Fleur Anderson will launch a petition later this week calling for East Putney Station to be part of the step-free access programme.
Anderson, MP for Putney, Southfields and Roehampton, has said that step-free access for the station has been one of her major priorities since becoming a Member of Parliament in December 2019.
She made a statement in the House of Commons in March 2020 about the need for East Putney station to gain funding.
The pandemic led to the programme’s postponment, first launched in 2016.
She said: “East Putney Station has two steep staircases by any comparison and elderly people find it difficult, along with those with suitcases and buggies.
“It’s high time that this highly used station gets some step-free access.”
Despite funding likely to cost £7 million, Anderson believes access is necessary and would be better value for money considering the amount of passengers that use the station every year in comparison to others.
“East Putney has 6.2 million passengers a year, a relatively high foot fall and the amount of passengers should be taken into consideration in terms of the valuation.
“By comparison North Ealing, on the Piccadilly Line has only 1 million passengers a year and TFL [Transport for London] shouldn’t look at the cost, but the cost per passenger who uses the station.”
The MP also spoke of the problems that the station currently faces with the lack of step-free, with some elderly and disabled passengers not being able to make use of their local station because of it not having a lift.
Anderson said: “I’ve spoken to so many people who have been unable to use their local station because of no step-free access, the lengths people are going to is not sustainable.”
The petition will launch at demonstrations outside East Putney Station on Thursday and Friday with the hope of raising awareness for funding from the TFL.
Featured image credit: Mercy Haggerty
