Caroline's news

As Transport Minister Norman Baker announced a trial of a part-time season ticket on a National Rail route, Lib Dem London Assembly leader Caroline Pidgeon has called for the scheme to be extended to Transport for London services such as the Tube and Overground.

Caroline said:
"It is simply wrong that people who work part-time are penalised because the fare structure is so rigidly based around people who work a conventional five day a week.

"A part-time travelcard would also do wonders to reduce overcrowding on the Tube."

At City Hall Caroline regularly hears from people being concerned about the noise created by helicopter flights. The issue affects many parts of both inner and outer London.

Caroline strongly supports far more effective action in monitoring of all aviation noise across London and believes the powers of the Civil Aviation Authority are currently inadequate. While not endorsing their current lack of activity it is still important that they receive reports from the public.

Here are the details of how complaints can be made to the CAA:

Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, speaking ahead of the first year anniversary of the 2012 Paralympic Games and the Day of Action to highlight the situation that seven of the train stations (including four in London) will not be fully accessible to disabled people and older people, said:

"It is bad enough that so much of London Underground is still inaccessible, largely due to a legacy of poor planning and neglect of the needs of disabled people over the last 150 years.

Responding to the costs of the new "Routemaster" replacement buses in London as revealed by a Freedom of Information request, Caroline Pidgeon, deputy chair of the London Assembly's Transport Committee, told the Huffington Post:

“The Mayor of London first promised Londoners that the research and design costs of the new bus for London would be picked up by private business.

"The reality is that over £400,000 of public money was spent on design costs alone and the first eight buses cost taxpayers a staggering £11 million.

Throughout the last year one in five bike hire docking stations were empty for at least three hours each day, according to new figures released by the Mayor of London following questions from Caroline Pidgeon AM, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group.

Between 1st July 2012 to the 30th June 2013 the level of empty bike hire docking stations included:

• 107 docking stations empty for 3 hours or more each day
• 76 docking stations empty for 4 hours or more each day