The covered bus stop under the Tallyho Tower
It is not a bus Station
We have examples of bus stations at Golders Green, at Edgware, at Mill Hill, and Southgate.
Here there are features such as:
- parallel bus lanes or a gyratory system
- safe and visible extrance and exits
- adequate parking spaces for buses
- public toilets
- shops
- sheltered waiting area
At Tally ho there is only the last feature.
So it is very clearly not a bus station.
We used to have a simple bus station, but it was too small.
I had supposed that, after the Tally Ho tower was constructed, we would have had an
improved bus station in what is an important transport hub.
WHAT HAVE WE LOST?
- a bus station
- a public car path
- a green area
WHAT HAVE WE GAINED?
- a covered drive-through for some buses in one direction, that is inconvenient, uncomfortable, depressing, and dangerous
- a reconfiguration of the traffic flow, with counterflow lanes for buses leading to inconvenience and hazards for pedestrians and traffic holdups at both ends of Kingsway
- more difficult interchange between bus routes in most cases
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HOW CAN WE PUT THIS MESS RIGHT?
It seems very obvious that we have to clear out the retail space from the Ground floor and convert the space into a Bus Station.
This space must:
- be convenient, comfortable, and safe for passengers to enter and leave from any direction.
- have public toilets
- have multiple lanes or a gyratory system
- have bus exits which allow the bus flow to blend in with and not impede the traffic flow.
- have adequate parking space for most of the buses which are parked.
THE FINAL POINT - WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS MESS??
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It wont be a silk purse when it is finished, but it will be incomparably better to the sows ear that we have at the moment
I don't know the full story of how we came to be in this mess, which some might regard as a scandalous state of affairs.
It is a pity that the 2 local newspapers which we have in Barnet, belong to national chains, and no longer have any investigative journalists like Bill Monrgomery.
If I retire I will be able to give my full attention to this affair.