Caroline's news

Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Liberal Democrats' transport spokesperson at the London Assembly, joined forces with colleagues in Haringey this week to help launch a campaign for residents to be able to use their pay-as-you-go Oyster cards on local trains.

On Wednesday Caroline met up with Lynne Featherstone MP and Alexandra by-election candidate Nigel Scott at Alexandra Palace station.

Liberal Democrats are campaigning for Transport for London (TfL) and First Capital Connect to extend pay-as-you-go Oyster card travel to Harringay, Hornsey, Alexandra Palace and Bowes Park stations.

Caroline says: “It's encouraging we've finally heard there's movements in the right direction on this but what we need now is a commitment on an exact time frame to ensure PAYG is introduced on this line as soon as possible."

On Tuesday morning a busload of supporters of the Cross River Tram plans arrived en masse at City Hall for the Cross River Tram seminar.

The campaigners, who brought with them a petition of support for the proposed north-south tram link, were met at their journey's end by Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Liberal Democrats' transport spokesperson.

On 8th September Caroline visited London Fire Fighters who work at the Fire Station for the River Thames, based on Albert Embankment. Caroline and other members of the Fire Authority spent time talking to staff about their work at the station, before going out on a trip along part of the river, looking at how the boat can be used to help with rescue and fires on the river as well as supporting colleagues tackling fires on the ‘mainland’.

Commenting on the revelation of a possible £2billion shortfall in the plans to upgrade three key tube lines Caroline Pidgeon, the transport spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat Group at the London Assembly, says: “This possible 'black hole' is something that can be laid directly at the feet of Gordon Brown.

“He was the Chancellor of the Exchequer who pushed through the ill-fated PPP project for London's Underground and that project has now cost London's hard pressed traveling public billions of pounds.

Commenting on the news that Mayor Johnson will not be committing further funding for the Cross River Tram proposals, Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Liberal Democrats' transport spokesperson at the London Assembly, says: “Given how much work and money has already gone into this and given his transport strategy is still under review, it’s staggering the Mayor would say this when he’s not fully reviewed the case.

“The Transport committee will next week be reviewing the case and how the tram can be funded and will put this to the Mayor as a matter of urgency.”