We put this question to the London Deputy Mayor for Transport, Ms. Heidi Alexander, and this is what she had to say.
“The accessibility of the public transport system remains one of the mayor’s (Sadiq Khan) key priorities. We know this is vital to allow Londoners to live, enjoy, explore and work in the city freely. In the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, there are plans to improve the overall accessibility of London’s transport system and to make it more navigable and accessible to all. This includes halving the average additional time taken to make a public transport journey on the step-free network compared to the full network by 2041.”
“The Mayor recognises that the current position of step-free access across the London Underground represents a significant barrier for many disabled and older people. In the past few years Vauxhall, Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street, Greenford and Tower Hill stations have become step free.”
Heidi Alexander – Deputy Mayor for Transport
“With the opening of the Elizabeth line moving ever closer, we will see another 40 new step-free stations by 2019, including major interchanges at Paddington, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel.”
Sadiq Khan – Mayor of London
“The Mayor has secured an unprecedented commitment of £200m funding for further step-free stations. It will provide level access at around 30 more stations and will make significant reductions in the journey time experienced by many disabled people. The first 23 stations to be funded have been announced and the remaining seven stations will be confirmed later this year. With this work, the Elizabeth line and other major station projects, 40 per cent of the Tube network will be step-free by 2021/22 – up from 27 per cent today.”