Network Rail recently claimed that the revamped Kings Cross Station will leave St Pancras International Station in the shade (Camden New Journal, 11th June 2009).  It seems they’re getting carried away with their own rhetoric: not only is this highly unlikely to be true, it ignores Network Rail’s failure to listen to and deliver for local residents.

Like tens of thousands of others I derive great pleasure every week going out of my way to walk through, shop in or just having a cup of coffee under the 140-year-old sky blue William Barlow Shed arched roof of St Pancras.  I’m sure that the new Kings Cross modern concourse with mezzanine will have the usual array of shops and fast food, just like Paddington, but it cannot possibly compare with the heritage of the Undercroft and the John Betjeman statue.

Kings Cross is going to be a fully gated station, which means that nobody without a ticket will be allowed beyond the Western Concourse.  The Wharfdale Road entrance was recently sealed and residents of Islington and those living up York Way will have in future a very long walk down the exhaust-filled corridor at the bottom of York Way, across the front of the station to enter only by the Great Northern Hotel - even if they already have a ticket.  This because the old taxi rank has been replaced by a new platform which will boost the station’s capacity to 55 million passengers - lots more revenue for Network Rail but scant regard for the locals.  Indeed the tarted up Eastern Range facade to Islington might as well be the Berlin Wall for its impermeability.  The fact that Network Rail is offering a £1 million sop for urban realm improvements simply cannot alter the fact that both the new public square in front of the station and the canyon that is forever York Way will both have amongst the very worst toxic air quality in London.

Make no mistake, Network Rail, out of ruthless self-interest, has raised two fingers to the idea of permeability whereas, despite it being an international gateway, we can all still enjoy access to the delightful St Pancras from half a dozen entry points.  Shame on you, Network Rail.

One advertising hoarding blighting York Way has been removed and two more are being actioned, after a long campaign by local councillors to clear up the area.

Controlled public advertising that is sympathetic to the area can be a public service, and is a valid way for a local area to generate income to spend on local improvements and services. But the advertising hoardings on York Way are too large, too intrusive and bring down the tone of the neighbourhood, making York Way feel less like a residential area and more like a busy and neglected alleyway.

The hoarding erected most recently on one of the railway bridges was actually on the Islington side of York Way, but in an area with no residents it seemed no one was there to complain. With a little bit of chasing, Islington took the necessary action and the hoarding was removed last weekend.

The two other hoardings - the one with the balcony overlooking the Maiden Lane Estate, and the enormous backlit one overlooking the Agar Grove / York Way junction - have been around for years. Once a hoarding has been there for 5 years it becomes more difficult to remove. The Council has agreed to serve the necessary notices that is the first step to having the hoardings removed. It may take some time - but one down, two to go!

Amid the chaos of yet more roadworks on York Way (replacing cables this time), a huge step forward for pedestrians is quietly taking shape.

A pedestrian sanctuary - an island between two carriageways of traffic - is being built on Goods Way, allowing pedestrians to cross in safety for the first time. Currently, pedestrians have no choice at the busy three-way junction other than to run across the road when there are gaps in the traffic. The pedestrian sanctuary is another important step in making York Way a pedestrian-friendly route to and from Kings Cross.

This success builds on improvements last year that saw the pavement alongside the Maiden Lane Estate widened and a pelican crossing installed, so people can walk along the road and cross in safety. There’s still more to be done - the pavement between Wharf Road and Randells Road needs widening and the fume-filled corridor between Kings Cross Station and the bus waiting areas needs improving, for example.

If you have ideas about how York Way can be improved, do let me know.

I’ve just had the results of the investigations into the two areas of flooding on York Way, which I asked for as part of a series of improvements for York Way.

It seems the blue pipe wasn’t the culprit for the standing water that was causing so many problems for pedestrians, cyclists and users of the York Way Railway Bridge bus stops. It seems that a catchment pond in the Kings Cross lands beyond the bus stop was over-full, allowing water to escape onto the path and the road. The managers of the site have been instructed to lower the water level in the pond, and monitor it in the future.

At the Wharf Road junction the drain isn’t blocked, but some of the slotted kerbs have been sunk due to vehicles driving over them and the flatness of the road prevents proper drainage. An order has been raised to fix the sunken kerbs, and to improve the road surface to support drainage (hopefully without causing too much disruption to traffic!).

So hopefully these two problems will soon be resolved. If you see any other problems with flooding or standing water on York Way or elsewhere in the ward, do let me know.

Walking down York Way this morning (thanks to yet another transport failure that meant every 390 bus was jam-packed and not picking up passengers), I saw a drainage/run-off pipe that had been thoughtlessly placed behind the northbound York Way Railway Bridge bus stop. This produced a sheet of water over the pavement and road, causing those waiting (futilely) to get splashed by every vehicle that passed.

I’ve reported this, so hopefully it will be fixed shortly. I also reported the pools of water near Wharf Road, where it looks like there is a blocked drain. I also took the opportunity to chase up some of the other issues I’ve been campaigning on to make York Way a more pedestrian-friendly route, including installing a proper pedestrian crossing at Goods Way, widening the pavement on the western side of York Way between Wharf Road and Randall’s Road bus stop, and seeing if the planning application for the new bus depot means we can finally get rid of the bus stand that makes the last stretch of York Way by Kings Cross station such an unpleasant canyon of exhaust fumes.

I’ll keep you updated of any developments. Do you use York Way? What do you think needs doing to improve it? Do let me know.