The installation of ticket gates at Palmers Green station almost certainly means that the exit from platform 2 to the car park will eventually be closed, which will cause significant inconvenience for some station users.
An unfortunate "side effect" of the installation of automatic ticket gates at National Rail stations in London and elsewhere has been that secondary side or rear entrance/exits to stations have been closed. This is not just to prevent people entering or leaving without a valid ticket or oyster card, but also because it is necessary to have a member of staff close at hand when automatic gates are in use.
In some cases the loss of secondary entrances and exits causes significant inconvenience to passengers. For instance, at Ilford station in east London passengers who previously used the back entrance now have to walk up to a third of a mile further.
At Palmers Green the extra walking distance will be fairly negligible, but closure of the side gate will still create inconvenience. People with walking difficulties or heavy luggage will be forced to walk up the stairs when arriving on a train from London - currently they only have to negotiate a couple of steps and a ramp up to Aldermans Hill. When a crowded train arrives in the evening rush hour the stairs and concourse will become congested - creating particular difficulty for anyone trying to get down to the platform when most people are leaving the station.
At the moment it is unclear whether automatic gates will be brought into use any time soon. It may be that it depends on Govia Great Northern going ahead with their plan to close the ticket office and instead deploy a member of staff on the concourse at the top of the stairs. The most recent news we have (dating from early April) is that London Travelwatch had asked (or perhaps told?) Govia to rethink its plans and run pilot schemes.
There will be an opportunity on 9th June to question Govia about its plans (and about its failure to run services as scheduled). David Burrowes MP has arranged a public meeting with Govia representatives at the United Reformed Church in Winchmore Hill.
