Margaret Mullane MP has raised passengers’ concerns with Transport for London (TfL) on access to King George Hospital from the new SL12 Superloop service.
Although King George Hospital is shown as a destination on the route, the service does not enter the hospital site, so passengers face a significant walk from the nearest stop. For people with mobility impairments, chronic pain or other accessibility needs, this presents problems.
Following representations from Margaret, TfL confirmed that the route will be monitored in its review process and that feedback regarding accessibility concerns has been passed to its bus planning team.
TfL stated that the decision not to enter the hospital site was taken to maintain the faster journey times that form a key part of the Superloop network, arguing that diverting the service through the hospital grounds would increase journey times.
Margaret said:
“I understand the case for faster Superloop routes and that there are difficult decisions to make when designing a transport network. However, accessibility must be considered alongside speed and convenience.”
“Disabled people do not just travel to hospitals. They travel to work, to education, to shops, to visit friends and family and to take part in community life. Public transport should be designed with those journeys in mind.”
“In this case, a constituent contacted me because they felt that a route promoted as serving King George Hospital did not provide the level of access they expected. For residents with mobility difficulties, the difference between
stopping outside a hospital and stopping some distance away can be significant.”
“I welcome TfL’s commitment to keep the route under review, and I hope it will give careful consideration to the experiences of disabled passengers and others who may struggle with longer walking distances.”
Margaret has asked TfL to ensure that passenger feedback forms a meaningful part of future reviews of the route and that accessibility considerations remain central to decisions about London’s transport network.