At the Brompton Bicycle Active Travel Hustings
Caroline had a great evening at the Brompton Bicycle Active Travel hustings on 3rd December, putting forward the Liberal Democrat vision for a more active, healthy and environmentally conscious Britain.
Transport articles
We need tough and decisive action on air quality
Poor air quality and pollution are issues of huge concern to people across London. Caroline met with Chuka Umunna last week on Oxford Street to talk through how we can improve air quality, particularly in some of the busiest areas of central London. To tackle this, we need to take tough and decisive action.
TfL should make it easier to reclaim the £400m of cash sitting on Oyster cards
The BBC reports on Transport for London's figures showing that by September 2019, the cash pile of unclaimed balances and deposits on dormant Oyster cards had reached £399m.
Caroline told the BBC:
"TfL never stops bombarding us with advertisements and information campaigns, but highlighting this cash mountain is one issue that they remain very quiet about.
Someone must finally take responsibility for Crossrail chaos
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commenting on the announcement that Crossrail is projected to cost £400 to £650 million more than the funding already committed to the project, and with its expected opening date shifting further to sometime in 2021, said:
“For far too long Crossrail Limited has made key decisions behind closed doors.
Mayor continues to defend the environmentally damaging Silvertown tunnel project
In a written question to the Mayor, Caroline again raised the issue of the heavily polluting proposed Silvertown tunnel - and pointed out this was nowhere in the Mayor's 2016 manifesto, whereas the Rotherhithe-Canary Wharf bridge was promised and has been scrapped.
City Airport expansion is bad for the environment and local residents
Caroline visited London City Airport and the surrounding area with Siobhan Benita, Richard Flowers, Chris Maines and Michael Fox to support the Stop City Airport campaign, against expansion, spearheaded by the excellent Alan Houghton.
Mayor's Question Time: targeting zero serious cycle accidents at junctions
At Mayor's Question Time for October, Caroline discussed with the Mayor the issues raised by the London Cycling Campaign regarding junction safety and how he is ensuring junction works are being completed in line with his Vision Zero strategy.
Petition highlights that too many junctions are still not safe
Caroline was delighted to join other London Assembly Members in welcoming a huge petition from the London Cycling Campaign, raising concerns about too many junctions still not meeting Vision Zero standards.
You can read more on this subject from the London Cycling Campaign.
The vehicle scrappage scheme should not just swap old cars for new cars
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commenting on the opening of the vehicle scrappage scheme today said:
“Getting the most polluting cars and motorcycles off our roads is very welcome, but the Mayor’s scheme falls short of what could be possible.
“Twenty-five million of public money is being spent on largely encouraging people to buy or rent new cars, when instead the money could have been spent on giving people a much wider range of options for travel.
An independent enquiry is needed into the Croydon tram tragedy
Caroline Pidgeon is continuing to press Transport for London to hold an independent enquiry into the 2016 tram crash in Croydon which killed 7 people and injured 62.
After the Deputy Mayor refused an enquiry, Caroline said:
“We still have a lot of questions for TfL to answer on its past record on safety issues and especially why it failed to share vital information while the investigations into the Sandilands tram crash were being undertaken.