Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the news that construction work has now started on the south west expansion of the bike hire scheme, said:
“It is great news that by Christmas the bike hire scheme will be operating in new areas in Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth and Kensington and Chelsea.
Earlier this week Caroline met with Cllr Graham Neale and local residents off Old Kent Road to discuss the impact which motor traffic is having on local air quality.
Despite a growing body of evidence suggesting that spending long periods of time in close proximity to busy roads can cause or exacerbate childhood asthma and lead to permanently reduced lung function, the Mayor has been reluctant to publish smog alerts during recent air pollution episodes.
Many bike hire docking stations lack even a single bike for many hours each day, new figures obtained by Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, have revealed.
The London Assembly’s Transport Committee has called on Mayor Boris Johnson to clarify funding to enable a station at Woolwich to be up and running in time for Crossrail’s launch in 2018.
While the station box at Woolwich is now in place ready for tunnelling to commence, there still remains no agreement about funding the fitting-out of the new station. At a recent Transport committee (7 March), representatives from Crossrail Ltd told Members that a resolution was needed between sponsors Transport for London and the Department for Transport and partners Greenwich Council and Berkeley Homes, by mid-2013, if the station was to be ready for passengers by the launch.
The London Assembly’s Transport Committee has written to George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to urge him to fund the proposed electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking railway line.
Electrification of the line would bring significant improvements for both freight and passenger traffic, including reduced overcrowding for passengers, improved connectivity with the rest of London’s rail network, environmental benefits and the ability to run longer trains on the line.
Commenting on the traffic problems building up around Rotherhithe Tunnel since the introduction of a poorly announced restriction on wide vehicles, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“Despite Transport for London having a year to prepare for the start of this policy it seems very few people are aware of this new ban on wide vehicles being allowed through the Rotherhithe Tunnel.
Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and Chair of the London Assembly’s Transport Committee, joined campaigners in Croydon on Saturday 16th March, calling for a 20mph speed limit to be introduced on the borough’s residential roads.
As the London Assembly Transport Committee reviewed the recommendations in its "Gearing Up" report last year, and the Mayor's progress against them, Caroline Pidgeon AM, the Chair of the Committee, said:
A long standing Liberal Democrat fare policy to introduce a travelcard for people who work part-time is now being examined by Transport for London the Mayor has confirmed this week.
Caroline challenged the Mayor to consider this policy in January at Mayor's Question Time and in recent correspondence the Mayor has now confirmed that the idea is now being examined by Transport for London.
Explaining why a part-time travelcard would bring real benefits, Caroline said:
Commenting to the Snipe London website on the news that the number of commuters using the Thames has actually gone down over the last 10 years, despite the Mayor's promises, Caroline Pidgeon said:
"There is a big gap in the Mayor’s rhetoric on river services and his real record so far. Having waited so long for the Mayor’s river action plan it is vital that it is fully implemented as quickly as possible. More money will be needed than the £10 million allocated.