As the London Assembly Transport Committee published its report into the handling of the long-delayed Crossrail project, committee chair Caroline Pidgeon said:
“It is a complete tragedy that one of the most highly anticipated engineering projects the world has ever seen has found itself in a mess of overspending, mismanagement and an embarrassingly long delay.
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commenting on the decision confirmed by the Mayor to totally scrap the RV1 bus service from 15th June 2019, said:
“In the same week as the start of the Ultra Low Emission Zone the Mayor has made the decision to cut one of the few zero-emission bus routes in London, serving an area with some of the worst air pollution in the capital. The total lack of joined up thinking is staggering.
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commenting on the announcement that Hammersmith Bridge has suddenly closed, said:
“Hammersmith and Fulham Council claim that the bridge has suddenly had to be closed due to safety concerns, yet the council has for many years arrogantly refused to publish any information about the structural state of the bridge. The council has not helped itself by being so secretive.
Caroline Pidgeon has spoken out about the continued tax break for "red diesel" used to power industrial refrigeration units, when much cleaner alternatives exist.
"It is appalling that the government has decided against closing the tax break.
"Ending the anomaly of the low taxation of red diesel would immediately send out incentives for new technology to be adopted.
"By their failure to take action the Treasury and Defra are defending a tax break which leads to more polluted air."
After a Freedom of Information Request revealed that Crossrail and TfL were drafting press releases about the delay to Crossrail 12 days before the Mayor announced it last August, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“The Mayor’s repeated claims that he only knew about the delayed opening date of the central section of Crossrail just two days before the public announcement are now even harder to believe.
Watch Caroline on ITV discussing the waste of public money by the Garden Bridge project.
A report by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has found that pollution from dust, dirt and smoke particles in the Underground can be 30 times worse than even the busiest roads above ground.
“With large parts of the London Underground in deep and poorly ventilated tunnels it is vital that there is far more monitoring of dust and air pollution" said Caroline.
After Transport for London announced that the Northern Line extension to Battersea will not be open until 2021, but claimed that this would not result in a loss of revenue for TfL, Caroline Pidgeon told City AM:
"I fail to understand how the delayed opening of the Northern Line will not impact on revenue generated by TfL. There are already extensive retail and leisure facilities at Battersea Power Station, along with homes for sale. It is clear that as soon as the line is open there will be an extensive customer base.
As Crossrail's new chief executive admitted that the line will not open in 2019, Caroline told ITV:
