kingscrossaccess

Silly season starts and the petition hits 550

Not bad, as we enter quiet August with so many people away, our petition has just hit 550. The next major publicity events are not planned until September when the holiday season comes to an end. These include the launch of the report from the public meeting, a one-day stall at Chapel Market and a couple of very public demonstrations. The steady growth of the petition without any publicity is very heartening indeed. Not so good is that Network Rail have still not properly responded to the open letter, you can help by sending your own version, a template can be found on this site.

If you haven't already asked everyone you know to sign the petition, please do. They just have to go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/kxaccess/ to sign up, they'll be sent an email by Downing Street to verify their signature and that's that.

And if you'd like to get involved in any of the events we are planning, do contact us for more information.

A quick recap on why we are campaigning:

Network Rail is spending over £400 million on redeveloping King's Cross Station. This entails:

1. Building a new platform to increase the capacity of the station which will close off the entrance at York Way/Wharfdale Road;

2. Removing the concourse at Euston Road to reveal the original double arches of the station and making this area exit only;

3. Closing all other entrances to the station; and

4. Building a new 'Western Concourse' which will be the only entrance to the station.

We've put together our own case. We believe that as Network Rail is closing entrances and by doing so gaining in revenue, they should replace these vital access points with, at the very least, a fully accessible pedestrian and cycle bridge from York Way/Wharfdale Road to the western side of the station near the new concourse. If they fail to do so, a brick curtain will be sealed from the junction of Euston Road/York Way in the south right up to Goodsway/York Way in the north and they will fail to meet their own corporate responsibility commitments. A bridge would cost Network Rail less than 1% of their redevelopment budget for the station.

Safe walking routes in King's Cross

You may remember that Living Streets carried out an audit into 'walkability' around the station earlier this year. Many members of our community participated, taking time out of busy lives to assist Living Streets to assess local walking routes. This was for a major report commissioned by Transport for London (TfL). Months have passed and no report has emerged, so what has happened to it? Living Streets said today:

"The reports were commissioned by TfL but I understand that they have not yet been passed to Network Rail. The report has been circulated to the King’s Cross Interchange Steering Group for comment. This group includes representatives from across the TfL directorates covering different modes, as well as representatives from Camden Borough Council.

"Peter McBride (head of cycling, walking and accessibility at TfL) was due to meet with the GLA’s Transport Environment Committee in May to present the findings of this project but unfortunately this meeting was cancelled due to the election and has not since been rescheduled. The audit reports have gone to the GLA, via Becky Upfold in the Transport Team, and have been passed to the Green party GLA members (who originally requested the project), as well as members of the Transport Environment Committee. The report is not yet a publicly available document and was produced in response to the Green party request and as such, TfL have asked us to point out that the report is to be used to provide a better understanding of the pedestrian environment around London's mainline stations and to enable better planning when improving the stations."

Strange then that vital information about walking routes around the station is not being made available either to the public or to Network Rail. King's Cross is being redeveloped right now. Network Rail is removing a key walking route and not replacing it with anything. Surely TfL and the Greater London Assembly must see the urgency of releasing the report's findings as they relate to King's Cross?

If you have contacts at TfL or the GLA, please ask them to raise this and press for the Living Streets report to be released as a priority.

Islington Tribune 25 July 2008

Camden New Journal 24 July 2008

 

Confused about how the bridge fits with the Argent plan? Don't be!

   

There are three options, each one goes through the Argent tower block and lands at The Boulevard.

Write a letter to the people that can make a bridge happen

Let's get something done here... Below is a list of people to write to. All you need to say is that:

1. We need a bridge giving east/west access across the tracks at the back of King's Cross Station

2. Network Rail are refusing to fund such a bridge

3. What are you (the person you are writing to) going to do about it?

If you want to include more than that, please do. For example, information from this site and from our leaflet might be helpful - there's a paragraph at the end of this posting that you could just copy and paste into your letter or email. If you can only write one letter or email, start with the first on the list below, alternatively, copy the full list of contacts and paste them into the 'to' line of your email. Remember to include your name and home address when sending letters or emails.

And, if you get a reply, let us know!

Full list

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Individuals

Ruth Kelly, Transport Minister

[email protected]
Department for Transport
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DR

Theresa Villiers, Shadow Transport Minister (Con)

[email protected]
House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA

Norman Baker, Shadow Transport Minister (Lib Dem)

[email protected]
204 High Street
Lewes
East Sussex
BN7 2NS

Contacts for the Mayor and the Greater London Assembly all share the same postal address:

GLA
City Hall, The Queen's Walk
London SE1 2AA

Boris Johnson Mayor of London

[email protected]

Kulveer Ranger, Mayor’s Transport Adviser

[email protected]

Jennette Arnold, Chair Greater London Assembly & GLA member for Islington

[email protected]

Valerie Shawcross Chair GLA Transport Committee

[email protected]

Caroline Pidgeon Deputy chair GLA Transport Committee

[email protected]

Example paragraph

Network Rail will be closing all entrances to King’s Cross and replacing them with a single entrance on the western side of the station, far from the neighbourhood on the north eastern side of the station- home to well over 17,000 people including a very high proportion of disabled people and carers, and thousands of employees. I want Network Rail to think again. They should replace the York Way/Wharfdale Road entrance with a footbridge across the tracks to the new Western Concourse. If they do not a daily total of over 3,400 people will be condemned to use York Way then Euston Road or Goodsway then Pancras Road – unsafe, dangerous and polluted. Please let me know in your reply how you will support our community to achieve this vital cross-borough link to and from what is becoming the biggest transport hub in Europe . More information can be found at www.kingscrossaccess.com. Additionally, please sign our petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/kxaccess/.

More contacts

King's Cross Railway Lands Group have published a more detailed list of people to write to.

Exhibition/presentation

As appeared at the public meeting 16 July 2004

Download kx_exhibition.pdf

Alternative KX central masterplan

Download camden_town_urban_design_improvement_society_alternative_masterplan_2004.JPG

Argent scheme model

Photos of the model at the German Gym, click on image to enlarge, right click to download/copy.

Note: this bridge is purely an aspiration. Should no-one come forward to build it by 2012, Argent's S106 obligation to house the western side of the bridge on their land ceases.

1. From above.
2. Showing vary narrow pathway between the path to the bridge and high rise offices.
3. View of the bridge and high rise offices from Wharfdale Road.

Network Rail presentation

Network Rail's presentation on access from the north eastern side of the station.

Download york_way_access_16_july_08.pdf