Caroline's news

Caroline visited Brent on Friday 26th April to meet local Lib Dem Sarah Teather MP and local councillors to look at a range of issues in the Borough.

After looking at the dangerous A5 near Staples Corner and the need for a pedestrian Crossing, Caroline visited the Dollis Hill Safer Neighbourhood Base which is set to become one of the Mayor’s new Contact Points for the police. This office will be open for 3 hours a week and be a place where local residents can report crime, rather than at the local police station which is being closed by the Mayor.

Commenting on figures from TfL showing that the Thames cable car has been closed 69 times between July 2012 and April 2013 - not including a week's planned closure in March, Caroline Pidgeon commented:

"These figures show just how unreliable the Thames cable car is as a form of public transport.

"If a year ago anyone suggested that the Thames cable car would have to close for over 216 hours in its first nine months of operating they would be accused of wild scaremongering.

Caroline Pidgeon AM joined other London Assembly Members on a visit to the Transport Research Laboratory in Bracknell on Friday 7th June to see first hand the trials of different Dutch style junctions to make roads safer for cyclists and other users including pedestrians.

Caroline witnessed a trial with a dedicated cyclist traffic light as well as experiencing first hand a Dutch style roundabout with segregated cycle lanes. Caroline also saw lorry technology with alerts for cyclists and a driver simulator showing how different drivers react to different road layouts.

Liberal Democrat campaigners have launched a new campaign for a safe crossing on the busy A5 near Staples Corner. Currently Dollis Hill residents have no safe place to cross the dangerous trunk route between the Staples Corner footbridges and the traffic lights at Dollis Hill Lane, despite a record of accidents along that stretch of road.

"I often see residents dodging traffic as they try to reach the bus stop on the other side of the road," said local Dollis Hill councillor Alison Hopkins, whose brainchild the campaign is.

Commenting on the news that the DLR will allow bikes on board off-peak trains for a six-month trial starting in July, Liberal Democrat London Assembly leader Caroline Pidgeon said:

"There has never been a convincing case for a blanket bike ban throughout the day on the DLR. This trial is both welcome as well as long overdue.”

Read the full story here at the Evening Standard.