On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 08:00:24 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T
wrote:


On 1 Jun, 15:13, Mwmbwls wrote:
http://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/...ument/3360/get

quote
Stratford access needs attention urgently
London TravelWatch has written to the Government expressing its deep
concerns about the lack of progress on interchange arrangements at
Stratford.

[snip]

First off, I must get this off my chest - I don't like Brian Cooke
after he publicly came out in support of one of the Mayoral candidates
in the election, something many people aren;t at all happy about. The
Assembly Transport Committee is holding an extraordinary meeting about
this tomorrow morning and I hope something will be done about it -
see:
http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/tr...n02/agenda.jsp

I'm not sure whether one can see the timing of this intervention as Mr
Cooke trying to win people over.

Having read the statement in full as an attachment to the agenda he does
not deserve to stay on nor be considered for a further term. He clearly
used his position at London Travelwatch to issue a personal statement
when the rules are quite clear that he should not have done so. I
thought that what got published in the press was bad enough but the
whole statement is even worse.

Nevertheless, if we put the potential for political manoeuvrings
aside, then there is certainly a point here.

I presume the "mechanised link" translates to being a travolator. I
was under the impression that this idea had been dumped long ago.

I think people have simply hoped and prayed that if they ignore this
legal requirement that it will go away. I can't see DfT enforcing the
requirement as it would bugger up all the other works on the site.

What the above press release doesn't make clear is that the area
between Stratford Regional and Stratford International stations will
actually be covered by the Stratford City development, as opposed to
the Olympic Park, though of course the aforementioned development
(shops, homes & offices etc) is fundamentally intermeshed with the
wider Olympic Park redevelopment. It is a bit difficult to see how
passengers might be able to transfer between these two stations
through a massive building site, but then again I suppose there could
be some imaginative solutions like a temporary bridge or covered
walkway.

I think only a shuttle bus with controlled loading at each end could be
considered. However it would not be a quick journey as so much of the
road access to the southern edge of the site has gone. It is worth
noting though that Hackney and Ealing Community Transports have combined
to win a tender for Olympic worksite bus services - allegedly using the
former bendy buses from Selkent that ran on the 453. Perhaps a further
use for whatever remaining bendy buses are left?

Southeastern's new high speed services from Kent (the CTRL-DS) won't
look half as attractive to many if they don't stop at Stratford, given
it's position as a gateway to the Docklands. Having had my doubts in
the past, I now reckon Eurostar will eventually stop at least some of
their trains at Stratford, but I have my doubts that they'll be keen
doing this until the area surrounding the station is a bit less of a
building site.

I doubt Eurostar will stop even if the DLR is in place or even post
2012. I think their shambolic disdain for service provision at Ashford
sets a dreadful precedent and as the cost of wasted facilities does not
land on their doorstep they can ignore Stratford with impunity. I doubt
the forthcoming sale of the CTRL link will help either as that will
raise the commercial pressures on both sides. I'd love to be proved
wrong as Stratford is relatively convenient for me.

A shuttle bus transfer between Stratford Int'l and Stratford Regional
does seem somewhat less than ideal situation.

Agreed but it'd be better than nothing if it could be make to work so
that traffic gets established. If not I see the DLR service simply being
a ghost service once the Olympics has done unless it is further extended
into the housing development towards Leyton station.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!