No Go Britain: more ramps for London’s tube network

It is nine months since that golden summer, when the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games rolled into town.

But it seems that Transport for London (TfL), which runs the capital’s public transport network, is making a real effort to make sure the legacy lives on. After initially committing to keep 16 manual boarding ramps on the tube network in the immediate aftermath of the Games, the transport body has now pledged to introduce ramps at a further 19 stations.

TfL says the ramps are part of a wider programme aimed at making London more accessible. The programme also includes investing in new signs, a new Twitter feed (@TfLAccess) and investing in staff training alongside disability organisations Inclusion London and Transport for All.

For older people and disabled people, this will open up more stations that were previously unusable. Faryal Velmi, Transport for All

Faryal Velmi, director of Transport for All, told Channel 4 News: “For older people and disabled people, this will open up more stations that were previously unusable. It’s not perfect but there is no doubt that this is a really good thing.”

Transport for All has been campaigning for more ramps since the Paralympics, and Ms Velmi said the latest news was a really positive step. She said it means that, of the 67 tube stations marked as “step-free” from the street, almost all now truly are what they claim to be – in the past, access stopped for many wheelchair users and mobility scooters at the platform because of gaps between the platform and the train.

Ramping it up

The new ramps will bring an additional 40 platforms into play for wheelchair users. TfL said that the new ramps meant that, of the platforms that are currently accessible step-free from the street, 76 per cent – 149 out of 195 – will now be accessible through the use of ramps, raised platform sections, low floor trains and other features.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “London now has one of the most accessible public transport networks in the world. But it’s not perfect and we must go further. That’s why we’re investing in imaginative solutions to make further improvements.

“More boarding ramps and better signage, information and staff training, are concrete examples of our commitment to make the transport network as accessible as possible.”

Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground, said: “Much of the tube network dates back to an era where accessibility was not considered in the design of stations. We are rectifying that – making 27 more Underground and London Overground stations step-free over the next eight years, and rebuilding key stations like Victoria and Tottenham Court Road.

“But that work takes time, so in the shorter term we are making real improvements now – introducing a huge range of smaller measures such as boarding ramps, platform humps and improved signage and staff training to make it easier for disabled customers to get around.”

The initial 16 stations which have had manual boarding ramps since the Paralympics are: Hammersmith (H&C), King’s Cross St. Pancras, West Ham, Westminster, Southfields, Wimbledon, Earl’s Court, Fulham Broadway, Stratford, Woodford, Oxford Circus, Queen’s Park, Edgware, Morden, Finchley Central and Stockwell.

The additional 19 stations which will get ramps from the summer are: Caledonian Road, East Ham, Elm Park, Epping, Farringdon, Hainault, Hillingdon, Hounslow East, Kew gardens, Mile End, Richmond, Rickmansworth, Roding Valley, South Woodford, Theydon Bois, Upney, Uxbridge, West Finchley and Wood Lane. All DLR stations are step-free from street to train.