East London Line to be Completed Two Months Early
Posted by Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, at 11:57, Fri 19 February 2010:
It is very rare to hear good news about construction projects in London, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that after over two years of closure, the East London line will be opening two months ahead of plan. In April 2010, we Hackney residents will see the opening of a brand new service from Dalston Junction to New Cross Gate. The full service will begin on 23rd of May. This £1bn project is the first major transport development in Hackney for generations. And Hackney is one of the few London boroughs with no has never had an underground station inside the borough boundaries The completion of the new East London line will now mean that we can travel from Dalston and connect directly to various the Jubilee line.
When I think about the usual delayed-construction horror stories we have previously been subjected to (Wembley Stadium springs to mind), I am pleased that London Overground and TfL have brought this project in ahead of schedule and on budget. I am personally looking forward to using this new service in April as the new Haggerston station will be within walking distance from my home in Dalston.
But even with the completion of the East London line, I know that there is still much more that needs be done to improve public transport in Hackney. What would your priority be?
Comments
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Posted by Matt Saywell, 13:09, Fri 19 February 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
Reducing the volume of traffic on Hackney's streets would produce the most significant improvement to both public transport and life in general in Hackney.
Even restricting speeds accross the borough to 20mph would bring benefits. If you have ever walked or cycled along the A10 from North to South you will be shocked at the speeds some drivers reach. Ignoring red lights and treating the wide roads like a speedway and then taking this behaviour into the narrow side streets off it.
Posted by Christopher Osborne, 17:37, Fri 19 February 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
Reducing the speed limit on high streets and residential roads. Pedestrianisation of some high streets.
Provide more and safer cycle parking, its amazing how little provision there is. Bike theft is increasing at a huge rate and is ignored by the Police.
A clamp down on aggressive driving and reeducation of drivers. The roadway is a shared space for cyclists, cars, motorbikes etc. Most drivers believe they own the road and act in a very aggressive manner towards cyclists. This puts off potential cyclist and endangers existing ones.
Posted by Gail Chester, 23:14, Sat 20 February 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
I would like to see a more rational organisation of the bus routes in the north of the borough. I have tried to talk to Transport for London about this, but have been ignored. It started when they introduced bendy buses on the 73, and at the same time introduced the new 476, which covers the identical route. It was hard to understand the rationale of this, considering that the main argument for bendy buses is their extra capacity, but if they were going to supplement the 73 route, surely they could have used a bit of imagination and provided greater variety of access to people in the Manor Road/Lordship Park area who have to rely entirely on the unreliable 106 route. For example, they could turn the 476 down Manor Road to Green Lanes, before joining it up with its original route at Newington Green, or even better, they could then turn it right down St Paul's Road, so that we had direct access to Highbury and Islington tube as well as Finsbury Park. They could also give us direct access to the West End by sending it down Rosebery Avenue after the Angel. And there are other imaginative options that could be employed -- since the eastbound closure of Stoke Newington Church Street, we have had the occasional pleasure of being served by these routes along Manor Road, and it does make a big difference to frequency, journey times, convenience, etc.
(Speaking of bendy buses, I will not go into the hundreds of other criticisms made about them, but as somebody who sometimes uses crutches and finds standing difficult, to say that they are more accessible is a joke. Accessibility is about more than being in a wheelchair or pushing a buggy.)
Posted by Derek Sansom, 20:32, Sun 21 February 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
Whilst I agree that this is good news, it still only serves the West side of Hackney, and will probably do little to improve journey times to the West End. I live in Clapton. We need the long discussed, new underground line from Leyton/Walthamstow, via Clapton, Hackney Central, to Kings Cross/Euston, West End/Oxford Circus and out the other side possibly towards Chelsea. Now that would make a difference.
Posted by Akhtar Robbani, 06:30, Sat 27 March 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
With the introduction of the new east london line my query with it is whether the new line with be accepting oyester cards. I say this because i remember a time Dalston Kingsland did not accept oyester cards and it took a year at least before British Rail decided that it would be acceptable. so my query is will I be facing the same situation with the new extension?