• THE Royal Free Hospital commenced its new building project in Pond Street a couple of weeks ago.

It immediately closed the slip road to the former car park and, ever since, there has been considerably more tail-backs and congestion in Pond Street as well as difficulty and danger for pedestrians at the crossing point of Royal Free Hospital and Pond Street.

This is made worse by the removal of a zebra crossing by the council. Congestion is one thing and it is even worse when ambulances trying to reach the hospital are delayed; but danger to pedestrians is another and this is an accident waiting to happen. There have already been near misses.

All that is needed is better marshalling of the traffic flow around the car park at the front entrance to the hospital and at the crossing point of Royal Free Hospital and Pond Street.

Sadly both the hospital and the council have shown little urgency and the danger persists with neither demonstrating the will to eliminate it. Does there have to be an accident for them to address the situation?

JEFF GOLD
Chair, Hampstead Green Neighbourhood Group