Transport articles

Caroline joins campaigners for urgent action at Tiger's Head junction

Local residents and campaigners are demanding action to improve safety at the Tiger’s Head junction where Bromley Road meets Whitefoot Lane and Southend Lane.

Today they submitted a petition of over 200 signatures to London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, who is chair of the Transport Committee at City Hall. The petition calls for the Mayor of London, who is responsible for the junction, to take urgent measures to improve safety at the intersection.

Assembly urges Mayor to chase embassies for unpaid congestion charge fees

The London Assembly today called on the Mayor to demand payment from embassies in the capital owing outstanding fees and fines for the congestion charge.

A motion agreed by the Assembly urged the Mayor to write to the Head of State for each country that is refusing to pay the congestion charge and invite Ambassadors to explain their reasons for the refusal. The motion calls for responses to be published on the Greater London Authority website.

Proposing the motion, Caroline Pidgeon AM said:
"The American and other embassies that dodge payment of the congestion charge are insulting their host city and denying a valuable source of income to Transport for London."

"The congestion charge is not a tax and the vast majority of embassies clearly recognise this. The minority that decide to not follow the rules of this country must now explain in writing how they can justify their actions."

Caroline has "remorselessly pursued pedestrian safety issues" - Dave Hill

Dave Hill, in his blog on the Guardian website, discusses the lack of focus on pedestrians in Transport for London's planning. He praises Caroline Pidgeon's efforts in pressing Boris Johnson and TfL to uncover the number of London pedestrian crossings which are not up to standard:

Here are some useful facts. There are 2,244 signalled junctions in Greater London that include pedestrian crossing facilities, and 2,477 "stand alone" pedestrian crossings that have lights. Eleven percent of all signalled crossings lack either bleeping noises or tactile aids, which make them less safe for blind or partially sighted people. At the last count around 400 did not comply with the Department for Transport's most recent design standards, which TfL adopts, though work on correcting this seems to have accelerated in recent months.

These stats have been unearthed thanks largely to the persistence of London Assembly Liberal Democrat Caroline Pidgeon, who also chairs the assembly's transport committee. She has remorselessly pursued the issue of road-crossing safety with TfL and Boris Johnson.

You can read Dave Hill's full article here.

Time for the Mayor to speak out on safety issues

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, has written this week to Mayor of London of London Boris Johnson, urging him to publicly speak out on a series of safety allegations made by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

Caroline Pidgeon said:
“Safety issues are far too important for the RMT to be the only voice. It is too easy for the RMT leadership to make serious allegations about risks to safety for passengers when in some cases modern technology is simply leading to modern working procedures.

Too close for comfort on the London Underground

The London Assembly’s Transport Committee has published a new report, Too Close For Comfort, investigating the levels of overcrowding for London Underground passengers, and how the stress and frustrations of overcrowding and line closures affect people's behaviour and travel choices.

Caroline Pidgeon AM, Lib Dem Chair of the Transport Committee said:

Our report highlights shocking levels of overcrowding on the Tube and the impact this has on people. London Underground cannot be complacent about finding ways to make the situation more bearable.

Mayor's focus on traffic lights neglects pedestrians

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the Mayor’s welcoming of a report suggesting traffic flow could be smoothed by switching off, or removing traffic lights, said:

“The Mayor is latching onto a report which totally excludes any consideration of pedestrians or the economic bill that could arise from more pedestrian accidents.

“Of course some improvements could be made to how traffic lights work but the very first priority for the Mayor must be to end the scandal that across London over 400 pedestrian crossings at junctions fail to provide sufficient time for pedestrians to cross the road. These crossings are breaching national safety guidance, yet the Mayor is totally complacent over putting them right. Today, once again the Mayor has neglected the needs of pedestrians.”

Train users face Oyster "Pay As You Queue"

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the Mayor’s confused announcement of the final roll-out of Oyster Pay as You Go to all train companies in the London area, said:

“Boris Johnson has wasted 18 months on this issue. The scheme he will re-announce on Monday sadly will not be as convenient as it should be for Oyster PAYG users, and regrettably many people who start to use the trains will discover that the same journey costs far more than a parallel tube journey.

London Assembly takes a stand against Heathrow night flights

The London Assembly today sent a clear message that they are totally opposed to any attempt to allow night flights during the 2012 Olympic Games or at any other time.

A unanimously agreed motion urged Mayor Boris Johnson to write jointly with the Chair of the London Assembly to the Secretary of State for Transport and his relevant counterparts in the opposition parties to express their concerns.

Caroline Pidgeon AM, who amended the motion, said: "Many more Londoners than you might expect are affected by night flights. For example recent research from HACAN suggests that half of the top 12 boroughs affected by night noise are in east or south London.

“If night flights are allowed for the Olympics, it could set the precedent for the future. This motion sends a clear message that the London Assembly is against the derestriction of night flights and relaxation of noise controls.”

Test driving the latest Tube train

As part of the London Assembly's work on the passenger experience on the underground, Caroline Pidgeon, Chair of the Transport Committee, went to Old Dalby, near Loughborough in the East Midlands on Thursday 12th November to see one of the new Metropolitan Line trains at a test track.

"It was quite extraordinary to arrive in the middle of the countryside in the East Midlands and to see a brand new London Underground train sitting there!" commented Caroline.

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