LibDem mayoral candidate Siobhan Benita leads a team of Camden LibDem volunteers operating a ‘community lift’, helping travellers with buggies, baggage and mobility needs to get up the stairs at West Hampstead tube station. They were highlighting Mayor Sadiq Khan’s slow progress in tackling step-free access across the network.
Siobhan Benita said:
“Mayor of London Sadiq Khan promised to ‘improve accessibility at rail and tube stations’ but the pace of this is very slow. Currently fewer than 3 in 10 tube stations are step-free – and only half of London Overground stations. This means that for many Londoners, particularly the elderly, the disabled and those with young children, large parts of the capital’s transport network are simply not usable and they’re prevented from moving freely around London.
“Sadiq Khan promises a lot but delivers little in terms of real improvements. In my kinder London, I will prioritise accessibility and ensure that TfL invests in much needed upgrades. It’s not acceptable that TfL’s step-free access programme from street to train has fallen behind schedule. I’d also extend the provision of manual boarding ramps and raised platform sections to improve accessibility from platform to train.”
