In message , at 12:02:33 on Tue, 17
Jan 2012, Peter Campbell Smith remarked:
I don't see much need for a "bypass" there for passengers catching
trains who happen to be near platform 8 when their number is called,
but it's heavily used by people leaving p0-4.

On a Friday afternoon (eg) the place is heaving. If you are waiting in
front of the departure board towards the west (St Pancras) side and your
train is announced from 0-4, it used to be easiest to walk round behind the
board.

And access the platform without having to queue for an automatic gate.
The extra flow capacity was useful.

Now you can't. It's not 'gated' in the sense that there are gates you can
get through; it's totally blocked.

I agree with your description of the geography.

You have to use the bypass lane,

Which jumps the queue/scrum of people heading from the central/eastern
part of the concourse towards the gates 0-5. Every man for himself, but
there's no operational need for a facility for queue-jumpers, given that
the barriers are inevitably creating such a queue.

which is not really wide enough for 2-way traffic of people dragging
their life's possessions on wheels.

That's much the same issue as the conflicts in the STP "room of
columns". It's not just the International pax, it's their luggage too.

Something needs to be done about it.

Bring back the numbered [lettered A, B etc iirc] queues (as a very short
term thing). Or turn the 0-5 barriers off until the whole inner
concourse is barriered including access from the new ticket hall.

--
Roland Perry