Green AM lifts the lid on extent of loo ‘deserts’ on London tube network

Green London Assembly member, Caroline Russell, has today launched a report, exposing the desperate gaps in public toilet provision across the Transport for London (TfL) network, and highlighting loo ‘deserts’ where new toilets are most needed.

Caroline’s new report, The London Loo League Table [1], finds that less than a quarter of stations in zones 1-3 have toilets, and the Northern line is the worst on the Underground, with only 27 per cent of stations having public conveniences.

The Mayor promised that TfL would produce details of a ‘feasibility study’ on putting more toilets on the tube network by June 2023, but nothing has yet been published.

Green Assembly Member Caroline Russell says:

“Londoners shouldn’t have to cross their legs and hope on the tube. A properly accessible public transport system must include toilets and information on where to find them. This is essential for everyone, especially older and disabled people who may be restricted from travelling by a ‘loo leash’.

“Delay and dithering on the Mayor’s feasibility study [2] is frustrating, Londoners need the Mayor to get on with making our tube network flush with new toilets.”

This report analyses TfL data to show the scale of the problem and where new toilets are most badly needed.

The report also exposes how TfL has failed to make use of the existing upgrade programme on the tube to provide new toilet facilities. Bank station has seen a £700m upgrade over six years, which has resulted in a wider platform, new tunnels within the station and two new entrances. But despite this work, there is still no toilet at Bank station.

Green Assembly Member Caroline Russell says:

“You can’t even spend a penny before arriving at the Bank of England. The City of London’s own map of toilets shows a ‘desert’ surrounding Bank station.”

“The exceptionally long lifespan of transport infrastructure – which can last for hundreds of years – makes the failure to deliver basic accessibility provisions in these investments all the more glaring.”

“The Mayor should act on the recommendation within my report, and finally remove toilet deserts from the tube, stop Londoners having to cross their legs and hope, and make London into a modern, accessible city with excellent toilet provision.”