London Bridge’s new ‘tin can station’
A gust of ‘Imogen wind’ caused chaos to London Bridge Station on Monday 8th February.
Storm Imogen, much depleted once blown in from the west and reaching Middlesex, shouldn’t have been of great significance to London. In any case, Wasn’t such Imogen-type weather built in to the architecture of this still ongoing rebuild of London Bridge Station?
Anyone can see what a cheaply built replacement to the former lovely Victorian canopy covered London Bridge today’s ‘tin can station’ is. The ‘Imogen gust’ appears easily to have whipped off inadequate lightweight aluminium sheet roofing.
The truth is the new London Bridge Station is a disgrace to function, convenience, aesthetics and so much more.
The new platforms, unlike the old, are all exposed to the elements all the way to the ticket barriers exposing passengers to whatever weather cares to gust and rain thither through the station. Frequently the interior of London Bridge Station concourse is blasted throughout by through drafts so cold and discomforting in winter particularly caused by Tooley Street main entrance station concourse doors left open during all seasons.
Why a double-door through-access from Tooley Street wasn’t devised to create a draft barrier only the cold North Wind knows. And, at present inclement February time, wintry cold drafts ingress throughout the walkways from below around the Underground entrances as well.
I use this new London Bridge Station constantly, hurrying through irritated and with a scowl every time.
Bobbie Carnegie, Peckham
‘We’ll fight for fair council rents like we fought the Nazis’
Am I angry, or AM I ANGRY? Owen Shepherd’s article (‘Council rents could rocket by £500 a week under new bill’, Southwark News February 4, 2016) takes some believing!
This is what a government that has been elected on some 24% of the vote in this country wants to unleash upon council tenants. One must know one’s place, if this is not ‘social cleansing’ I don’t know what is.
We could go back to the days of Nazi Germany, when the Jews were singled out under Hitler for extermination and that was not without any other people who dissented with the Third Reich.
Now, I’m a council tenant and I’ve lived on such estates as North Peckham, as one would say, back in the “good ole days”; but I’ll tell you this, where I live now, they can take me out feet first before I give up my flat .
These places were provided for people who, through no fault of their own, could not climb the social ladder and move on in life.
The days of the Ole Kent Road and going down the Den to see Millwall play seem very distant. But take it from me, those of us who would fight Fascism like my Dad did in the second world war, will fight this against people who are not just millionaires, but are billionaires and that’s the truth. Thank you!
KJ Barry, via email
‘Alternative agenda on our roads’
I am a London black cab driver and would like to reply to the article about Rotherhithe traffic problems (‘Sort out Rotherhithe’s traffic’, Southwark News February 4, 2016).
Southwark is one of the worst boroughs to get around if you drive.
There has clearly been an anti-car agenda for years now.
Jamaica Road has become worse because vehicles are staying south to use Rotherhithe Tunnel, thus avoiding the traffic chaos in Whitechapel, created by the implementation of the new cycle lanes.
Southwark councillors have sat back for years and done to nothing to rectify these problems. You only have to look at that unmitigated traffic disaster at the Elephant and Castle to realise Southwark Council haven’t got a clue. This and other measures have added costs to business, they have clearly increased bus journey times and pollution must be going up.
Southwark Council won’t be satisfied until the borough comes to A standstill. Wait until the summer when vehicle numbers increase – most of central London will come to a halt.
This is what happens when individuals running the road network are clearly beyond their skillset, and have an alternative agenda.
J Prescott, via email