Author: Keegan Hillier

The January 2026 Transport Liaison Committee Meeting was attended by various representatives of stakeholders and service providers, including the Council, TfL, and disability groups like ourselves and Involve. The KDN was represented by Acting Chair Ashley Pearce and Secretary Keegan Hillier.

We found there were some brilliant positives discussed, but there were, as always, some areas we had to advocate for improvement or disability engagement in.

To end on a positive note, we’ll first cover the areas where we raised concerns. These were:

– The Cromwell Road Bus Station; still no radar key for the hard to find accessible bathroom. Kingston Association for the Blind were able to take a site visit with TfL representatives to express member concerns, including the difficult to access bathroom and the inconsistent signage. Unfortunately, TfL maintain the stance that, since there should be staff on site between 6:30AM to 9:30PM, they believe there is no need for a radar key. We have raised that staff are often not available, and TfL say they will continue to monitor the situation.

– There are plans to remove an important bus stop due to the implementation of a cycle lane. Waters Road Stop B is currently scheduled for closure due to the new cycle lane, but we have raised the issue within the Transport Liaison Group. Cllr Nardelli has asked us for more information on the situation, which we have provided.

– Berrylands station is still waiting on funds being made available to provide a step-free station. Whilst this is a frustrating situation to be in, our SWR contacts assure us that when they are next able to bid for funding they will advocate for funds to make the station accessible.

– Cycle lanes are still causing concerns for disabled members of the Kingston community. Kingston Association for the Blind raised the cycle lane by the Rotunda as a prime example, explaining that a lack of distinction between cycle lane and pavement, alongside the large crowds that take up most of the pavement space by Circuit and Bonnie Rogues, can make it unsafe for people, especially those with visual impairments, to use that strip of pavement.

The positives from the Transport Liaison Committee Meeting were abundant, however. The highlights were the following:

– Funding for waiting rooms in New Malden, Tolworth, and Malden Manor train stations has been acquired. This will give people a safe and warm space to wait for trains, with some shelter from their noise. There is hopes the first of these waiting rooms will be installed in February.

– We asked for Norbiton station, another highly used station, to be considered for accessible transformation once Berrylands has received their accessible upgrades. The station is now on the radar of SWR.

– Hatching at the intersection of Wheatfield Way and Fairfield North, which has rubbed away in recent years, is being reviewed for repainting. As many of us have experienced, the poor visibility of this no stopping box has lead to drivers pulling into it at lights, blocking the crossing and making it difficult for pedestrians to cross. We hope the review will be quick!

– Following concerns raised at a previous meeting, the taxi cab representatives have confirmed a crackdown on abuse of taxi ranks. This means it will be easier for taxi drivers to collect and drop off passengers around town.

– We are awaiting the details of contact forms to notify bike rental companies of obstructively parked / dumped bikes. Once reported, the companies have to remove the obstruction within 2 hours during the 9-5 working week. We will circulate the information once we receive it, giving people a direct method to tackle the issue of dumped e-bikes.

– Continuing on the theme of e-bikes, Lime have invited the KDN to their nationwide Disability Advisory Board. Following our first meeting go learn more about what this entails, we will ask members for their key hopes from this board, which we will advocate for.

– Finally, there will be new crossings implemented in and near the Coombe area. This includes one outside Coombe Girls School, but also a crossing by Kingston Hospital, which will make attending hospital appointments far safer. We have asked for disability groups to be involved in site visits, to ensure that the crossings give enough time for pedestrians to cross.

We will continue to attend the RBK Transport Liaison Committees and represent disabled people and the importance of accessibility. If you have concerns you would like us to raise at one of these meetings, please contact us at info@kdn.org.uk to discuss.