Cartoon by John Sadler 

• MICK Farrant’s analysis of the move of Royal Free Hospital services to Chase Farm prompted me to investigate the likely costs and time involved taking various public transport routes there, (Patients face long journeys for some hospital services, October 11).

Gordon Hill station (zone 5) is the nearest station to Chase Farm. Assuming a start from Hampstead Heath, you get the Overground to Highbury & Islington (14 minutes), then walk to the Great Northern station there.

The train to Gordon Hill takes 28 minutes and comes every 30 minutes (15 minutes in the rush hour). It costs £2.70 off peak each way (£3.70 peak), then there’s a 12-minute walk to Chase Farm. It’s not step-free.

On the tube you have to get the Piccadilly line to Oakwood. RFH catchment area residents (in NW1, NW3, NW5, NW6, N6, N2) could get the Northern line to King’s Cross St Pancras. Then it’s a 29-minute journey to Oakwood. That costs £3.10 each way (£4.70 peak).

Alternatively you could take the Overground to Highbury & Islington (step-free) (14 minutes), take the Victoria line to Finsbury Park (1 stop), where you change onto the Piccadilly line. It’s 22 minutes to Oakwood.

This avoids zone 1 so it’s cheaper (£1.50 each way). However those with early morning appointments would have to travel at peak times (£2.80 each way). Not all Overground stations are step-free either. Once at Oakwood, you then need to take two buses (8 minutes each, and that’s not including the wait) until at last you get to Chase Farm.

This isn’t the entire story but you can see how difficult it is. In any case journeys on public transport to Chase Farm will be time consuming, tiring and expensive. Yes, you could ask to be transferred to another hospital. But what if those hospitals are already oversubscribed? Waiting lists will get even longer.

The only solution is a shuttle bus, which would reduce the cost burden and make it possible for everyone to travel easily to Chase Farm. There is a petition for a shuttle bus and a needs analysis on the campaign Facebook page (Pylom Gow). Let’s all sign it and get this thing going for all our sakes.

MC
NW5