London Banter - View Single Post - Kings Cross Shut

Larry Lard · March 27th 06, 09:27 AM posted to uk.transport.london

wrote:
Now I know there are risks associated with full platforms,
but they can't be as bad as shoving hundreds of bewildered
tourists & commuters out onto the Marylebone road :-)

Euston Road is an area from which people can easily escape if they
begin to get crushed (either into Kings Cross mainline, either way
along the road or into a side street). On the deep-level tube platforms
this is not the case -- if the number of people down there isn't
regulated then it could easily lead to someone falling or being
accidentally pushed onto the tracks.

It was the Circle line platforms that were being talked about.

Can I make a plea that London Transport trust the public
to behave sensibly on full platforms and please shut
stations as a last resort ?!

London Underground can't trust people to behave sensibly on full or
busy platforms because people prove every working day that they can't
be trusted to do it.

Two of my past commutes involved a) travelling east from Victoria to
the City at around 0830; b) travelling north from Victoria to Oxford
Circus at around 0800. In both cases the platforms were usually loaded
around 3 people deep, the full length of the platform. It's a toss-up
as to which were more busy; I'd say the Vic slightly edged it. It was a
frequent event (more than half the time) for access to the station and
again to the Vic platforms to be controlled by the simple expedient of
closing the station gates / the ticket gatelines. I can't recall a
single time when the station was evacuated during the morning peak.

Which would seem to suggest that LU *can* and *do* trust people to
behave sensibly on full platforms - at least the LU staff at Victoria,
that is - because people - at least, 'Victoria' people - prove every
working day that they can be so trusted.

LU customer-facing staff have my full support, but IF station emergency
evacuation procedures are being used to manage people numbers then
something is definitely wrong...

--
Larry Lard
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