This and some other ticket offices on the Moorgate line are due to be closed by Govia Thameslink, which is more of a problem than the ongoing closures of underground ticket offices, partly because there is of course no general-purpose oyster card to get you round the national network! Having to rely on ticket machines is also a particular issue for passengers in London because:
(1) they do not allow you to buy a rail ticket from the edge of a particular zone (assuming you have a season ticket or freedom pass)
(2) you cannot buy a ticket for a journey starting from a mainline London station – for example, if you have a season ticket that will take you to Victoria, it is very convenient to be able to buy - at AP station - a rail ticket for your journey starting from Victoria, thus saving the time and stress of queuing there.
The ticket machines are also a problem for elderly and less technically minded passengers, and the queues and congestion caused by such people having difficulty using them is likely to inconvenience other passengers.
A consultation run by London TravelWatch - the official watchdog for users of London transport, funded by the London Assembly – finishes tomorrow, Sunday 13th March, at midnight (they are consulting about the closure of 45 ticket offices by Govia Thameslink). To respond to this, email enquiries@londontravelwatch.org.uk, with 'GTR ticket office changes' in the subject line.
You can also of course send complaints to them about other issues (including this one, if you miss the deadline) – such as the planned introduction of ticket barriers at only one end of the bridge at Alexandra Palace Station.
Replies
Oops, missed the deadline, but wrote to protest as my daughter takes the train to Brookmans Park and the ticket machine does not have a child option!
Yes, it's worth writing even if you missed the deadline. How extraordinary to have a ticket machine without a child option! I included several other points in my email in addition to the ones mentioned in my post here.