20 July 2012 Evidence required to secure portable ramps on London Underground
Transport for London have announced that 16 tube stations will play host to temporary manual boarding ramps for the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The ramps will be available at key interchange stations which don't normally have step-free access from platform to train, including:
West Ham (District and Hammersmith & City lines), Fulham Broadway, Wimbledon, Southfields, Earl's Court (District line), Westminster (District and Circle lines), Stratford (Central line), Woodford, Oxford Circus (Bakerloo line), Queen's Park, Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City and Circle lines), King's Cross St. Pancras, Mile End (Hammersmith & City and Circle lines), Morden, Stockwell (Northern line), Finchley Central and Edgware stations.
TfL have suggested that, if the ramps are a success, they will remain after the Games have finished, which would allow access to many new parts of London that were limited before. Although we would ideally like a completely independently accessible Underground network, we, and Transport for All, think this is a step in the right direction and would like your help to persuade TfL to keep the ramp system until platforms have been adapted for the trains passing through them.
If you, or someone you know could test the ramps at one of the 16 stations (it doesn't have to be at peak time, please choose a time and a location to suit you), it would enable us to completely assess the success of this initiative. When you have tested the ramps, please complete the following questions and email them to sarah@transportforall.org.uk
Date:
Time:
Station:
How busy was the station?
Did you board or disembark the train with the manual boarding ramp?
If boarding, how long did you have to wait to use the ramp?
If disembarking, was the ramp ready when you arrived at your destination?
How did you find using the ramp itself?
How did you find the staff attitudes to operating the ramp?
Do you know of any stations which you would be able to use if they had a manual boarding ramp?
Any other comments:
Trailblazers Project Manager Bobby Ancil said:
Just a few months ago Transport for London were telling us that manual ramps would never work on the Underground. Having convinced TfL that it is possible to use manual ramps at stations during the Olympic and Paralympic Games we now need to make sure we retain access to central London for all people with reduced mobility.
We want to see more step free stations, but recognise this will not happen overnight, so the Games provide us with a great opportunity to consolidate access to these stations as we push for raised platforms and better station infrastructure.
With your support we will be able to send a message to the Mayor and TfL that a more accessible Underground network is essential for disabled people.
Please send your results in by 20th August!
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