Pic: Andrew Woodyatt
After a four year battle with Transport for London, Rio Cinema in Dalston has finally got its name on the bus stop outside.
Enquiries made of TfL by the local news site, Loving Dalston, has led to the on board announcements and electronic signs being changed as well.
The cinema asked for the bus stops on both sides of Kingsland High Street to be officially named after the cinema in 2008, as travellers often refer to Rio Cinema as the name of the stop. In 2010 the head of surface transport communications and engagement, Beverly Hall told them the sign would be changed.
The response was delayed until after the Olympics and Paralympics were over this year.
Alex Munden, who writes a newsletter for the Rio, said in its December 14 edition: “In 2008 we began a campaign to persuade TfL to add Rio’s name to two adjacent bus stops. After four years the promised renaming had not taken place but in July this year we finally received an apology and an assurance from TfL that this would be done ‘once the Olympics were over’”.
Once the stop signs were changed, the on board announcement and electronic signs initially stayed the same. The campaign to further add these changes could have taken longer if pressure from the local site had not been applied.
Having the bus stops and announcement changed to name the cinema will hopefully give a boost to the business.
It is great news that TfL has finally come to its senses. I live here and could never remember which of the two stops were called Sandringham Road or Shacklewell Lane.