I'm no apologist for this action, and I'm dead against the closing of the gate on the Perry Vale side, but there is one apparent statistic that is harmful to our cause.
Apparently, since the gates were put into operation, ticket sales at Forest Hill have gone up 16% (presumably compared with similar weeks beforehand).
Of course this does not answer questions about disabled access, joined-up thinking, health and safety, etc. but it does make you wonder.
16% increase also does not mean they make extra profit after running costs, but it does seem to show that there has been a sizeable minority abusing the ease of access, and rather dampens our moral righteousness!
I was going to make a complaint about the number of times the gates failed to open correctly (I saw lots of people trying tickets and oyster cards that would not open the gate). I wonder, now, how many of them might be people not paying the correct fair?
Anyone here care to admit that they have been buying more tickets in the last few weeks?