Harrow (Parliament Politics Magazine) – After two decades of campaigning, plans are underway to install lifts at two Harrow Tube stations, marking a major step for accessibility improvements.
17 Underground stations, including Canons Park and South Harrow, will be evaluated for step-free access; however, a local MP is still advocating for those that were left out. In order to increase accessibility for individuals with disabilities, parents pushing buggies, senior passengers, and those carrying luggage, Harrow East MP Bob Blackman and London Assembly Member for Harrow Krupesh Hirani have been advocating for lifts at the stations.
Queensbury is one of 13 towns that were left off of the long list of 30 that was announced in April, however Canons Park and South Harrow were chosen.
In order to provide step-free access at both stations, TfL has now announced that it would conduct thorough feasibility studies. The following 15 stations have also been selected for these investigations:
- Edgware Road
- Upton Park
- Willesden Green
- Wood Green
- Kentish Town
- Becontree
- East Putney
- Putney Bridge
- Plaistow
- Ruislip
- Snaresbrook
- Blackhorse Road
- Dagenham East
- Hornchurch
- Hatton Cross
Following the news, Mr Hirani AM said:
“It’s fantastic news that TfL is moving forward with making Canons Park and South Harrow step-free. It will make a massive difference for people with mobility issues, parents with buggies and older residents.
I have been lobbying for this improvement, and I will continue to do all I can to work with TfL to make it a reality and work towards the ambition of making half of the Underground step-free by 2030.”
Mr. Blackman MP expressed dissatisfaction that Queensbury was not selected and that Stanmore did not even make the long list, but he was happy that Canons Park station had been chosen after “a long 20 years trying to achieve this goal.”
Since residents now have to choose “between 71 steps or a steep ramp,” Mr. Blackman is also advocating to “tighten the definition” of step-free access, despite TfL’s assertion that it already exists at Stanmore because of the ramp’s installation.
He said:
“The current choice commuters face is either 48 steps to the main entrance [and] ticket hall, 16 steps via the car park, 24 steps at the side to the bus stop, or the current step-free route which is over 140 meters long and includes a steep ramp that even the Paralympian, Tanni Grey-Thompson, could not complete unaided.
If we can get a proper ‘step-free’ definition agreed, then we can apply pressure on TfL to delist Stanmore as ‘step-free’ so that it meets the requirement to be considered for investments and a lift.”
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan wants 50 per cent of the stations on the London Underground to be step-free by 2030 in order to make London’s transport network more accessible and inclusive. There are currently 93 Tube stations that are step-free, meaning a further 43 stations will need to be upgraded in the next five years for this target to be met.
Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, Seb Dance, said:
“London is for everyone, and the Mayor and I are committed to making our transport network as accessible as possible, enabling more people to enjoy all our great city has to offer.
It’s great to see that these 17 stations will proceed to feasibility studies as part of the next stage of TfL’s Step-Free Access programme. This work is essential to delivering the Mayor’s ambitious target of making 50 per cent of the network step-free by 2030 and building a better, fairer, more accessible London for everyone.”
Who funded the previous Harrow-on-the-Hill lift project?
The previous installation project for lifts had a funding amounting to £3.1 million from the London Borough of Harrow, through funding jointly supported by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Transport for London (TfL). This collaborative funding filled a gaping hole in addressing longstanding problems with accessibility at the station, as part of wider ongoing step-free access improvement strategies across the London Underground.
The installation dealt with four new lifts and improved accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility, people travelling with luggage and parents with buggies.
The lifts were delivered through a collaborative partnership of the London Underground, Harrow Council, contractors engaged at the time Taylor Woodrow BAM Nuttall Joint Venture and Otis.