Making Canning Town Station Safer for Everyone
Did you know that making a waiting area brighter doesn’t necessarily make it feel safer?
That was just one of the fascinating insights shared during a free walking tour of Canning Town Station as part of the London Festival of Architecture. Led by TfL staff and consultants involved in the station’s design and operation, the tour offered a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of London’s busiest transport interchanges.
255,000 Passengers a Day
With around 255,000 passenger journeys passing through each day, Canning Town is a complex station spread across three levels, bringing together the DLR, Underground and bus networks. But the focus of much of the discussion was not engineering or architecture, but people.
Representatives from TfL’s safety team spoke about a major two-year study examining how women and girls experience the transport network. Many residents will have seen campaigns highlighting unacceptable behaviours such as staring, harassment and unwanted touching, alongside newer initiatives encouraging bystanders to intervene safely.
Bus shelters – or ‘goldfish bowls’?
The wider ambition is that anywhere displaying the TfL roundel should be recognised as a place of safety. One example discussed was the enclosed waiting areas at Canning Town’s bus station.
Originally designed with glass walls to improve visibility and reassurance, they were intended to feel safe. However, research revealed that many women felt uncomfortable sitting inside them, describing the experience as being “in a goldfish bowl” where they could be watched from all sides.
In response, TfL is introducing translucent vinyl wraps that will preserve light and visibility while creating a greater sense of privacy. Residents may soon be able to see this change for themselves, as one shelter is due to receive the treatment as a trial. TfL had hoped the wrap would be installed in time for the tour, but it is now expected shortly, so keep an eye out for it on your next trip through the station.
Bright ideas
Another surprising finding challenged conventional thinking about lighting. While brightly lit shelters might seem safer, many women reported feeling exposed and conspicuous under intense lighting. The current thinking is that softer lighting within waiting areas can feel more comfortable and secure, provided surrounding routes and walkways remain well illuminated.
The tour also highlighted how Canning Town’s role has evolved. Once used primarily as an interchange between transport modes, the station is increasingly serving a growing residential community as a destination in its own right. That shift brings new patterns of use and new challenges for station managers and planners alike.
Several of the ideas discussed offered valuable insights into how transport operators are rethinking safety through the lived experiences of passengers rather than assumptions about what should work.
The Residents’ Association has recently reached out to the General Manager of Canning Town Station and hopes to arrange a future walkabout tour for residents. Watch this space.