With the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion imminent, Caroline Pidgeon pushed the Mayor to reinstate the buses that were cancelled in Richmond during the pandemic – but he could not commit to even reviewing the issue.
Caroline said:
Residents in Outer London will be really concerned. They want more buses, not fewer, across London.
The Mayor and Transport for London have claimed that there will be two new buses in the Borough of Sutton. Unfortunately, as Caroline Pidgeon's questioning of the Mayor revealed, there are no new bus routes – just tweaks to existing ones.
Responding to the announcement of the ‘Superloop’ bus network of express buses in outer London, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Transport Spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon AM said:
“As someone who has been proposing orbital routes in London for the best part of 15 years in the Assembly, I’m broadly supportive of today’s announcement.
“However, we need to see the details and a key test of whether or not this will be a beneficial policy is if these are genuinely additional bus routes, or a rebranding of old routes.
At People's Question Time, Caroline set out the Liberal Democrats' practical proposals to make the Ultra Low Emission Zone work for Londoners.
Caroline said:
Caroline Pidgeon AM has criticised the Mayor for rejecting the London Assembly's motion calling on him to help outer Londoners with the impact of the Ultra Low Emission Zone by investing in bus services and expanding the car scrappage scheme.
Caroline said:
As a survey revealed that 79% of Londoners believe there is a need for more free water fountains and refill stations at Tube stations, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“Like most of the UK, London has too few water fountains and refill stations. These should be as common a sight as ticket barriers and Oyster card readers.
“Getting people to carry a refillable bottle depends very much on them knowing there are refill points at transport hubs around the capital.”
On Thursday, the Assembly debated Sadiq Khan’s budget for London for 2023-2024. The Liberal Democrat Group secured an historic amendment to the Mayor’s budget – it is simple, affordable and will be effective in helping people in Outer London to cope with the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion.
The Lib Dems proposed:
Caroline had a really useful site visit to Haringey, looking at how to make the area safer for pedestrians in Fortis Green area with Councillor Dawn Barnes and officers from TfL and the council.
At Mayor's Question Time, Caroline pressed the Mayor on the issue of noise levels on the Tube. At the worst hotspots – such as South Wimbledon and Canning Town – passengers are subjected to the equivalent of a rock concert or a plane coming in to land.
In Mayor's Question Time for December 2022, Caroline raised the issue of the Dial-a-Ride service ending early in the evenings, preventing older and disabled Londoners from being able to spend a proper night out.
