Monday, 12 November 2012

Northern Line Extension - best mass transit option?



There's an interesting chance on Wednesday, set up by the Vauxhall, Nine Elms, Battersea Development and Transport Action Group (VNEB DATA) to discuss whether the costly Northern Line Extension that is currently being consulted on is the right mass transit option for this area and the broader region.

The DATA Group is an umbrella organisation covering many residents associations in the VNEB area. A number of residents associations share our aim of ensuring that an appropriate transport strategy is adopted for the VNEB development area. Please contact DATA via your residents association by email at: vneb.datagroup@gmail.com


An invitation from Councillor Ishbel Brown and Caroline Pidgeon:
Northern Line Extension - what are the alternatives?
When: 7pm-9pm Wednesday 14th November
Where: Montgomery Hall, 58 Kennington Oval, SE11 5SW
Chair: Caroline Pidgeon
Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group
Organised by: Councillor Ishbel Brown
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Oval Ward

There have been a number of meetings and consultations about the Northern Line extension and the impact it may have on local residents. However, there has been little discussion about how the Northern Line Extension was chosen to be the main plank of the VNEB OA transport strategy and whether it really is the most suitable transport solution. The NLE project will cause huge disruption, cost vast amounts of
money and do nothing in itself to address the complex transport problems faced across Lambeth. Are there no viable alternative transport options that can address the broad range of transport problems, such as the gyratory, in an integrated manner?

We would like to invite you to a public meeting to hear a presentation from local group VNEB Development and Transport Action Group (DATA) that asks whether extending the Northern Line is the best way to help solve the transport challenges we all face.

DATA will explain that the decision to opt for a Northern Line Extension was taken three years ago without full consideration of possible options by the very people who stood to gain from building this tube extension. Since then it has been shown that the assumptions made to support this tenuous decision are incorrect, and
several more factors have come to light that need to be taken into account. DATA feels strongly that before a great deal of your money is spent on a Northern Line Extension, there should be a new, independent and comprehensive transport needs analysis to identify how to address the broad range of transport challenges in
Lambeth and the VNEB OA in an integrated way.

Following the presentation there will be a Q&A session and an open discussion on what would be the best transport option(s) for current and future Oval residents. The meeting will also consider how these ideas can be taken forward with TfL and Lambeth Council. This meeting is open to all so we look forward to seeing you there.

Cllr Ishbel Brown and Caroline Pidgeon AM
The meeting is open to everyone and you do not need to register, but it will help the organisers get an idea of numbers if you could please RSVP to Rosie Loveland: 
By email: rosieloveland@lambethlibdems.org.uk or phone 020 7926 2926