The Anonymous Widower

Could London Benefit From Fosteritos?

How many times a day, does a passenger on the London Underground, go down or up a short set of uncovered stairs to access a ticket hall with machines, ticket barriers and escalators and lifts to the trains? Stations, I use regularly with this layout include Kings Cross, Oxford Circus, Bank and Euston Square. Many of these staircases can be slippery in the wet, but some are covered.

These pictures show  the covered staircase at the front of Kings Cross station. This is better than uncovered, but it is probably an expensive solution, although it does incorporate a lift.

Norman Foster faced a similar problem in Spain of how to protect staircases and escalators emerging from the Bilbao Metro. These pictures show his elegant solution.

The Spaniards obviously liked them, as they called them fosteritos.

Perhaps, Transport for London needs to have a design contest to create a distinctive shelter for those slippery-when-wet staircases.

March 30, 2015 - Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , ,

1 Comment »

  1. […] Crossrail 2 needs to find itself a modern extension of London Transport’s philosophy. They might perhaps start by stealing and Londonising the fosterito idea from Bilbao. […]

    Pingback by Crossrail 2 Through East London « The Anonymous Widower | March 30, 2015 | Reply


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