Despite strong local feeling, Great Northern have signalled they intend to permanently close the gate, near the Bedford Road entrance, on the Alexandra Palace Station footbridge next Monday 24th October. This is despite a concerted campaign to keep the gate open. The closure of the gate will cause immense inconvenience to the many commuters who use the Bedford Road entrance. Great Northern closed the gate for one day last month. This caused chaos on the footbridge at peak times. Furthermore, it also became evident that the three ticket barriers in the station hallway are unequal to the sheer volume of passengers using the station.
Great Northern have not agreed to a request to meet with local councillors before the gate is closed. Once again, they have taken a high-handed approach to dealing with the local community. Therefore, Cllr Liz McShane and I will continue our campaign to keep the gate open. We would strongly encourage local residents to contact Great Northern directly to make their feelings known. There is also an online petition hosted by Catherine West MP on her website.
http://catherinewest-labourclp97.nationbuilder.com/petition_to_great_northern_rail
It is also important to keep up the pressure on Great Northern Rail on social media. The Twitter hashtag for the campaign is #allypallygate. If you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to contact me at james.patterson@haringey.gov.uk.
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