Birth announcement: Zoe Perrin

Posted on December 29, 2011 by William Perrin

If you’ve wondered why I’ve been a bit quiet on this site for the last few months, I can now explain – my wife Fran and I are delighted to announce the birth of our first child Zoe, born on 21 December 2011.  Both mother and baby are well, we are all adjusting to our new life.

Thanks to everyone for their support, particularly my colleagues Sophie and Clare here at Kings Cross Environment who have continued to write magnificently on important local issues.

It’s lovely to be able to announce a birth here on this site to balance up the memoria over the years – we’d welcome any similar submissions from people with connections to the area.

Posted in King's Cross People, Young People | 4 Comments

Flash mob outside station

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

The Huffington Post is currently reporting a flash mob protest outside King’s Cross Station against Turkish air strikes that have killed Kurdish rebels.. Police have been accused of using excessive force and several arrests have been made. More here.

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We are not alone

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

Thanks to Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem GLAM and Chair of the Greater London Assembly’s Transport Comittee for alerting us to today’s post on the fab blog Inside Croydon “Croydon pedestrians risk death on unsafe crossings”, where she reveals that a recent survey shows that Mayor Boris Johnson is failing to provide safe pedestrian crossings in London for blind or partially sighted people.  At King’s Cross, in addition to being home to a larger than average population of disabled people, we are also home to the national HQ of Sense and the Royal National Institute for the Blind – it is essential that crossings here are safe for all.

“The survey showed that 347 pedestrian crossings under the control of Transport for London (TfL) – chairman, Boris Johnson – have no facilities to assist blind and partially sighted people to cross the road safely.

“In addition, 113 pedestrian crossings also fail national safety standards by not providing the minimum amount of time for pedestrians to cross safely.”

According to Inside Croydon, “TfL’s pretty lame response to the survey was to state that the crossings met standards that were in place at the time they were installed, and that a review will be conducted in 2012”.

Posted in Road Safety in Kings Cross | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The possibilities and impossibilities of being a neighbour

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Sophie Talbot


I read neighbour Daniel Zylbersztajn’s inspiring article on the Open Democracy site with growing respect and a sense of real hope, highly appropriate for this particular season of ‘goodwill’ when we look back on a year of meaningful protest, meaningless looting and growing anomie. 

Two months after his father’s death this year Daniel visited the Polish town of Szczekociny where his father had lived when Nazi Germany invaded in 1939. Telling the horrendous story of the breakdown of a community where neighbour was pitted against neighbour and social passivity led to massacre, Daniel reflects on his visit and uncovers lessons for social cohesion whether in Poland, Germany, Israel/Palestine, South Africa or right here in King’s Cross.

The full article can be read here. Daniel says:

“One wonders about how much Germany has moved on since 1945 and how much work is still left to be done in places like Szczekociny in Poland.

 The visit has left me with a profound feeling of dissatisfaction in the way communities in which there are differences of faith or ethnicity function, or rather are allowed to dwell. Living now in Kings Cross, London, where there is a sizeable Bangladeshi Muslim population, as well as a disenfranchised English working class community, both with limited meaningful contact to other residents –  it made me consider the importance of going further in neighbourly relations.”

Daniel finds a positive, practical template for all communities to work on. Lessons for us all to remain active, to challenge discrimination and to make those all important links between our diverse groups. “Poland teaches us that only when communities are so inter-woven that one cannot live without the other (albeit in conflict at times), can we rest assured that little Hitlers have no fertile grounds from which to  breed their like.” Happy New Year to all who live, work or study in King’s Cross, and welcome to all those thousands who will be moving here soon. Here’s to a neighbourly 2012.

 

Posted in King's Cross People | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Construction News

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

The winter edition of Construction News, King’s Cross – the newsletter from the King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership is out now. If you haven’t received a copy through your letterbox, call 0800 328 8840 to request one.

The newsletter brings you up to date with progress on the King’s Cross Central site stretching from immediately behind the two stations as far as the Maiden Lane Estate. The area is being developed into a brand new neighbourhood complete with its own postcode: N1C The Partnership comprises Argent King’s Cross, London & Continental Railways and DHL Supply Chain.

The latest edition includes articles about Central St Martin’s, the new visitor centre, the clean up taking place on the site of the Imperial Gasworks, the new Granary Square and building works on York Way.

Posted in Kings Cross N1C, railwayslands | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

TfL shifts on KX killer gyratory

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

Jennette Arnold, (Greater London Assembly Member for the KX area) has won a major concession from Transport for London in a bid to ensure the safety of all road users in King’s Cross. TfL said yesterday: 

“The Kings Cross one way system is a critical and complex part of the strategic network. Although changes have been made to it, it is acknowledged that there has not been a wide ongoing review looking at options for radical change up to and including removal. To address this discussions are commencing with LB Islington and LB Camden to scope out and undertake such a review in the New Year.”

This is a major shift from TfL’s position to date, in that the body responsible for managing the hazardous road system in KX has consistently maintained that it is not feasible to remove the outdated, overcrowded and dangerous gyratory.

Paul Convery, Councillor for Caledonian Ward which includes the northern section of the traffic system has just posted the news on the local councillors’ blog where he says,

“I am delighted that pressure has made TfL change its position so fundamentally. It is bizarre that only a fortnight ago, London Mayor Boris Johnson, told the London Assembly in a debate about London’s worst 10 spots for road deaths that it was “not feasible to remove the one-way system” at Kings Cross. Well, his own transport agency has now acknowledged that it could indeed be feasible … but no-one has yet thought how to do it. This latest announcement starts the process of figuring this out. It is the start of a long struggle but at least it’s a start.”

Paul explains that the gyratory is in two parts: a northern triangle and a southern section. Throughout the system are a number of highly dangerous crossings, junctions and fast straight sections of road with no crossings at all.

King's Cross gyratory system 2011 (this graphic is free to copy)

Yesterday over 100 people gathered in front of King’s Cross Station in a vigil to commemorate the 76 people that have died on London’s roads so far this year. Also remembered were those who have been disabled as a result of collisions on our roads – this figure is not known.

Local bloggers and campaigners are now asking everyone concerned with road safety in King’s Cross to keep the pressure up. The news of a review is very welcome indeed, however it would be very easy for that review to take place behind closed doors, to be facilitated by faceless ‘expert’ consultants and to result in yet another set of inadequate recommendations. We must keep pushing for the review to be inclusive, to be transparent throughout and to be that once and for all solution that we all so desperately need. 

Update 22 Dec 2011: TfL releases this statement.

Update 22 Dec 2011: Islington Trib and Camden New Journal announce shift

Update 22 Dec 2011: BBC carries the story (thanks Andrew!)

Alternative image, click to enlarge jpg:

King's Cross gyratory system 2011 (image free to reproduce)

Posted in Bad Gyrations KX Campaign, Road Safety in Kings Cross | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Dozens attend road deaths vigil

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Clare Hill

Photo by Andreas Kambanis at londoncyclist.co.uk

Over 100 people gathered on the King’s Cross station forecourt for a candlelit memorial for cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists killed on London’s roads this year.

It was a joint effort by London Cycling Campaign, Living Streets, Road Peace and bike bloggers to maintain the anger that has been steadily building over months over the grave risks posed by car-centred road and junction design.

Mark Ames, cycling blogger and organiser of the recent Tour du Danger, read out the names and ages of the 16 cyclists killed in the capital this year, he said: “The focus is on cyclists, but only for technical reasons. If I were to read out the names of all the pedestrians killed, we’d be here till Christmas. And that is a travesty.”

In memoriam:
Ellie Carey, 22
Svitlana Tereschenko, 34
Brian Dorling, 58
Deep Lee, 24
Sam Harding, 25
Johannah Bailey, 49
Paul McGreal, 44
Michael Evans, 62
Thomas Stone, 13
Naoko Miyazaki, 35
Gavin Taylor, 40
Paula Jurek, 20
David Poblet, 20
Tom Barrett, 44
Daniel Cox, 28
Gary Mason, 48

Also present in the crowd were family members of recent crash victims, including Kenji Hirasawa, boyfriend of Deep Lee. He has recently been in talks with Transport for London, who wanted to remove the nearby Ghost Bike.

A minute’s silence was observed. But not before a heated exchange between Network Rail’s security and the campaigners handing out leaflets, who were castigated for obstructing the pavement in the rush hour crowds. Not safe on the road and now not welcome to gather on the pavement – it was an excessive reaction. And ironic, as the poor design of the junction creates overcrowding and herding of pedestrians every day.

The vigil is the latest in a rash of activity and mobilisation among London’s cycling community: flash rides, the aforementioned Tour du Danger, walkabouts, public meetings and DIY junction redesign proposals. But so far Transport for London’s position remains immovable: vehicle traffic must not be slowed.

With all the palpable frustration, I wasn’t surprised when I got home to read on one of the flyers that had been thrust into my hand: “Polite meetings and symbolic action are having no effect. We need to act.” It advocates direct action by a crowd of cyclists to bring King’s Cross junction to a halt on 9 January from 6 to 7pm.

Clare Hill

Posted in Road Safety in Kings Cross | 11 Comments

KX Western Concourse complete

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Sophie Talbot

Network Rail has just announced completion of the building works for the brand new Western Concourse. Fitting out the retail units will now start ready for the concourse to open in 2012.

The Concourse has drawn criticism from the local residential and business community in the area because of its limited access, lack of permeability and resulting security problems. Putting this aside, the Western Concourse is a heck of an achievement – a beautiful new structure that enlivens the original Victorian Cubitt design. New vistas have opened up from as far away as St Pancras Lock on the canal where the new roof canopy shines to the south east.

Congratulations to Network Rail. And to repeat our plea again, we’d love you to keep in touch…

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