I just want to say something positive - This morning one of the platform staff was really helpful to a lady with a pram - helping to carry things up the stairs - all done with a smile on his face - great customer service in the absence of the new lifts - think he is new eastern european accent it would be great if all the station staff took a leaf out of his book.

It's good to see from the Forest Hill Society minutes that concerns are being raised and hopefully addressed. Glad to hear that station staff will help carrying prams up stairs. On a number of occasions I have had to step in and help members of the public get prams up stairs after the station staff have refused to help on safety grounds, albeit I understand their rationale that the child needs to be taken out before they carry the pram for you.

I do only get the overground or the london bridge train when I don't cycle in to london however. Honor Oak station does appear to be a victim of its own success with the improvement in train services we all benefit from. Not all other parts of SE London have benefitted from the new overground network as you know, so we are quite fortunate really. I have also never had to wait for more than 30 seconds or a minute tops at peak times to get through the barriers, and despite having to make the pick up at the nursery by 6 to avoid a fine, manage to remain totally calm (the walkman heps suppress the sound of others moaning!). Just happy to have a job during hard times to be honest...

Anyway, I would urge commuters to consider cycling to work every now and then. It will take a few weeks to familiarise yourself with your specific route but after that it is a great way of keeping fit. If you take it easy it is also a great stress buster. It also has the added benefit of relieving congestion for other peak time commuters who may unfortunately not have the option to cycle to work. It also saves money. Could you do with the exercise perhaps?