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As everyone knows, Green Lanes is the name of a massively long street in north London that’s an amazing place to eat Turkish food. But it’s also the name of Transport for London’s new plan to make the tube slightly less of a hellhole by getting you to move along the platform instead of lazily blocking up the bit next to the stairs. If you travel on the Victoria line southbound from King’s Cross, you’ll notice snazzy green adhesive vinyl covering strips of the platform. Here’s what you need to know.
What is it?
It’s TfL telling you to get a move on and leave this space clear. ‘The rule of the Green Lane is that it is for moving only (green for go),' explains our man at TfL, and you’ll hear announcements like ‘No stopping in the Green Lane’ and ‘Stand clear of the Green Lane’ hammering the message home.
Why is it being introduced?
The theory is that everyone will get where they need to be more quickly if there’s a clear space to leave the train and walk along the platform, rather than everyone anarchically shuffling around as the train pulls in. The strips create a clear aisle down the platform for people to walk along, as well as marking the bits of the platform where the tube doors will open. That’s right: no more guessing, and your hard-earned insider knowledge is now worthless.
Is it a permanent thing?
Not yet. It’s a trial for up to eight weeks, and TfL is monitoring the results to see if it’s worth rolling out across the whole network. TfL has asked us to ask you not to go and check it out unless you’re travelling that way anyway, because that would just skew the test results. But if you do find yourself at King’s Cross over the summer, you might just be witnessing the bright, green future.
In other transport news, Citymapper is launching a night bus service in east London!