refusing to meet local campaigner Clare Watson, who uses a wheelchair and has been repeatedly denied access to buses.
Caroline will be pressing the Mayor once again to meet with disabled transport users in the Borough.
In this video, Caroline Pidgeon, deputy chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, discusses the committee's investigation into transport accessibility in London.
Caroline met Lambeth Liberal Democrat Council Group on Tuesday 9th September, to discuss key issues in Lambeth and across the capital.
“It was good to meet with many of the Lib Dem Councillors across Lambeth to hear the huge issues with Lambeth Council, in particular in the area of housing and the ALMO. It was also good to discuss many transport issues in the Borough such as the bike hire scheme, the need to use the river more, including for a pier at Vauxhall, dangerous junctions on TfL roads and the need for more public transport such as through a tube extension or tram” commented Caroline Pidgeon AM.
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.
Caroline joined Enfield Liberal Democrats at their stall at the Enfield Town Show on Sunday 5th September. The local Lib Dem Team were out in force, collecting signatures against the closures of ticket offices, as well as getting people signing up for more information from the yes campaign for the referendum on voting reform in May.
“It was great to go to the Enfield Town Show once again and to talk to local residents about issues such as Ticket Office closures, the Freedom Pass and housing in the capital” commented Caroline.
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.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the decision by Conservative Assembly Members to once again walk out of the chamber at City Hall and prevent important items being debated by the London Assembly today, said:
"It is shameful that the London Assembly has today been prevented from debating key issues including the threat to people living in homes owned by the Crown Estates and the planned reduction in opening hours at tube ticket offices. These are bread and butter issue for Londoners and the London Assembly is here to make sure London's voice is heard.
"This disgraceful behaviour by Conservative London Assembly Members is an insult to the democratic process.”
Speaking ahead of the industrial action starting later this evening on the London Underground network, Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and Deputy Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, said:
“This is a strike that should not be taking place. Both London Underground and the unions are guilty of failing to put passengers first.”
“For too London Underground have tried to claim that most ticket offices provide no useful purpose and that many stations sell fewer than 10 tickets an hour. In reality this only applies to eight stations. The savage reduction of office opening hours at 90% of ticket offices on the Tube network will inconvenience many passengers, especially disabled people and visitors to London. Some vulnerable people might even be deterred from using the tube.
“However the TSSA and RMT unions are failing to make their case to Tube passengers. Strike action will not help keep ticket office hours open. By striking they are just throwing away a great deal of goodwill from the traveling public.”
Caroline joined local Camden Lib Dem Cllr Chris Naylor on Friday 3rd September on a visit to look at the possible route for High Speed 2 from Euston north, under many homes in the Primrose Hill area.
Chris and Caroline met some local residents who are active in the Primrose Hill HS2 Group to discuss the plans and hear their many concerns about the lack of consultation, the depth of the proposed tunnels and the quality of the proposal to date, which appears to have little evidence base.
"I believe that High Speed Rail is a good development in terms of cutting reliance on internal flights and those over to the continent. However, we have to ensure that the impact of high speed rail on local communities is minimised. I am concerned about the potential impact this will have on Primrose Hill - both in terms of planning blight and actual physical damage - if it goes ahead as planned” commented Caroline Pidgeon AM.
Caroline joined local Lib Dem campaigner Andrew Dakers on 2nd September when they visited Hanworth Road in Hounslow to meet residents who have been living on a piece of derelict land since May. The land which is owned by Transport for London, used to be used for drug dealing and taking and has been reclaimed by members of the community. There are now up to 20 people living there where they have created an artists studio, a vegetable spiral and other planting has taken place. They also hold open community events.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and deputy chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the news that talks have broken down between London Underground and the unions with a series of strikes now expected to start on Monday, said:
“There are legitimate concerns about TfL's plans to slash the opening hours at so many ticket offices across the Tube network, but taking strike action is not the way forward. The unions are running the risk of losing all public sympathy on this issue.
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, has received final confirmation this week that the Department of Transport will not provide £7 million in funding required to build a new train station at Surrey Canal Road.
Funding for the proposed station on the second phase of the East London Line has been considered by the Department of Transport over an extensive period of time. After lengthy delays in making a decision both Boris Johnson and Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, wrote on the 14th December 2009 to the previous transport minister urging that a final decision was made .
Commenting on the Minister’s reply Caroline Pidgeon, who is deputy chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, said:
“It is a great shame that after so many delays and passing of the buck that this situation has arisen. A crucial window of opportunity has long passed to quickly build a station. Sadly it is no longer possible to build a station and ensure its opening coincided with the opening of the second phase of the East London Line.
Caroline was the guest speaker at a summer afternoon tea on Saturday 21st August at the Liberal Club in Orpington.
Caroline was welcomed by Cllr David McBride, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Bromley Council, and spent the afternoon chatting to local members and supporters.
“I was delighted to be invited to speak to members at the Orpington Liberal Club. We discussed the performance of the Mayor of London and where Lib Dem Assembly members have really made a difference, campaigning on issues such as a One Hour Bus Ticket, a clean air zone for London and fair police recruitment”