Harrow-on-the-Hill Station is one of the most used tube stations in London. However, they are not step-free accessible making it difficult for those with buggies, wheelchairs, and heavy luggage much difficulty or impossible to get to and from.

Most residents who have disabilities or young children have resulted to other means of transportation.

Councillor Sue Anderson started the petition a fortnight ago and has collected around 200 signatures to urge Transport for London to get lifts installed for Harrow-on-the-Hill tube station.

The councillor said she wants step-free access for the station at the heart of the town centre especially as Harrow Council wants to improve the area through £496,000 given by Mayor Boris Johnson’s Outer London Fund in August.

Some of the money was last month spent on twenty-one giant illuminated tulips installed in St Ann’s Road to mark Diwali.

Anderson said she wants “all the public” to benefit from the money to be spent on the area.

She says, “It is not just for the disabled and elderly but also for the parents with prams and people who are carrying heavy shopping and would find it difficult to climb the stairs.

“It’s great that we have got money from the fund to brighten up the town centre and organise events, but without lifts at the tube station not everyone will be able to take part.

“Better access is needed as it is a real no-go area for a lot of people. We hope to start an online petition as soon as possible for this.”

The lifts will cost about £50,000 to install at least five lifts in the station. Last time the funding was available the city decided it was more important to put lifts in the Green Park station rather than Harrow.

The TFL gave us a statement in response to the petition saying, “Investment for step-free access schemes on the Tube is being targeted at the stations where they can deliver the greatest benefit for the largest number of customers…

“…Harrow on the Hill was one of the stations where work was deferred. This station remains a good candidate for future step-free access…”

With the Olympics coming up next summer, London has a few big decisions to discuss in a short amount of time. Will it harm their amount of tourism due to the lack of family and disability friendly means on transportation?