Islington Tribune - News: White van man blamed for the big crack up at station

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Islington Tribune - by JAMIE WELHAM
Published: 11 January 2008

Alan Perry

White van man blamed for the big crack-up at station

Pedestrians urge Tube to fork out for damage caused to re-laid pavement

“COWBOY” van drivers who park on the pavement outside Archway Tube station should be forced to pay for damage they have caused, say angry travellers.
Tube users are incensed at damage to the pavement so soon after it was re-laid. They claim they have to negotiate an obstacle course of cracks and puddles caused by heavy vans parking there.
The pavement in Junction Road was replaced two years ago and has undergone further “patch work” in the last six months.
Amy Silverston, who uses the Tube station every day, said: “The council spent a lot of money re-laying these stones and they were splendid, but now they are uneven and are causing problems for a lot of people.”
“It isn’t shoddy workmanship or slapdash building – it is the heavy vans servicing cash machines and doing maintenance on the Tube.
“These drivers should know better. They park there because they think they can get away with it.
“The council shouldn’t have to plough more money into sorting out the pavements. They’ve spent enough.”
Resident Alan Perry agreed that van drivers were to blame for the damage.
He said: “People like new pavements because they can lift an area, superficially at least. I can’t blame the council for doing it and I would hate to see them throw more money at it.
“It is definitely these vans that are causing the problems.”
The council says it is aware of the problem and will be approaching London Underground with repair bills.
Councillor Lucy Watt, Lib Dem executive member for environment, said: “We know people get frustrated when they see all the great work we’ve been investing in being ruined by van drivers parking on the pavement and causing these cracks.
“We’ve told London Underground we’re not happy about this damage and we’ll be asking them to help pay for the repairs.”
Tube Lines, the contractor responsible for maintenance work at Archway station, said it had already paid for repairs before Christmas.
A spokesman added: “We briefed all our employees who access the station and our sub-contractors too, reminding them not to park outside the station on the pavement.
“To enforce this, one of our night managers regularly visits the station to check the parking. Shortly before Christmas we repaired the pavement by re-laying the damaged paving slabs. One of our night managers has seen several other heavy vehicles parking there, including lorries filling the nearby cash machine and delivering free papers.”

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