MP Calls for Support in Step-Free Access Bid at Dagenham East Station
- Andrew Achilleos
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Back in March Margaret Mullane MP joined Barking and Dagenham Council as they launched a campaign calling for step-free access at Dagenham East station. The campaign has been steadily growing and as the deadline for a decision draws closer, the Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham is urging all residents who haven’t yet signed the petition to get behind the campaign and add their support.
You can sign the petition here:
Margaret said: “Upgrading Dagenham East was one of my first asks of TfL when I was elected as the new Member of Parliament last year. This is something which is consistently raised with me by local mothers with small children and residents with mobility issues.”
Dagenham East station opened in 1931 and sits at the heart of the constituency, seeing thousands of customers pass through its gates every day. However, it is the only transport hub in Dagenham and Rainham which has accessibility issues.
The 2021 census highlighted that over 30% of households in Dagenham and Rainham are home to at least one disabled person, with 16,825 people (14.1% of the population) classed as disabled, above the London average. Without accessible transport options many of these people are limited in their options to live independent lives.
Margaret explained: “We have mothers relying on the kindness of strangers to get out and about, and we also have wheelchair users and those with severe mobility issues, who live minutes from Dagenham East, getting a taxi to the Heathway to travel. Step-free access is long overdue, and I hope that with the voices of local people behind the campaign we can get a positive outcome from Transport for London.”