The excellent GoingUnderground blog has a story about a tube in Holland where passengers can jump on a slide instead of the stairs - why can't we have that?! Given that the Mayor and TFL didn't think giving disabled people access to the new Shepherd's Bush central line station was very important the least they could do would be to install a slide, surely?
Have a look at how this piece of technology works:
I suppose that the problem with disabled access on the tube is where do you install it first? Do you do an entire line first, or do you choose popular stations and interchanges? It's always amazed me that there are so many lines (e.g. Victoria Line) where you can only access two stations by lift. Great news for any disabled people who only ever commute between those two stations, but for anyone else it seems a bit silly.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in London and had to take my son for appointments at Great Ormond Street Hospital I was always amazed you had to negotiate stairs there. Isn't it guaranteed at that station there will be many parents with pushchairs, prams and sick kids?
ReplyDelete'There' being Russel Square station...
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, but how would folks get back up?
ReplyDeleteCarl
Great if you are young but not if you are old, frail or handicapped.
ReplyDeleteHow do they deal with large crowds?
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteThe slide goes along side a massively wide stone staircase.
See: http://www.bitterwallet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/enhanced-buzz-23309-1311266004-29-500x223.jpg