East Putney Lift Petition Presented to Parliament and City Hall
Over three thousand support step free access at the station
Fleur Anderson MP handing in the petition with Councillor for East Putney Finna Ayres, Leonie Cooper AM, Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
June 9, 2023
A petition with over 3,100 signatures calling for the installation of a lift at East Putney Station has been presented to Parliament and City Hall this week.
It was handed in after months of intense campaigning for step free access at a station where it is claimed that steep steps make it unsafe for people in wheelchairs, those with mobility issues and with pushchairs.
Local volunteers have handed out leaflets commuters on their way in and out of the station over the last few months to increase the numbers signing .
The Putney MP has argued that East Putney meets all criteria for lift access as designated by TfL. Annual footfall at the station is estimated to be 6.12 million by the last figures which were before COVID, which is well above the footfall of other stations which were awarded a lift in the last round of TfL grants.
She had previously led a debate in Parliament on step-free access to East Putney in March 2020 , in which she set out the case for installing a lift. The MP argues that connectivity with Putney Station and Putney Bridge, neither of which currently have disabled access, is crucial to the local area.
She presented the petition along with local councillor Finna Ayres on Thursday.
Ms Anderson said , “ Thank you to the over 3000 Putney residents who have joined the campaign for a lift.
“ We desperately need a lift at East Putney Station. Anyone who has climbed the steps up to each of the platforms will know how steep they are. East Putney has very high user numbers of nearly 6.2 million which mean that there are also very high numbers of people unable to use the station. There is a very strong case for the station to receive funding .
"I have also written to the Minister for Transport demanding more funding for TfL for accessible stations, as London is not currently eligible for the Government’s ‘Access for All’ scheme, which it absolutely must be.”
Councillor Finna Ayres, Labour Councillor for East Putney, said , “Putney residents have made their voice heard: we demand step-free access to East Putney Station. I have lived here all my life and so am well acquainted with just how dangerous the steps at the station are. It is incredibly difficult for disabled people, people with mobility issues and those with buggies and prams to get around our local area, as well as those seeing the tennis at Wimbledon and the football at Fulham and Chelsea, who rely on this station. Having a lift installed at the station would open up the network to thousands of residents.”
Fleur Anderson handing the petition in to Parliament
The campaign has also been backed by a number of organisation that lobby for improved access to stations.
Emma Vogelman at Transport for All, a group that campaigns for improved access to public transport, said, "London would not be the incredible city it is without public transport, which allows millions of people to get to work, shops, markets, appointments, and nights out with freedom and ease. But for disabled people,so much of London’s transport network is inaccessible, shutting us out of life in the capital.
“ Currently, only 1 in 3 Tube stations has step-free access, and only 1 in 4 mainline rail stations.This means that instead of taking the direct routes available to everyone else, many disabled people are forced to navigate a complex web of access barriers that can take five times as long. Often, this can make journeys too exhausting to attempt at all, and is one of the reasons why disabled people take 30% fewer journeys each year than non-disabled people.
“ London can and must do better. Making East Putney station accessible is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done to address the systemic barriers across the whole network. Only when disabled Londoners can travel with the same freedom and ease as non-disabled people will we truly be equal citizens in this city."
Local resident and disabled access advocate Sarah Orr said , "A lift would literally transform my ability to use public transport. So many local people - those in wheelchairs, those with mobility issues, those with buggies and prams to name a few - are currently excluded from using greener, cheaper public transport. We desperately need to make our networks accessible to everyone. Please do sign and share this petition."
Fleur Anderson MP left with residents campaigning for a lift at East Putney
According to Fleur Anderson, the next step would be to get on to the longlist of stations that TfL will consider upgrading with a lift, then it is necessary to make the shortlist. She believes that progression through this process is helped by evidence of strong local demand so she says she intends to make as much noise as possible on the issue and is encouraging others to do likewise.
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