Councillor James Slater said he’d had more emails about the bus stop than the underground closure plans

A BUSY bus stop by Kentish Town tube considered a “lifeline” for those with mobility issues will soon close for two years, it has been confirmed this week.

This will coincide with the year-long closure of the underground station from June 26, which is shutting so escalators that keep breaking down can be fixed. The “KF” bus stop serving routes 88, 214,134 and N20, will be closed in the “near future” due to works on the car wash site in Kentish Town Road. But TfL said it was not possible to add a temporary bus stop while KF is closed.

It will impact an older, less mobile population who rely on the stop to travel to places such as the Greenwood Centre, a centre for disabled residents.

Kentish Town resident Deidre Bates, 79, told the New Journal: “I’ve got dodgy knees so using the underground is a real pain so I try to take the bus. When the stop is taken away there’s no bus stop between Kentish Town post office and the Greenwood stop, which is quite a long distance.

“There are a fair number of elderly people in the area, us oldies tend to use the bus more because of all the stairs on the underground.”

Nandita Dowson, another resident who sometimes struggles to walk long distances, said “I think if you’re young and fit, you don’t notice the distance between bus stops. But a lot of people aren’t. And it’s already been really difficult to get around. We need more stops, not less.

“To add on a few 100 yards, it probably seems like absolutely nothing when you’re looking at a map and putting dots down. But each person is having their own problems with that.”

Ward councillor James Slater said: “I’ve had more emails about the bus stop closing than I’ve had about the tube station shutting. The station is used by mainly younger people going into work, but the bus stop hits a community that’s a bit older who have more mobility issues.

“It’s a bit of a lifeline for them really. There are often queues to get onto buses there. I don’t think TfL has understood the impact it has on people.”

Rosie Trew, TfL’s head of bus operations, said: “We appreciate this may be disruptive especially while essential maintenance work is taking place at Kentish Town. The regeneration project has long been in the pipeline and the station upgrades are vital, so unfortunately both sets of work must happen at the same time.

“All options for the possibility of a temporary bus stop were fully explored.”

Cllr Slater is organising a petition to get TfL to change its mind, which is at: https://www.change.org/p/bring-back-kentish-town-station-s-bus-stop

Dial-a-Ride, TfL’s free door-to-door service, is available for aged those aged over 85 or with permanent or long-term disabilities. TaxiCard, which provides subsidised door to door journeys in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles for London residents who have serious mobility or visual impairments