London Transport Problems

[mappingforchange]

Hi everyone :)
I work for a social enterprise called Mapping for Change, who are currently working on a project to raise awareness about accessibility issues in European cities. We are based in London, and from the work we've done so far, we've found the accessibility of public transport to be a major source of problems for parents with buggies.

We're interested to know what issues you experience, and we've created a map which allows you to report them. The types of issues you report could be to do with boarding a vehicle, the amount of space on board, unhelpful or rude attitudes from staff - anything, really, that affects your ability to access the service.

The map is available here:

new.communitymaps.org.uk/#/project/19?center=51.5096:-0.1181:11

It's very straightforward to use, but if you do have any questions, you can email [email protected].

We will be sharing any feedback provided with Transport for London, who will hopefully address issues and make the services better for everyone!

Thanks, and happy travelling!

That is very interesting - but accessibility in cities imo is less of an issue than it is in rural areas - Transport in London is negotiable with young children and buggies (I have done it regularly) there are maps and information available on the TFL website, which also provides a central organisation to report issues to as it regulates most of the modes of public transport.

However in the town where I live and surrounding villages it is impossible to board some buses with a buggyas they still have steps. There are stations without lifts/ escalators. Public transport is infrequent and unreliable and as it is unregulated reporting issues is much more complex. Love to see some enterprise focused on this rather than the cities - good luck and all that.

Thanks for your reply :)
We'd love to cover wider areas too - in the future, there's scope for our reach to be extended beyond this city. I'm from a rural town myself, and am all too familiar with how infuriating the public transport can be!

That said, there are a lot of areas where accessibility in London is poor. Many stations don't have lifts, or escalators, meaning they can be difficult for most people - especially so for people with pushchairs, older people, etc.

If you do come to London and happen to experience a problem, we'd love to hear from you. Transport for London are involved in our project, and are keen to learn from any feedback we provide them with.

Thanks again :)

the London underground is what, 150 years old? It is NEVER all going to be accessible unless it is rebuilt from scratch.

all tube stations have either lifts or escalators. There are 14 which don't have lifts: list on www.geofftech.co.uk/tube/facts.html

there are already comprehensive maps and online information detailing where the tube and trains are step-free, where the lifts and escalators are and so on. All the info to plan a more accessible journey is easily available. (as it should be)

good idea but as noted it has already been done for London, so don't waste your time on that.

Special, true, but while many have lifts not all tube platforms within those stations are step-free.

I agree there's a lot of info about how to make step-free journeys for London, though - less elsewhere I've been.

Thanks for your feedback Mumsnet folk :)

We've had a think, and decided to support you - you can now use the map to report transport issues ANYWHERE WITHIN THE UK. Although the map begins by being focused on London, you can zoom out, or search for your location, to report problems there.

We can share the feedback you provide with local transport service providers.

Happy travelling :)

jassy (guessing a regular by your name!) - that's right, although the TFL maps show where there is step-free access right through and where there is still a step to the train even if there is a lift.

OP - good luck with this. Although as I live in Dr-Beeching central there's not a lot to report!

Good stuff, mapping.

Special - yes, the TFL journey planner is fab for that! I was just being tedious.

Blimey that is quick - cheers mappingforchange folks - since having children and moving to commuter village-land I have been on a steep learning curve regarding accessibility on public transport outside the city - I miss the frequency of services and comparative accessibility of even the older stations in London.

TfL already publish numbers of steps to each platform, height difference between platforms and trains, etc. Apps like TfL Journey Planner and Mumderground and alert emails for when lifts are out of order already make use of this.

Using the map for say all businesses along a High Street to show that only 5% have step free access might be more beneficial, given less attention has been paid in that area and sorting access can be a couple hundred quid for a concrete ramp - as opposed to millions for a station.

Hi NotCitrus,

Thanks for the suggestion :) Are you aware of wheelmap.org/en/ ? It's an online and mobile application developed by one of our project partners, which allows people to rate buildings (shops, restaurants, anywhere really!) on their accessibility.

Although it's designed mainly for wheelchair users, anyone can use it. It's a great tool for reporting steps into high street businesses, and something that we've been using with community groups in London to try and campaign for more ramps! As you rightly point out, concrete ramps are much more easy to achieve than substantial structural changes to stations :)

Thanks mappingforchange, will see if I can get the app to work - the site doesn't like my mobile. May try a survey of the local area.

Hi NotCitrus,

The app should (hopefully!) work on Iphone/Android - I have a windows phone which doesn't seem to agree with it.
If you do try it out around where you live, keep me posted about how you get on! I hope it's helpful for you :)