Hi Supporter,

I thought you might want to listen to a piece about the closure of the car park at Cockfosters on BBC Radio London yesterday: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bqvhhv

Way back in November, I complained to TfL that their closure of suburban station car parks is showing institutionalised disregard for women, older and disabled persons within TfL. Please see a copy of TfL's lame response below (with my response in CAPs).

TFL'S RESPONSE TO CHARGE THAT THEIR CLOSURE OF SUBURBAN STATION CAR PARKS IS SHOWING INSTITUTIONALISED DISREGARD FOR WOMEN, OLDER AND DISABLED PERSONS WITHIN TFL:

We put the safety and security of our customers and staff before anything else. Once a site is considered suitable to help us tackle the Capital’s pressing housing crisis, we always consider the impact any prospective development may have and we always give due to regard to our Public Sector Equality Duty and the Equality Act of 2010 when so doing.

The sites you mention were all considered suitable, not only because they could provide much needed homes but also because reducing the size of the car park will help us deliver the Mayor’s Transport Strategy - with its emphasis on the improvement of air quality and on active, inclusive and safe travel. These developments align with our aims of increasing active travel to the point, ultimately, where  80% of all journeys will to be made walking, cycling or using public transport. (CONTEXT MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT; WHILST THIS AIM MIGHT BE POSSIBLE IN THE INNER CITY WHERE PUBLIC TRANSPORT IS MUCH MORE READILY ACCESSIBLE; IN THE OUTER SUBURBS IT ISN’T POSSIBLE).

We must stress that we have not taken the decision to develop the site at this stage; only decided that it is surplus to operational requirements and could be developed. (BUT TFL YOUR PROPOSAL TO BUILD ON COCKFOSTERS STATION CAR PARK WAS APPROVED EARLIER THIS MONTH!)

As you might imagine, our decision-making in relation to closure of car parks is a process that takes considerable time. Alongside a wide range of other considerations attendant upon bringing land forward for development, we consider all equalities impacts throughout the life of any given project. A draft Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) will rise up, as it were, naturally as part of that wider process and, typically, these considerations will be brought together and signed-off around the point at which a planning application is submitted. It is at  that point we begin the formal process of securing planning permission and from there that the form of the application needs to reflect our equalities assessment. The EQIA’s are carried out by the development team and reviewed and signed off by TfL’s Diversity and Inclusion Team. It should be noted that EQIA’s are living documents and will be updated to reflect any project changes that arise during the planning process. (THIS IS AN APPALLING DODGE OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES, YOU'VE ALREADY BUILT ON SOME OF THE CAR PARKS, THE APPEAL YOU ARE MAKING AGAINST ARNOS GROVE IS HAPPENING NEXT WEEK AND YOU RECENTLY WON THE RIGHT TO BUILD ON COCKFOSTERS. EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS MUST PREDATE DECISIONS, AND YOU HAVE CLEARLY ALREADY MADE YOUR DECISION.) 

Each site has a unique context and each will have different opportunities and constraints. Bespoke consultations and engagement programmes are required in order to ensure these unique circumstances are considered. Invitations are sent to thousands of people close to the site, elected representatives are notified, and the project teams are always available to discuss proposals with the local community.

To help understand the impact any given development might have, we must first understand how it is currently used. We survey those using the car parks, asking multiple questions - such as the reason for their journeys, where they start them, where they are heading, and what they would do if the car park’s capacity were reduced.  We also ask users their ages, and whether they have a blue badge, a disability or any other long-term illness - all in order to better understand who uses the car park. This data is vital in enabling us to fully understand whether people have available alternatives, and what the impact of developing the site may be.

We review each individual site in detail and produce an EQIA at the appropriate stage to build up a full understanding of the likely impact on those with protected characteristics, including – but not limited to –  age, disability, sex and pregnancy or maternity. The EQIA also identifies any potential mitigating steps to help us reduce or remove adverse impacts. An EQIA does not typically need to be submitted as part of a planning application, but we will share our assessments with both the local authorities and interested campaign groups.

You raised specific concerns about the proposals at Cockfosters, which I understand Members resolved to approve earlier this month at Enfield’s Planning Committee. SO, WHY DO YOU SAY ABOVE THAT “WE HAVE NOT TAKEN THE DECISION TO DEVELOP THE SITE AT THIS STAGE; ONLY DECIDED THAT IT IS SURPLUS TO OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND COULD BE DEVELOPED.”?

The Equality Statement was a direct response to concerns raised throughout the consultation, which was unique to the application at Cockfosters. It assesses the impact the proposed development may have on protected characteristics - including, as I say, sex, age and disability. The Committee Report, which Members considered, comments on Women’s Safety, while the decision to introduce improved lighting and CCTV assets as well as a dedicated drop-off-and-pick-up zone demonstrates that Women's safety was viewed as a key consideration. (WHO IS PICKING UP THE WOMEN LATE AT NIGHT, TFL? TRY GETTING AN UBER IN THE OUTER SUBURBS LATE AT NIGHT AND ALSO TRY AFFORDING IT ON A NURSE’S WAGE, FOR EXAMPLE.)

Meanwhile, the decision to retain some publicly accessible parking spaces to support the local community is in direct response to concerns raised about those with mobility issues who do not have a Blue Badge. (THE 'RETAINED' SPACES ARE FOR YOUR STAFF TFL, AS YOU HAVE PREVOUSLY MADE CLEAR THAT THEY NEED THEM. THOUGH THEY MAY BE TECHNICALLY ‘PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE’, IN REALITY, THEY WILL NOT BE.)

In addition, those who may need assistance in accessing Cockfosters station can use alternative options - including, for instance, Taxicard or Dial-a-Ride. (SO, TFL, PEOPLE LIKE BOBBIE, WHO FEATURED ON BBC RADIO YESTERDAY AND TRAVELS 3 MILES TO USE THE STEP FREE ACCESS AT COCKFOSTERS HAVE TO SPEND £10 ON TAXI FARES? YES £10 IS THE SUBSIDISED RATE FOR A 3 MILE RETURN JOURNEY WITH YOUR TAXICARD! IS THAT OKAY?). 

Customer Relations & Policy Investigations
Transport for London Customer Services