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Commuter control - Finsbury Park Station

GranvilleGrumblerGranvilleGrumbler Stroud Green
in Local discussion
Hi all, This is a first post, so please bear with me if it is information we have already covered. Does anyone have any idea what TfL is playing at with Finsbury Park Station and its poorly handled attempts at commuter control in the mornings of late? I know that they closed the Wells Terrace entrance under the misguided assumption that they needed to facilitate the building of City North, or whatever it is they are calling it, but since then they seem to have been fiddling around with entrance exits and staircases on a continual basis. Since the closure of Wells Terrace they have closed to two staircases to put in lifts, which adds to the bottle neck and now this week are 'trailing' a new entry system, which seems to involve closing the entrance gates, and a further set of stairs onto the platform. This has the effect of funnelling every commuter during the rush hour onto one set of stairs. This morning was chaos with over crowded platforms, over crowded corridors, and long queues being held outside the station. When I asked one of the members of staff about it he explained it was for safety, because apparently; 'the most dangerous place for people is on the platform', which is no doubt true but the new system seems to funnel angry and late commuters through a single entrance and therefore create a higher risk single entry point pushing crowds further onto the platform where they mix with those changing from the Piccadilly Line. The staff member also told me that they needed to do this in case they needed to evacuate us. Now, I'm no expert but a congested single entry point onto a busy platform through a long tunnel while gates and exits are closed throughout the station does not strike me as particularly conducive to a orderly evacuation if it is needed. I hope never to put it to the test, if that is how they hope to move us efficiently in case of emergency. I am not opposed to new systems or crowd control measures at the station, but all of this appears to have been sprung on us with no warning and no consultation. If I had known I could have adjusted my commuting time to avoid this carnage. Does anyone know why TfL are taking these decisions without letting people know, or if they are making it public somewhere I simply can't see? And also, it would be nice to know I'm not alone in thinking this is madness. S
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