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As you will see this farcical piece of street furniture is conveniently located just at the point where the bus doors stop, niftily preventing the use of a ramp.
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That Westfield has a sense of irony, however, is also clear. They've decided to instal these orbs of oppression right smack bang in the middle of the London Paralymic games.
Full marks.
1530 TUESDAY UPDATE: Victory to the people! I understand from a few of you that the balls have been there for a while and Westfield were just claiming it was a TfL matter, nothing to do with us, guv.
But a little bit of unwelcome publicity does wonder to focus minds and this afternoon I received the following message from Westfield, who I fear may not number among my biggest fans:
Note not a hint of any kind of apology, or expression of regret for the barriers they have caused through their thoughtlessness. They must have typed that tweet through gritted teeth. But who cares! We're the winners, and rightly so.
It's not the first time they've behaved badly towards the local community after all...
"The only people that come out well from this fiasco are local bloggers and residents who have expressed their total opposition to the crass decision to make such an important bus stop inaccessible for disabled people.
"I hope both Westfield and TfL have now learnt a very important lesson."
Perfect height for people to trip over too. And looks like they completely block the footpath.
ReplyDeleteIf my memory's correct, these balls have been around since Westfield opened but they used to be on the other side of the road. They were moved when the building work on the spot that's now Cafe Nero (I think) was done and were corraled at the foot of the stairs near to the Overground entrance (there are still some there) but weren't put back. I think some bright spark has been moving them around late at night. However, someone should be clearing them up from Westfield or TFL, whichever's responsible.
ReplyDeleteI would sit on the whilst waiting for the bus but many dogs do put them to better use and they are very handy to trip over .
ReplyDeleteThey are probably intended to deter pavement cyclists and skateboarders.
ReplyDeleteRather than a grey concrete jungle which is the whole area from The Shepherds Bush play pit roundabout Green to the entrance to Westfield, I wish Westfield would plant some trees or at least have a boulevard of trees in large wooden planters. It would improve the appearance hugely as they promised to do before planning was given but was later cut to save costs
ReplyDeleteTheir immense Carbon foot print is clear to see if you look at an ariel photo of the existing Westfield site- Looks like a toxic site.
Has anyone actually told TfL (or Westfield)? It's all very well saying "isn't it terrible", but if someone has moved them to somewhere they shouldn't be, TfL can't really be expected to do something about it unless they are reported as there are tens of thousands of bus stops in London.
ReplyDeleteIf they refuse to move them, then it's a scandal - and therefore comparable to the Shepherd's Bush lifts fiasco.
Go back in a few days - I bet they'll have gone.
I've been told that Westfield have now moved the balls. Can anyone verify this.
ReplyDeleteI find it rather surprising that Westfield weren't aware that the balls had been moved. Surely they should be fully aware of everything happening on the site. They have security staff don't they?
I don't understand how this is such a big story. Some street art was moved (still not sure by who); it was then pointed out that the position they were in might interfere with disabled access to the bus (though as of yet not actually heard of anyone suffering from that). After Westfield/TFL were informed, the art in question was moved again. Unless I'm missing something surely this isn't that much of a big deal and hardly a "victory to the people against a huge fiasco for a crass decision?". OTT maybe?
ReplyDeleteAn excellent exposition of the sort of indifference disabled people, particularly those in wheelchairs, come up against every single day. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteForgive me, but don't try labelling me as indifferent to the issues of the disabled just because I think you have over-egged this story. All I did was restate the facts: in that some art was moved where it could possibly block access to a bus. TFL/Westfield were informed and the art was then moved. Given that there were no reports of anyone actually being blocked from getting on a bus, we still don’t know who moved the art and the fact that TFL/Westfield moved the art within a day – I kind of think that it doesn’t require endless tweets and a whole saga to be written up on your blog. I also think it is pushing a point in claiming that this was a fiasco and Westfield/TFL had backed down.
Deleteyou seem pretty indifferent to me - my mum has to cope with this sort of stuff all the time, I'd love you try to explain to her that it's really no big deal. And funny coincidence that it was there for days, Westfield refused to take responsibility, and then when it popped up on a blog they moved it straight away. Amazing.
DeleteI too would be extremely annoyed if my elderly mother couldn't get on the bus because of these balls; however that hasn't happened to anyone as far as I am aware. The only story here is a bit TFL/Westfield bashing for an issue they have taken steps to resolve once it was drawn to their attention. That and a little bandwagon hopping by a politician hoping to get her name in the local blog. And it seems a bit cynical to suggest that TFL nor Westfield would have done nothing had it not been for a blog; a shopping centre of all things would presumably want as many people as possible to come visit it? And let’s not forget it still hasn’t been established how these balls were moved over there; I’m not saying it wasn’t TFL/Westfield, but given the jovial patrons we have here in the bush almost every night I don’t think we can necessarily blame them.
DeleteWhile the balls were in their original places, if they were obstructing the bus couldn't someone have asked the bus to move slightly forwards or backwards to allow access?
DeleteI am sure the buses stopping points are not rigidly fixed.....
Over-egging the 'drama' does rather detract from the blog as a whole. A non-story should not be elevated to something it is n't. I will start to wonder whether the writer is just some obsessive internet nutter.
ReplyDeleteand that brave anonymous commenter is typing from IP address 78.144.76.243
DeleteDid you ask this person permission to publish his IP adddress? If not that is disgraceful behaviour and a complete breach of someone's privacy. How dare you publish someone's IP address when they have chosen to remain anonymous.
DeleteI'm afriad by doing that you have left yourself completely open to the charge that you are in fact an obsessive internet nutter.
and that Ladies & Gents is Nick Batchelor who also likes to post anonymously when he has nasty things to say, but uses his name at other times
ReplyDeleteI dont see why I should have to take abuse from individuals like you