Petition Calling on the Mayor of London to Fix the Ongoing Issues on Finchley Road
The Finchley Road has been an ongoing area of concern for residents. Those living on both sides of the road say that it is dirty, noisy, and neglected, and that traffic throughflow is prioritised over the interests of residents and businesses. The Underpass at Finchley Road Tube Station is a hotspot for rough-sleeping and drug-related anti-social behaviour, and there is pedestrian congestion north of the station due to people waiting at coach stops to Luton and Stansted Airports. The section north of Finchley Road to the O2 centre is due for complete overhaul as part of the redevelopment of the O2 Shopping Centre, but this is at least five years away. We are calling on the Mayor of London to take action to rectify these issues, so that residents are not left waiting years for the change that they need.
Detailed Issues for the Mayor of London and Transport for London to address
- The Swiss Cottage Gyratory – unsafe for drivers/ cyclists and pedestrians. No improvements currently in TfL’s plans.
- Swiss Cottage Tube Station – no step-free access to street. No plans to address this.
- Finchley Road Tube Station – currently “on the list” for step-free access, but no timeline and no identified source of funding. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66169598
- The Underpass at Finchley Road Tube Station – a known hotspot for rough-sleeping and drug-related anti-social behaviour. TfL say they are talking to Camden Council to close this/ potentially turn into a rain-garden, but there is no timeline and no funding.
- Congestion north of Finchley Road Tube Station due to coach stops. Passengers waiting for coaches to Luton and Stansted Airports take up the whole pavement, and often have large luggage. Pedestrians, including those with prams/ pushchairs, find it hard to walk along the pavement and are often pushed onto the road. There has been a long-running campaign by WHAT (West Hampstead Amenity & Transport) to move the coach stops. A suggestion to move them south to outside Waitrose has consistently been refused by TfL on grounds of blocking TfL buses. It appears that a proposal to swap the Coach Stop and bus stop locations north of Finchley Road is now being considered, but there is no timeline and no funding, even to trial this.
- Step-free Access at Finchley Road and Frognal. One of the remaining stations on the Overground (Mildmay Line) with no step-free access. Serves a number of housing estates with elderly residents and will serve the new O2 centre development. No plans to upgrade this station.
- Additional pedestrian crossing over Finchley Road by Langland Gardens – a route used by a lot of children going to school.
- The junctions of Finchley Road with Lymington Road – there is no pedestrian-activated crossing of Lymington Road.
- The junction of Finchley Road with West End Lane and Frognal Lane, where there is no pedestrian-activated crossing, is now “on TfL’s radar”. It isn’t clear whether improvements for cyclists will be incorporated into any changes.
