To be appalled at the lack of access for wheelchairs & prams

[Bowejangles]

Travelling across London today with DS 7mo in his pram, arrived at London bridge to find there's no lifts down to the underground available, only a shit load of escalators then some stairs after that.

Had to carry an excitable and very wriggly baby down the moving escalators in my arms. Escalators were heaving with people rushing past, bumping into us. Nervous is an understatement, it was downright dangerous.

Aibu to think this is ridiculously unsafe and not acceptable for one of the busiest stations in london?

More over, how the hell are people in wheelchairs supposed to use the underground?

Oh and I meant Charing Cross train station not Tube station is step free.

We have to go into Central London again next month so I'll be doing that, researching the step free routes and I'm going to get the app.

It definitely pays to be clued up but a lot of people wouldn't be, I definitely wasn't but will be in future.

To arrive with a wheelchair only to be told sorry no access and then potentially miss the train / appointment is terrible especially for those with disabled/ill children who rely on accessibility.

Can see where PP is coming from about the fact the underground is so old its unlikely I'll ever be completely accessible

I don't mind using busses but sometimes what can be a 10-15 minute trip on a tube can end up taking up to an hour on the bus which is a pain

@CookPassBabtridge

That did make me laugh (the sign that is!) How daft

I couldn't agree with you more, OP. Ever since I started using a buggy 18 months ago, I've been absolutely appalled on behalf of wheelchair users. This is a temporary state for us; imagine what it's like to live with that frustration for your whole life.

The reason it's still a problem is because no one realises it's a problem until it becomes a problem for them.

Most people walk round so engrossed in their own world that they don't take the time to stop and think how that world feels to people less able than them. It's a minority of people who it affects and a majority of people who haven't even noticed their struggles.

There are places where providing access is prohibitively expensive due to the age of the system and there are usually bus route alternatives. It's not just limited to London though, many small shops in other areas cram their aisles too close together to get a wheelchair or buggy round and many older shops have step access (take a look, you'll be surprised) which you can manage with a buggy because it doesn't weigh much but are impossible for the weight of an adult in a wheelchair.

I saw this earlier today, apparently wheelchair access is amazing in Japan.

I've braved the tube in my mobility scooter on one trip to London, had to hastily swap to overground due to a lift failure at kx thankfully the staff told me in time to change!

Tbh even the pavements are often inaccessible to wheelchairs. Not just ignorant parkers but pedestrians who either don't look where they're are going or expect you to go round them or the paths themselves are broken or uneven meaning self propelling is 10x as hard

@Rainatnight that is exactly how I feel too.

Selfishly I never noticed the accessibility issues wheelchair users faced until I had a pram and found myself needing to access lifts and ramps. I'm appalled and angered on behalf of wheelchair users who have every right to go about their daily lives without added disruption

@DazzlingMilton you are absolutely correct

And taxis are difficult because of the lack of suitable car seats.

@Confuzzlediddled that is a brilliant, why we can't implement the same over here is beyond me

@icclemunchy Yes! London is terrible for that as I imagine most big cities are. Everywhere infact. People are in such a rush they can't be arsed to accommodate others

I was actually going to be travelling by coach today but despite the website claiming to have car seat friendly seats, when I tried to book I was told there isn't availability for car seats on the coaches I need that day.

I was travelling from London to MK

I had to make a last minute change of plan and go via train, only to be met by the problem with the underground access

You do know only a fraction of the stations are disabled accessible right? I think its at best 1 in 10 stations are fully accessible from platform to street.

MK - is that Milton Keynes? You could go from London Bridge to St Pancras by Thameslink - not the Underground so changing trains is easy. St Pancras Thameslink rail station has lifts. Walk to Euston (five minutes) for MK train. (obviously that's useful for next time!)

I am such a train nerd.

@worridmum are you referring to London stations or stations in general? No I wasn't aware. I don't use trains very often

Thank you for the tip @bookmum08 I'll bare that in mind when I next go, and yes i mean Milton Keynes.

I booked the tickets on the train line and was given the via London bridge route after entering my start point and destination, it didn't occur to me to check for alternative ways. In hindsight I should've

To be honest its my own silly fault I ended up in the predicament today, I've had exactly the same problem at London bridge before and should have avoided it where possible

Isn't the age of the underground system an issue? It wasn't built with prams or wheelchairs or humans in some instances in mind

Its not easily fixable either?

I think that probably plays a big part @Crunchymum

Its not something I considered until a PP pointed it out before

A royal pain in the rectal cavity regardless though no doubt

Bowejangles you can also get to Milton Keynes from East Croydon or Clapham Junction but it is a Southern Trains route so it's a bit un reliable and often doesn't run due to track work. But it's handy to remember for a Plan B emergency route.

Sorry that came out rude its just london stations most stations outside london are disabled accessable but for some reason the london underground dont have to bother making their stations accessable or covering the extra cost for disabled people to make trips.

Ie they get on at Earls court, want to get off at a none accessable station so they need to get off at the nearest accessable station and then pay to get to the station they want too. (this extra cost SHOULD be paid for by the London underground because they are being to cheap to make all the stations accessable to passing the cost on to disabled customers.

Can you imagine the outcry if the stations we sex or race separated and Female/Males were only allowed off at certain stations and they had to cover the extra expediences to get to the station they wanted too.

But because disabled people or seen as second class citizens London underground can get away with this poor treatment.

@worridmum parts of the tube network are Victorian and was built by different companies to different specifications meaning some of the platforms are dangerously narrow even for able bodied people in rush hour. Unfortunately this means it isn't possible to retro-fit step-free access in. As TFL manages the running of the buses they expect you to use a bus instead if you cannot get on the tube.

I don't think you came across as rude @worridmum

There are huge lifts at London Bridge, having successfully navigated them pushing a buggy whilst in a wheelchair...where were you looking?

YANBU although London did remove my escalator phobia as a young child . It is ridiculous though that it still hasn’t altered.

PS inability to get to and around laces is exactly why wheelchair users tend not to go out anywhere.
I really struggled as I don't have a carer, hubby works full time so if I ever wanted to go out I was on my own.
(Had hip replacement a couple of months ago so now not wheelchair bound)