The Anonymous Widower

Pedestrian Flows Around Dalston Junction Station

Getting into and out of Dalston Junction Station is a very dangerous exercise for pedestrians.

I live to the south east of the station and usually cross the busy Kingsland Road at the pedestrian lights about a hundred metres short of the junction with Dalston Lane and the Balls Pond Road.  I then walk past the still closed southern entrance to the station and walk up the rather narrow pavement on the eastern side of the road, round the corner and into the north entrance to the station.  I have to walk perhaps another fifty metres and due to various works outside the shops there, it always seems that I have to walk in the main road.

One other thing on this route is the number of unofficial pavement obstructions.

Unofficial Pavement Obstructions

Six months ago, they would have caused me a real problem, but with the sun and the improvement in my eyesight, they’re almost good practice for me.  And certainly, they’re not as intrusive as the obstacles in Athens.

Coming home, I reverse the process and it is usually a tiny bit easier, as I suspect it’s usually later in the day and there are less pedestrians about. Until a couple of weeks ago, if I was feeling rather lazy, I would often catch a convenient bus for a couple of stops along the Balls Pond Road to save walking.

Closed Pavement at Dalston Junction Station

But this second method is no longer available as due to road works and no pavement, the bus stop has been moved two hundred metres back on Dalston Lane.  Incidentally, it is impossible to walk to the stop from the station, due to barriers being in place.  To do so, you have to cross Dalston Lane twice and there are no safe crossing points.

The problem was illustrated yesterday in a very graphic manner.  I had shown a friend around Victoria Park and we had taken a bus back from there to Dalston Junction station so that they e could take the East London Line south to where her car was parked at Canary Wharf, by changing at Shadwell to the DLR. We ended up walking inside the anti-pedestrian barriers as it was the only way to get to the station.  There were several women and couples with children in buggies and at one point one couple virtually had to walk in the middle of Dalston Lane to get past the obstructions. I did think about doing the double crossing of Dalston Lane, but that is easier said than done.

At the entrance to the station, there is a notice saying that the pavement to the east of Dalston Junction station will be closed for 16 weeks from March 14th.

Last night, as I returned from Canary Wharf, there was a passenger with a heavy case completely bemused about where to go as she left the north entrance to Dalston Junction station. So she was young and fit, but she was yet another pedestrian ready to join the queue of those who will get knocked over in this dangerous area.

I hate to say this but someone will get seriously hurt or even killed, unless something is done to rectify the various problems in this busy area for pedestrians.

The Closed Southern Entrance to Dalston Junction Station

One solution would be to open the southern entrance to the station now. This would have major benefits, even if pedestrians were channelled through temporary barriers.

1. People like me, who need to walk to and from the station from the south and south-west would be completely removed from the congested streets.  As it is, if I want to go south on the East London Line and the weather is good, I often cut across to Haggerston station.

2. If you needed to take a bus north from Dalston Junction, then you could cross the Kingsland Road at the pedestrian lights and then use any of a number of buses going north.

3. Those going west on a bus would find it easier to get to the stop on the Balls Pond Road, as after crossing at the pedestrian lights, they’d be able to walk up the relatively uncluttered western side of the Kingsland Road.

So would opening the southern entrance be feasible.  I suspect yes, but Transport for London are waiting for everything to be finished.  The lights all seem to be working and the station entrance appers to be finished.

So why isn’t this entrance open?

It would relieve the pressure at the northern entrance, but that won’t be completely safe until they reopen the pavement along Dalston Lane.

If nothing is done, there is going to be a serious pedestrian accident here.

April 4, 2011 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Dalston, Dalston Junction, London Overground, Trains, Walking