Disabled people and parents with prams are increasingly being stranded at supposedly ”accessible” Tube stations due to an absence of trained staff.
Last year there were 126 occasions when lifts at Tube at stations were closed without any advance notice due to a trained member of staff not being present, compared to 51 incidents back in 2009.
In addition there has been a very steep rise in the total number of hours of such closures. In 2013 there was a total of 476 hours of lift closures due to a lack of trained staff. In just one year the total had increased by more than 50% to 734 hours in 2014. On 12 occasions the lift closures lasted for more than 20 hours.
The stations with the most incidents of lift closures were Wood Lane (16), Southfields (14), Oakwood (14), Hendon Central (10), West Brompton (8) and Golders Green (8).
The figures were obtained by a series of written Mayoral Questions asked by Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly transport spokesperson. At present Transport for London refuse to routinely publish the information about lift closures caused by staff shortages.
Commenting on these latest figures, Caroline said:
“It is a disgrace that London Underground is effectively denying access to the tube for many disabled people and others who rely on using a lift, simply due to a lack of trained staff.”
“It is bad enough that so many Tube stations are permanently inaccessible. Disabled people and parents with prams and buggies already have to put up with extensive lift closures due to maintenance and replacement work. However, it just adds insult to injury to have to also face closures which have no advanced notice, but which could so easily be avoided.
“Urgent action is needed to ensure the Underground has far more staff trained to supervise the operation of its lifts. Closures of lifts, simply due to an absence of trained staff, must become a thing of the past.”