Newington Lib Dem councillor Caroline Pidgeon is calling on Morrisons supermarket to remove a trolley park and railings which is obstructing the pavement outside its Walworth Road store.
The trolley park has recently been constructed without planning permission from Southwark Council. Cllr Pidgeon has written to the supermarket chain’s Chief Executive, asking for the trolley park to be removed before action is taken against it.
Boris Johnson's Transport for London bureaucrats have gone bonkers over Islington's hanging flower baskets and ordered that some of them must come down – for health and safety reasons.
In an extraordinary bit of red tape, Transport for London bosses have told Islington Council that the baskets pose a risk to pedestrians, buses and cars. The Council has had to check each lamp-post to see if it can take the "strain".
Council staff have now taken down ten of the offending baskets along Upper Street and Holloway Road.
Islington's Liberal Democrat council has put up a record number of flower baskets this year – over 1000 across the borough. Islington is representing London and the South East in this year's "Britain in Bloom" competition, so TfL's intervention is particularly unwelcome. TfL have a long history of supporting "Britain in Bloom" and were former sponsors.
The Evening Standard has covered the story of TfL commissioner Peter Hendy's decision to accept only 45% of his annual bonus.
Caroline Pidgeon told the Standard:
I welcome Peter's decision and would welcome the Mayor to review TfL's bonus policy in general. He has been critical of the bonuses bankers have received.
Transport for London have promised to assess the case for a new school bus between Hinchley Wood School and Chessington following a recent meeting with local parents Steve Griffiths and Steph Narramore, Cllr Mary Reid, Ed Davey MP and Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee.
At the meeting held on Wednesday, detailed evidence was presented to Transport for London (TfL) showing that the increase in pupils attending the school from Chessington clearly justifies a dedicated school bus. Using a map showing where pupils live, evidence was shown that already about 140 pupils of Hinchley Wood School come from homes in the area. Pupils can only get to the school by bus using the 71 followed by the K3 which takes about an hour, and both buses are already pretty full at peak hours.
In an article for the Lib Dem Voice website, Caroline describes the difficulties of carrying out repair work efficiently on the Underground, and asks whether it would be better to accept lines shutting completely for a few weeks, rather than disruption continuing for months.
Caroline says:
LibDems and Londoners need to face reality: would you prefer a six week closure of a section of Tube line and get the work over and done with (more efficiently and so at lower cost), or do we stick with 19 weekend closures and take four months? We have many years of this work ahead so it is perhaps time Boris made up his mind.
What would YOU want him to do?
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson at City Hall and Chair of the Assembly’s Transport Committee, today published a response to the Mayor’s Statement of Intent on transport.
Commenting, Caroline said:
“Londoners are looking for cleaner, greener and cheaper solutions on transport in London. The key transport challenges for London in the next decade really turn on what the Mayor, business and the taxpayer can afford.
On Saturday 11th July, Caroline visited Wimbledon with Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Shas Sheehan, to campaign on local transport issues.
Caroline, Shas, and local Lib Dem activists collected signatures for the One Hour Bus Ticket petition. They also investigated air quality issues in Raynes Park, and litter problems around Dundonald Road Tramlink station.
The Mayorwatch website covers the restrictions that prevent London pensioners using their Freedom Passes on overground rail services at peak times.
Caroline is quoted saying that “[many pensioners] believe the promise made by Boris Johnson for 24 hour use of the Freedom Pass applied to all public transport in their area. Clearly this has not been the case and at present many pensioners in London are getting a rotten deal.”
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, joined up recently with Simon Hughes MP, Councillor Adele Morris and local party activists to campaign for the Mayor of London to introduce one hour bus tickets.
At the Elephant and Castle, near to the Metropolitan Tabernacle, bus users and local residents were urged to sign a petition calling for Boris Johnson and Transport for London to follow the example of other European cities by introducing bus tickets which would allow unlimited rides for a one hour period.
Caroline Pidgeon AM joined local residents, staff from King’s College Hospital and politicians from all parties at a campaign rally on Friday 26 June at Denmark Hill Station to save the South London Line. This is the loop line that runs all day from Victoria to London Bridge. By 2012 Denmark Hill will have no direct trains to London Bridge and only 2 trains per hour to Victoria.
