As a legal wrangle between a contracting firm and Transport for London has delayed the start of the Silvertown Tunnel project, Caroline Pidgeon has called on the Mayor to use the delay as an opportunity to rethink this misguided scheme.
Caroline said:
"Both the mayor and TfL are now in the position where they have been blocked from awarding a major contract for the Silvertown road tunnel.
Caroline Pidgeon shared the frustration of outer London residents that Transport for London's promised review of their bus services will now take five years to complete.
Caroline said:
“The Mayor and TfL have always defended cutting bus services in central London on the grounds that buses will be redeployed to outer London.
“It now seems that only part of that deal is being honoured – that of cutting bus services in central London.
The Met police are regularly not responding to 999 calls that are categorised as ‘significant’ in more than two thirds of London boroughs, new figures reveal.
The most recent figures that the Mayor was forced to publish, following questioning by the Liberal Democrat Londonwide Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, reveal that in 21 of the 32 London boroughs the police failed to respond to 999 calls categorised as ‘significant’ within the one hour time limit.
Caroline took on the Mayor at Question Time over his support for the Silvertown road tunnel.
The Mayor talks about air pollution being a ‘public health emergency’, yet his policy of building a new road tunnel under the Thames will inevitably create more traffic and pollution.
Caroline Pidgeon has criticised Sadiq Khan for the very slow rollout of interest-free childcare loans to the Greater London Authority's own employees, with just 35 having received the benefit in two and a half years.
Caroline told the Evening Standard:
“His actual record of delivery has been pitiful. There is a huge gulf between his words and actions.
“Over a period of more than 20 months he has provided childcare help for just 35 employees.
At Mayor's Question Time, Caroline welcomed the Mayor's plan to improve the van scrappage scheme to include sole traders, but stressed the need to go further and include mobility credits as part of the new car scrappage scheme.
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, has revealed that the Mayor of London’s pledge to restore community policing is being broken in numerous wards across the London boroughs.
Back in December 2017 Sadiq Khan boasted that he has successfully delivered on his promise to deliver at least two dedicated Police Constables and one dedicate Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) in every ward in London.
Caroline met campaigners at City Hall to receive a petition to the London Assembly against the Mayor’s plans for a new tunnel between Silvertown and Greenwich. "The case for a new road tunnel just does not stack up when we are trying to clean up London’s air" said Caroline.
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commenting on the decision confirmed by the Mayor to totally scrap the RV1 bus service from 15th June 2019, said:
“In the same week as the start of the Ultra Low Emission Zone the Mayor has made the decision to cut one of the few zero-emission bus routes in London, serving an area with some of the worst air pollution in the capital. The total lack of joined up thinking is staggering.
Concerns about changes to the way London Boroughs help fund extra police officers have recently been raised by at City Hall by Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Liberal Democrat Assembly Member.