Caroline's news

Welcoming the news that maintenance engineers will be able to travel in police cars with blue lights and sirens to respond to Tube failures during the Olympics next year, Caroline Pidgeon said:

"We've got to keep the Tube going through the Games more than at any other time.

"London's reputation depends on it. If doing that means giving engineers blue light status then I am all for it. Anything that gets the Tube working more quickly can only be a good thing."

Caroline Pidgeon, the leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, has recently presented a petition to the Mayor of London calling for him to work with Hounslow Council to ensure that a rarely used bus stand at Feltham train station is turned into a short term drop off/pick off point for rail passengers.

The demands of the petition are backed up by powerful evidence that a huge number of local residents are being hit by penalty charges following the introduction of cameras by Hounslow Council. A recent freedom of information request and further inquiries have confirmed that there have been a total to date total of 7,119 penalty charge notices at this location. The total income received has been £337,724.48; with an additional £68,856.52 currently outstanding from 549 PCNs.

Watch the video to the right to hear Caroline discuss the future of ticketing.

In a report published, today the London Assembly's transport committee has warned of the risks with TfL's plans to adopt "wave and pay" bank card technology on London's transport network.

The new system is expected to be up and running on all of London's 8000 buses in time for the 2012 Olympic Games, and rolled out onto the Tube, DLR, Tram and London Overground network before the end of 2012 - but the committee's report describes this plan as "unconvincing" and highlights issues around data security, the costs of the scheme, and its impact on the 20% of Londoners without access to credit or debit cards.

The Arts London website and the Camden New Journal report on Mayor's Question Time this week - with Boris Johnson failing to commit to concrete action on cycling safety.

Caroline Pidgeon challenged Boris Johnson:

You've said you will personally look at cyclist fatalities but do you regret that at last week's TfL board not one board member raised the issue of the two recent tragic deaths on London's roads, and challenged TfL or Mr Hendy as to what TfL is doing to make the roads safer?

Writing for the London24 website, Caroline Pidgeon addresses what needs to be done to make cycling in London safe:

Firstly, we must recognise that the primary cause of cycle fatalities is lorries colliding with cyclists.

The Mayor has announced some limited proposals, including training advice for cyclists, but it is only a start.