The clever bit of spin by Transport for London did not really work. Conflating the announcement of 24 hour tube services on some routes on fridays and saturdays - a measure which remains to be negotiated with the unions - with the closure of all ticket offices did not disguise the fact that overall it is bad news for Londoners.
Sure, cutting back on ticket office opening and bringing stuff out from behind the glass is not at all a bad idea. But the notion that you could do that in the complex environment of say Kings Cross/St Pancras and suggest this is an improvement to services is laughable. The queues at Heathrow and other stations where there are lots of passengers who are not used to the system will become intolerable. I arrived at Seoul this year and found it hard to negotiate the subway and it is far simpler than the London Underground.
Moreover, are 24 hour Tubes on friday and saturday nights really that vital? Surely it would be better to invest in improving the very flexible and well-used night bus services if money is short.Sure, it will help a few late night half-cut revellers but the majority of Londoners will never use these services in the middle of the night. And, gosh, they are hardly likely to be pleasant to use given the state most people are likely to be in.
How come suddenly the long established argument about maintenance being essential seven nights a week has dissipated? Will it mean more full weekend closures, negating the very point of this announcement?
November 21, 2013 1 Comment
It would seem to me that having more staff on hand to help at the ticket machine and at the barriers is a much more effective way of offering customer service and reducing queues than having to queue separately if you want to speak to a human being. Many non-Londoners already head for the ticket machines rather than the staffed ticket offices, with queues forming when they take their time to understand what they want, whilst the person behind the glass in the ticket office across the hall is unable to help. Should someone decide they then need to speak to a member of staff (which happens to Londoners as well as others), they often have to queue again for the ticket office at the moment.
Although you mention stations like Kings Cross/St. Pancras, you have not picked up on the fact that “stations in the leading ‘Gateway’ group, such as Heathrow and King’s Cross St Pancras, will have enlarged and improved enquiry offices.” (see e.g. http://railnews.co.uk/news/2013/11/21-underground-job-loss-plan-sparks.html) which would mitigate some of the issues you seem fearful of.
The new system, at least as it has been portrayed elsewhere, sounds as though it will have positive benefits, and I think that it would be wise to judge it once in place.
When it comes to 24h working, I am inclined to agree that buses are a more sensible option, but I am wondering where you got your facts from when you question the need for more full weekend closures. TfL say that “it would now be possible because the modernisation of various lines which has been carried out in recent years means that maintenance can be concentrated on fewer nights” (http://railnews.co.uk/news/2013/11/21-underground-job-loss-plan-sparks.html again).
In an early post when you outline your rationale for standing as mayor, you note that you are not a politician. To me, that’s refreshing and a reason to vote for you. However, if you continue to leave facts out in order to score political points (which is what you come across as having done here) then you are well on the way to becoming a politician, and well on the way to losing my vote.