On 5 Jul, 08:41, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 23:59:56 on
Fri, 4 Jul 2008, Maria remarked:

As someone who has the misfortune to have to undergo this hike twice a
day, every day, I cd not agree more. *Not only is it a 400m hike, in
order to get to work I *now have to go through two ticket barriers and
dodge lost and bemused tourists, people nattering on their mobiles,
emailing on their blackberries or families dragging humungeous
suitcases who because they are on holidays are in no particular rush .
The flows of people have not been properly planned and there are
several places where human currents going in opposite directions
intersect with the consequent shoving, pushing and dodging. *It may be
a beautiful building but for its heaviest users, the commuters, it is
an unholy mess and a nightmare, it is by far the most stressful part of
my day. *I hate it.

If you are arriving by FCC, I suggest you exit St Pancras by the doors
next to the "Circle" shopping centre, then cross the road towards KX
Suburban platforms, then walk along KX platform 8 to the tube (this is
in effect the route that will be mirrored by new underground passages
when the northern ticket hall opens).

If you do this in the morning peak note (and it sounds like you do)
you will find that, to reduce overcrowding, the entrance to the
underground inside King's Cross station is now kept closed every
weekday morning until about 10am. Passengers arriving on King's Cross
platforms 1-8 and wanting the underground are diverted to use the
street entrance in front of the station, which at this time is kept
artifically constricted so that only one or two passengers can enter
at a time. Sometimes this causes such a crowd of people queueing to
get into the underground station that it is often quicker to cross St
Pancras Road and use the entrance under St Pancras station instead.

So Roland's alternative suggestion...

Or if you are heading for the Circle Line platforms, walk along the
outside of St Pancras.

...is probably best for the deep-level tube lines as well, at least in
the morning peak.

PaulO