Tag Archives: tfl

Do you have enough time to cross the road?

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I’ve often had to put a shifty on when crossing the road at the bottom of Muswell Hill. There hardly seems to be time to make it across. Well – it’s not my imagination – the lights really are not giving enough time to make it safely.

There are 26 major pedestrian crossings in Haringey in breach of national safety guidelines updated in 2005, including the signals at the bottom of Muswell Hill where it meets Priory Road and Park Road, and also the signals where Wightman Road, Hornsey Park Road and Turnpike Lane meet.

I’m lucky – I can still put a shifty on when needed – but older people, people with mobility difficulties and those with babies and young children may not be able to rush across.

It isn’t rocket science and should be easy to fix – so come on Transport for London!

For more on the story, see this week’s Journal coverage.

Getting to and from Hornsey Hospital

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Well – the new all singing, all dancing Hornsey Hospital will open in the relatively near future. But despite raising the issue of public transport needs to the new facility since the day of its inception – and requests to Peter Hendy (TFL Commissioner of Transport for London) and Haringey Council and all – they are still ‘having meetings’ about it.

We need to make sure that this new medical centre is properly served by adequate public transport. They took away the W2 when it was closed some years ago. Official figures from the health trust acknowledge that the area is very poorly served by buses, with less than half of local residents able to get to the Park Road Health centre in less than 20 minutes. We need a new bus – particularly to serve those people whose GP practices move in, but also for everyone who will access the other services on site.

It is absolutely fantastic that we finally have a new health facility in our local area after campaigning for so long with local residents to make it happen. But what’s the point if it is so difficult for people to get there?

603 bus

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The bigwigs from Transport for London came to Parliament to meet with the London Lib Dem MPs to answer specific questions from them. Quite a line up! Tim O’Toole (tube), David Brown (surface transport), Ian Brown (overground) and the Commissioner for Transport – Peter Hendy.

Needless to say my constant refrain is ‘gissa bus’ – and specifically the extension to a full time route for the 603. What is like trying to get blood out of a stone is the cycle where I ask, I get told that a full time route is not financially viable – but then they won’t say what demand level will make it viable. However, today after pushing and pushing the point, David Brown has said that he will finally get back to me with some sort of figure. I could see scepticism in his eye – because he is convinced that the model TfL use to assess viability predicts demand accurately. I say bollocks to that. Anyway – I want to try and prove their model wrong. So – if they say 10 passengers per hour or 20 or whatever – I will find them!

Good news, good news, good news

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Lynne Featherstone with residents of Westpoint, Clarendon Road, celebrating their parking permit successOne – during the week my Liberal Democrat colleagues on Haringey Council got a motion through for Haringey Council to opt-in to the Sustainable Communities Act. The act in itself is really only a tool to open up future possibilities – but now we’re well on the way to being able to do that.

Two – parking permit problems for residents in Clarendon Road sorted out.

Three – Transport for London (TfL) have now promised that we will be able to use Oyster Pay As You Go on trains by September. Easier train travel, here we come!

Many thanks to everyone who backed the campaign on this – I’ve no doubt the public pressure make a big, big difference.

Success as TfL promises Oyster PAYG by September

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After months of dithering and half-promises, Transport for London (TfL) bosses this week gave Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone cast iron guarantees that residents will be able to use Oyster Pay As You Go (PAYG) on trains by September.

The long awaited assurances came as the local MP presented the TfL bosses with hundreds of postcard petitions returned by local residents in support of the Liberal Democrat campaign. Ian Brown, Managing Director for London Rail emphasised that the scheme would not have gone ahead, had it not been for pressure from Lynne Featherstone, Haringey residents and other campaigners across London.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I’m absolutely delighted that Oyster Pay As You Go will definitely go ahead by September. This has been such a long-running saga and too many half promises have gone unfulfilled.

“Being able to use Oyster on the trains will make it so much easier for people to hop on the train when going into town. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the campaign. We did it, and it’s really down to the strong support from local residents.”

Asking Tom Chambers for an autograph

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A fun thing happened yesterday – well two in fact. And it has been quite a grim couple of weeks so very welcome.

First off I was at the BBC to do the Jeremy Vine show – and while I was waiting in the ‘green room’, I saw Tom Chambers from Strictly Coming Dancing pacing up and down – obviously also waiting to go on a show. Well – we are big Strictly fans in my house – and so, despite the hideous embarrassment I would have to suffer – I went up to him and introduced myself. And yes – asked for his autograph for one of my daughters.

He was so nice – despite, I assume, getting approached quite a lot. When I told him that my daughter had put money on him (I know – betting- sorry) he looked a bit surprised. I hastily added that she was 19 – and that she had a double bet – him for Strictly and Alexandra for X Factor! He said all his friends had money on him too!

And then the second nice thing was going to a presentation by Peter Hendy (Commissioner of Transport for London) and Tim O’Toole (Manager of London Underground). Nice for two reasons – firstly I think these two are class professionals – way better than most I have met on my sojourn through life. Secondly – brilliant presentation by Tim on the improvements to the tube up to 2020. Just setting aside the actuality for a moment – the way he illustrated what would happen on each line was the most dynamic presentation I have seen for years! As the first 20 years of my professional life were as a designer – just a pleasure to watch.

Extending Oyster Pay As You Go

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Started the day campaigning at Alexandra Park Station to bring in Oyster Pay As You Go as soon as possible.

As well as Nigel Scott (our candidate for the by-election in Alexandra ward) and Alexandra Councillors Susan Oatway, Dave Beacham – we also had Caroline Pidgeon who is our Transport Spokesperson on the London Assembly and Denys Robinson Chair of London Region – so it was a big do!

Loads of people took our little petition postcard – so we will be able to keep up pressure on Transport for London (and the Train Operator) who have been a bit tardy with stations north of Finsbury Park in terms of Oyster PAYG. And other Liberal Democrat councillors were out at other stations like Harringay, Hornsey, Bowes Park etc. Onward and upward.

Then visited a delightful supported housing scheme in Wood Green – Raj Kunj – for residents of Asian community. They were so nice and raised lots and lots of issues – chief amongst which is the very short time the lights at the crossing outside their building allows them to get across the main road. Traffic comes whizzing down the main road – very dangerous I think.

Highgate Tube fence rides again…

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First up on Friday is meeting at Highgate Tube to discuss the dreaded fence issue. Without going back over the arguments – residents are divided about the fence on Archway Road by Highgate Tube station as on the one hand people living on the roads behind the station want good protection against all the noise from the road, whilst those on the road or going along the road don’t want an eyesore.

Anyway, a fence got put in with Transport for London also promising a lot of planting that would end up screening the fence – and allow it to be replaced with a chain link fence instead. Problem – the planting never grew – well not fully.

Anyway, TfL had obviously done their work to find a solution – which is to put in maturish trees and new planting so that before too long – the cutting will look beautiful and dense and the solid fence will be able to be replaced with chain link. But still a long way to go…

Today's news round up

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A few stories out in the newspapers today in which I feature:

Equalities Bill – the Guardian has coverage today, including:

The Liberal Democrat equality spokeswoman, Lynne Featherstone, said: “If the government genuinely wants to tackle equality, it must do more to end the growing discrepancy between the rules on pay for the public and private sector.

“Without compulsory pay audits for the private sector, these proposals will represent a very real victory for the hawks in the cabinet. Public sector equality rights are fast becoming an ivory tower that private sector employees can only dream of. A few tick-box questionnaires for government suppliers on their equality policy are going to do little to change the day-to-day opportunities for the 20 million people who work in the private sector.”

The future of the FAITH centre has been covered by the Hornsey Journal (blogged about here):

THE FIGHT to save a centre that supports disabled people in Wood Green has reached the 11th hour, campaigners fear.

Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone joined a protest over the planned closure of the FAITH (Further Advancement In Training in Haringey) Plant Centre, in Wolves Lane, last Friday.

She said: “The notification has come late. This is almost the 11th hour. Everyone has got to get a shifty on to make sure it doesn’t close before a rescue plan can be put into operation.”

The Journal’s also covered the case of a local resident and her parking fine:

A DISABLED resident is up in arms after a no parking sign pointing the wrong way left her £600 out of pocket.Elizabeth Bennett, of Highgate, could not see the sign when she parked in Southwood Avenue at 8.10am on Sunday, May 18, and was left with the hefty fine.

Lynne Featherstone, Hornsey and Wood Green, MP is fighting her corner demanding transport bosses review the fine and repair the sign.

Transport for London (TfL) has refunded the ticket and vowed that cars displaying blue disabled badges will never be removed.

Lynne Featherstone said: “Parking restrictions are a necessity but when they are applied without compassion there is something wrong.

“I understand how Mrs Bennett believed she was parking legally. And £600 is way off the scale of what is fair. TfL must act.”