After Transport for London announced a new Bus Safety Standard to be applied to new buses, Caroline Pidgeon stressed the need for faster action by TfL and bus operators to ensure all buses are safe for all Londoners.
“We welcome TfL’s announcement of a new Bus Safety Standard in a bid to make Londoners’ journeys on buses safer. However, these measures simply do not go far enough.
The Financial Conduct Authority has confirmed to Caroline Pidgeon it is reviewing the late announcement of the Crossrail delay, and the lack of transparency provided to the public and the financial markets, to decide whether to launch a formal investigation.
Caroline said:
“The Transport Committee identified grave discrepancies in the evidence gathered from meetings to determine who knew what, when, with regard to the launch of Crossrail.
As Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, Caroline Pidgeon has written to the Mayor expressing great disappointment at the lack of transparency around the delay in opening Crossrail, with board meetings held in secret instead of being forthcoming with the public.
We accept the assurances you have personally given to the Assembly that you did not know the specific details of the delay until two days before the announcement.
After Caroline Pidgeon pressured the Mayor to publish the list of dates to fix London's 33 most dangerous junctions, it has emerged that the Woolwich Road roundabout will not be made safer until 2023.
Caroline said:
“There are very good reasons why the Greenwich A102 junction is now known by local residents as the ‘crossing of death’
Caroline's probing of the impact of the delay in opening Crossrail has revealed that TfL will lose £10m that it could have made from advertising inside Crossrail trains.
Caroline said:
"The £10m in lost commercial income due to the delayed opening of Crossrail is just the latest blow to TfL's finances.
"Any examination of TfL's accounts shows that it is clearly on the ropes. In its current state I wonder how many more financial blows it can now take."
In September's Mayor's Question Time, Caroline questioned the Mayor on his efforts to ensure London's most dangerous junctions are made safe.
As the news came in that Crossrail services will not launch in December 2018, and will be postponed until autumn 2019, Caroline Pidgeon, chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, said:
"It is disappointing that the decision to delay the launch of Crossrail has been announced at such late notice. It is scarcely believable that the Mayor, TfL and Crossrail did not know of a likely delay a long time ago and chose not to let Londoners know sooner.
Speaking to City AM, Caroline described her frustration at the poor service on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, and the repeated delays in introducing electric trains to replace the unreliable diesel trains that currently run.
"Users of this line have been badly let down.
"The continual excuses and passing of the buck between TfL, Network Rail and the train manufacturer are a perfect case study of everything that is wrong with our railway industry.
