Vauxhall Crossed
| Saturday 11 December, 2004 |
The new Vauxhall Transport Interchange, aka as the South London Ski Ramp, is now semi-operational. About bloody time too after more than twelve months of delay. Thirteen bus routes now take the detour to the great ski slope in the sky with 25,000 passengers passing through at peak times. Poor sods.
The main issue that the new station seems to have addressed is safety. The brightly lit open spaces now makes it not so intimidating for a cross transport journey using the rail, tube and bus network. Pedestrians are given preference over cars, which has to be a good thing.
The twelve month delay though has led to the South London junkie crowd moving in with plenty of discarded corners for all their junkie shit paraphernalia. Once an area gets a reputation as Junkie Central, it's a tag that is hard to shake off.
 You've seen one bus, you've seen them all |
The 77 itself fares no better. Northbound and Southbound busses both depart from the same stop, leaving long queues and confused commuters as 50% board and ask where the bus is bloody going.
There's the usual bright yellow bib wearing clipboard crew to ask, but they seem as confused as everyone else. Ask them what the current world record is for the Men's Ski Jump and you may bet a better response.
And so in summary, top marks for safety, piss poor planning. But a bus station is much more than a transport hub. What of the aesthetics?
The station will certainly put Vauxhall back on the map as one of those 'what the fuck?' conversation starters in London, along with the Swiss Re Tower and the Faraday Memorial. Similar to the SE1 structure, Vauxhall Station is solar powered. That's what the bloody big ramp is for. Sunny Stockwell and all that.
No sign yet of the urban skate kids and with the first snow flurry of the winter looking like only being days away, it won't be long before the Clap'ham set start bringing their skis on the No 77.
(click on thumbs to see large image)
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