London Liberal Democrat Mayoral Candidate Brian Paddick and London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon visited a number of dangerous junctions around King’s Cross, and met with the Camden Cycling Campaign group to discuss cycle and pedestrian safety in the area. The meeting came just days after a cyclist was killed at Tower Bridge Road, bringing the number killed on London’s roads this year to 16.
The huge number of pedestrian crossings in London which have no facilities for blind and partially sighted people is “a total disgrace “ says Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group.
The opening to passengers today of the southern entrance to Blackfriars mainline station has been celebrated by Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, the local MP Simon Hughes and ward councillor Geoffrey Thornton.
On 5th December they visited the new southern entrance to see at first hand the latest stage of the station’s redevelopment. This is the first mainline railway station built with access from the south bank of the River Thames for 120 years.
As well as admiring the new entrance facilities they also checked to make sure that Network Rail had delivered on its pledge to provide new signs on the platforms stating “London Blackfriars – for Bankside and South Bank.” The new signs have come about following a long campaign led by Caroline Pidgeon and Simon Hughes MP.
Caroline joined Brian Paddick, Tom Brake MP, Cllr Ruth Dombey and Lord Graham Tope out and about in Sutton on Friday 25th November.
The Lib Dem team met up with local residents and Councillors to campaign against the proposed changes to through trains on the Thameslink lines. This will affect many parts of Sutton and mean local residents will have to change at Blackfriars station to continue their journey northwards to St Pancras, the City and Luton.
The team then visited the fantastic BedZed development and heard about plans for a sustainable Hackbridge as well as looking at the area.
Caroline Pidgeon AM was joined by Brian Paddick and Cllr Stephen Knight, a Lib Dem London Assembly candidate to visit Blackfriars station and to see the progress that has been made on this upgrade project, which will see the first station cross the Thames, with a new entrance on the South of the River.
At Mayor's Question Time in November, Caroline Pidgeon pressed the Mayor around concerns about the safety and environmental impact of TfL's large intrusive advertising panel at Chiswick roundabout:
Caroline Pidgeon:Are you satisfied that TfL’s new advertising panel on Chiswick roundabout on the elevated section by the M4, will not cause an adverse distraction and safety risk for drivers changing lanes to use the Junction Two exit from the M2?
Boris Johnson:TfL does not consider the proposed advertising panels to be a safety risk to drivers. The planning application was submitted to the local planning authority on 11 October 2011.
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today’s announcement by the Chancellor George Osborne that fare rises on London's transport network will now be capped at 6.2% from 2012, a lower rate than that proposed by Boris Johnson, said:
“Any decision to overrule Boris Johnson’s excessive fare package is welcome, and will be particularly well received by those on the lowest incomes.
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.