A matter of urgency: Crossrail must install accessible toilets
Transport for All
Transport for All has written to Mayor Boris...
Transport for All has written to Mayor Boris Johnson to support the installation of accessible public toilets at all new Crossrail stations in London.
As many as one in ten men and one in four women experience incontinence at some point in their lives, and older and disabled people are disproportionately affected. Concerns about being able to find a toilet in time are a source of considerable stress for many of London’s passengers, and this anxiety often leads to people choosing not to travel.
It’s therefore extremely concerning to see that Crossrail’s plans for new stations do not include the provision of new accessible toilets. Nor will the trains have on-board toilets, despite the fact that journey times could be up to forty-five minutes – longer in case of delays.
It’s great news that there will be step-free access to all new Crossrail stations. Yet Crossrail must recognise that accessiblity does not end with lift installation. Ensuring that all Londoners, including those who sometimes need a loo at short notice, can travel with confidence is key for an inclusive transport network.
The London Assembly’s Health and Public Services Committee recently issued a report on the capital’s public toilets, and called on the Mayor to work with Crossrail to ensure that at all eight of the new London Crossrail stations, toilets are installed. At the moment, there are 37 accessible toilets on the Tube network, ten at bus stations and fourteen on London Overground.
Public toilets increase footfall and help keep London clean. During the runup to the 2008 Olympics, China had a major investment programme into public toilets, with the result that no downtown location was more than a five minute walk from a public toilet. With London hosting the Olympics next year, TfL also needs to act on the need for adequate toilets across the transport network.
We think that to build new stations without taking the opportunity to include accessible toilets would be to throw away an opportunity to increase the ability of older people, disabled people, pregnant women to travel.
You can read our letter to the Mayor here.
If you would like to contact the Boris Johnson to urge him to ensure all new Crossrail stations have a toilet, you can email mayor {at} london.gov.uk
