The Urban Nightmare of Hanger Lane

Britain’s scariest junction and the station serving it.
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[@itsthatsebguy93]

Sometimes I randomly travel to a particular tube station and go for a walk in that area. When I got off at Hanger Lane, I wanted to get back on.

[@mats7492]

Understandable

[@eugenemurray2940]

Felt the same way when I got off at Bermondsey Asking staff where is the high street? Them shrugging their shoulders.. Still went for a walk tho'

[@peskypigeonx]

@@eugenemurray2940 So the equivalent of getting off an Amtrak Station in anywhere not in the Northeast Corridor and asking where the downtown is?

[@highpath4776]

@@eugenemurray2940 There actually are quite nice places near Bermondsey Station.

[@eugenemurray2940]

@@highpath4776 Yes! I am glad that I went for my walk... Found Road signs translated into Norwegian And The Swedish Seamans' Missionary Church painted in blue... Lovely..

[@tonywise198]

I went round Malfunction Junction driving a 4-ton lorry and a 5-ton trailer once. Being in the RAF at the time, luckily I had a Police escort as I had ammunition on board. Vowed "never again". A total nightmare not knowing which lane to get in with impatient idiots trying to gain 3 seconds by cutting-up other drivers. All these years later, the volume of traffic must be horrendous.

[@Berry-fr5wj]

You should of deployed chaffe on the impatient drivers

[@AnthonyHandcock]

As a former civilian lorryist I was probably governed by different standards. My method for the HLGS was "Get the &%$£ out of my way or we'll see who comes off worst". Well... That was my attitude anywhere inside the M25 to be honest. My usual patient and affable nature evaporated long before I got anywhere near the North Circular to be replaced with a 38 tonne "I don't own this thing and won't have to pay for the repairs I'd just get sacked which sounds like a really spiffing idea at the moment" murderous rage. I didn't renew my HGV licence at 45 for obvious reasons.

[@angeljamais8541]

@@AnthonyHandcock I never drove anything larger than an Astra in that.area, but my usually patient and affable nature evaporated equally quickly. Idiots diving into anyone's blind corners like it was a competition, I do feel for all HGV drivers.

[@peterharvey1762]

Try it in a current sized Articulated truck 👿👿👿👿👿

[@peterharvey1762]

@@AnthonyHandcock I’ve done it at 44t and used words that would make a nun blush

[@sbv-zs7wz]

First time I drove around this (about 30 years ago) to go from A406 to A40, I went around 3 times. The missus asked why and I said I was looking at the architecture of the 'brutalist' station, but in reality I had to work out what lane to get in to :)

[@sillypuppy5940]

It is rumoured that there are still people driving round and round this unpleasant junction.

[@rjjcms1]

Perhaps Chris Rea's song The Road to Hell should have been about this.

[@caeserromero3013]

Same here. I felt like Clarke Griswold the first time. I just couldn't get off because there was always a car blocking me from turning off left....

[@rjjcms1]

@@johnhehir508 I'm avoiding the M25 currently after several hellish experiences on there in a row,and passed the Crooked Billet on the alternative route more than once lately. Before the M25 opened we used to have family meet-ups at that establishment from time to time as it was roughly equidistant between our houses and those of my mum,stepdad,aunt and uncle and cousins. I notice that the road that goes past Pinewood Studios comes off that roundabout and am curious to check it out one day if I have time for an en route stop-off.

[@blenderfox]

I've had to use Hanger Lane nearly daily for coming to 15 years, I can confirm "Dysfunction Junction" is an adequate description, especially during rush hour.

[@Orforio]

Thank you for stopping by one of my local stations. I'm so sorry.

[@stephensaunders1845]

In 1961 (showing my age now), the Morris Minor my father had hired to take us to Hampshire on holiday broke down at Hanger Lane. The stop-start traffic proved too much for the clutch, and we had to wait two or three hours while they ferried a replacement car to us. In the meantime, a local cafe produced what I still think of as some of the most delicious sausages I've ever tasted for lunch (in reality, they were probably bright pink and 90 per cent sawdust). The bangers were small compensation: Hanger Lane was an urban nightmare 60 years ago, and I still dread something going wrong whenever I'm near the place.

[@borderlands6606]

I'm imagining living in the flats over the shops at Hanger Lane, and the thought does not appeal.

[@KevinTheCaravanner]

Maybe a vacation destination with a difference? Certainly one that won’t be forgotten, no matter how hard you try.

[@dblyth5098]

I always find it settling when the word Lane is used to describe a Thoroughfare. (Horse and Carts, Cottages & Hay Meadows)

[@darganx]

All the 'Lanes' in my area are now A roads but have the feel of how the area was before cars and trains, connecting two villages together..

[@dh1380]

I lived in Lincolnshire for a bit and the one you really need to fear is a "drove."

[@Gary0557]

Again similar to Gants Hill. I once spent 15 minutes trying to get out of the various exit maze at Gants Hill.

[@christopherdean1326]

Really? I grew up there, and lived thereabouts for over fifty years. Never had a problem with Gants Hill subway.

[@Gary0557]

@@christopherdean1326 That's because you lived there mate.

[@highpath4776]

@@christopherdean1326 As soon as I knew where the M11 approach was , they went and moved it.

[@jimrichmond4734]

Ever since I first drove through London north to south instead of going around it to get to Portsmouth, encountering Trafalgar Square!!! HLGS never gave me a problem. The exit slips from the A40 did however, all the MGIFs trying to duck in in front of you get my goat.

[@brettpalfrey4665]

If I was going to a gig at Hammersmith Odeon, i used to take the Central to HangerLane, then get off and walk up the road to Park Royal, on the Piccadilly, and thence to Hammersmith...this was 1979-1981..and it was just as dangerous! I must have been mad! Still, happy days...

[@nickinono7337]

I used Hanger Lane daily as I used to take the train to Greenford Station to get to school, or use the subway to get to the bus stop. Many years later I had no choice but to drive through the dysfunction junction to get to work. I broke into a cold sweat every morning as you needed to be Lewis Hamilton at the lights and find your intended lane in some haste. In those days I smoked, and a cigarette was lit every time I made it through.

[@nattylovesfurbabies4190]

What a great description! I have a big gulp of red bull and take a VERY deep breath when approaching on the A406 westbound and somehow make it onto the a40 towards Oxford 😅

[@PlanetoftheDeaf]

In defence of the road traffic using the junction, the A406 North Circular may be nasty BUT it removes an awful lot of vehicles who would otherwise head into central London. No major city in the world doesn't have some sort of strategic road network or bypass/ring road in the suburbs, the problem here is the junction itself between the A40 and A406, rather than the volume of traffic, as on the very rare occasion I've had to drive through here during rush hour, once clear of the junction, traffic flows perfectly well.

[@josephturner4047]

Been passed it many times on my way from Southern Ox to Ikea. Never considered using it until, I discovered that there is a Star Wars shop just around the corner. Parking is difficult. I am now the proud owner of boots and robe, the other kit is easily obtainable from Japan. No Imperial Troopers were deluded.

[@frankupton5821]

Hhaaah-oohh! Hhaaah-oohh!

[@MsSteelphoenix]

The question is, is it a good Star Wars shop? I'm looking for a good replica blaster...

[@lewisclark1122]

Do you mean the one at Northolt Target Roundabout?

[@TheClockwise770]

Where on earth is southern Ox 🐂

[@apolloc.vermouth5672]

I used to cycle through the underpass at Hanger Lane station on my way to work - it really is one those weird 'dead zones' in London, seemingly lacking any vibe or character. Apologies to anyone who lives there, you clearly have greater inner resources than me!

[@DenkyManner]

It has a vibe, it's called despair.

[@simonjones7727]

It has a name check in "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Trillion's ability to negotiate the Hanger Lane Gyratory on a moped gives her all the training she needs to pilot the spaceship "The Heart of Gold" and its Infinity Drive in all its most complex maneuvers in space and time. The station is in fact rather fine and certainly ahead of its time (it does indeed look like it belongs to the 1960s). I remember a colleague at work buying property in Hanger Land in the late 1990s telling me it was "the next Hoxton". Nope, that still hasn't happened, and the area remains as generally godforsaken as ever, although Alperton and Park Royal are clearly on the up (at last!).

[@robavia-firstclassforfree]

Ah, "HLGS". Used it and policed it for 15 years until just last year. As a junction, as long as there isn't a breakdown or collision, it actually works pretty well. It always appeared on rush hour traffic reports in the 1970s/80s until the sequencing was redone with the help of a mathematician. The craziest manoeuvre has to be if you're merging from Twyford Abbey Road, which is not light-controlled, and want to join the A406 northbound. You have to wait for a suitable gap in eight lanes of traffic, or close your eyes and go for it...

[@tonys1636]

Flooring it and going wasn't a quiet manoeuvre if hauling 32 ton as other motorists showed their appreciation.

[@daveconyard8946]

AHH sod that Keep Safe .

[@brian9731]

The first time I drove in London was in about 1990 in a bright yellow Citroën Dyane (basically a 2CV) with a dodgy clutch and I encountered Hyde Park Corner at Constitution Hill which is similar to what you're describing but with nicer scenery. Not sure how I kept it together - well scary!

[@mdf1671]

I’d heard about the sequence change, along the lines of it only being a matter of 13 seconds (of a certain set of the lights) after a period of months of observation. Don’t know if that’s true but that nugget of information was in my head each time I passed through this junction!

[@tonys1636]

@@brian9731 You should have tried pulling away from the Bus Stop outside St Georges Hospital but not going left into Knightsbridge but around to go up Park Lane or into Piccadilly. A case of indicate, both indicator and the hand, and go, whilst being aware of any passing vehicle or cyclist indicating left to enter Knightsbridge. T Square was another awkward one pulling away from the stop outside the Admiralty to go around the Square into the Strand. Traffic passing to enter the Mall. Bus drivers have it easier today as most of the awkwardly placed stops left over from the days of horse drawn buses and competing operators have been moved to better positions. Trying to negotiate London in an Artic later that decade (70's) was not much better. Only two tiny mirrors, by todays standards, did nothing to assist. Most of the time I was struggling through the Alps to or from Italy/Sicily. London traffic was a doddle by comparison to many European cities. I just wished that all the bonded warehouses were not around the Pool of London, Southwark was not built for artics!

[@wstevenson4913]

Lavatories on the Central Line going to West Ruislip, now there's a subject you need to make a video on. Correction, make that lavatories that are open. Having journeyed out from town, after a few refreshments I cannot tell you the agony which I have endured with closed lavvies. West Ruislip is always open, it’s like the Holy Grail, I can take those steps like an Olympic athlete after 45 minutes from Holborn. Thank you in anticipation, keep up the good work.

[@melvynhungerford8273]

Perivale has toilets which are always open I have been told.

[@sebfleebee]

Harrow on the hill toilets are always open during the day, but are also the single most disgusting toilets I've ever been in

[@luislopes8663]

Add White City to those options as well, being my local station, it has come in handy so many times…

[@IshtarNike]

Interesting. All west London toilets open. I'm on the opposite end and have been to about 4 stations on the central line. Toilets are closed on all.

[@rolandharmer6402]

If ever there was a demonstration of the superiority of rail over road this it! Many thanks.

[@highpath4776]

Have a day out on Saturday - come down to the Spa Valley Railway for Southern Light Pacifics, a view of Sutton (ex Whitechapel) for Terrier 150 and the evening Southern BR DEMU ride.

[@frankupton5821]

Londoners are always talking about the roundabout at Hanger lane. "Hanger 'bout!" they cry.

[@Stuartrusty]

Excellent J.G. Ballard reference with regard to crossing the road, some things are best left to the imagination.....

[@ZGryphon]

I also very much enjoyed the dig at enthusiasts of the Impact font.

[@HighWealder]

OMG worked near there years ago, it's like you are following me round my old haunts. You don't mention that the main advantage is that if the Central isn't running you can walk down the road a few minutes to Park Royal.

[@elainejohnbarnard4147]

As a kid in the 1950's I used to like to stamp around the station booking hall in my leather soled shoes, the high ceiling made a fantastic echoing sound which I loved.

[@jaklawrence4301]

I used to work in Westgate house just on the northwest side there; many rainy evenings spent stood on that platform. Also drove there sometimes, which was orders of magnitude worse!

[@nicholasroberts6954]

I would have thought that there is a case now for moving it nearer Park Royal and creating an interchange and perhaps buidling a new station slightly further west to meet the demand feom the office blocks that have appeared in between Ealing Road and the A40.

[@heliumtrophy]

So it's basically halfway between a Ballard novel and the other half is Thatcher yelling "Young man you're a failure in life going around on public transport."

[@waightkl]

Great video as always Jago. Here in Swindon we are famous for having "The Magic Roundabout" which is like a mini gyratory system only without a tube station in the middle. It's the terror of learner drivers and visitors alike and, it seems, Tesla cars self driving system. I've often wondered who got the idea first, Hanger lane or Swindon magic roundabout.

[@davidjames2910]

I did this one on a visit to Swindon was surprised how instinctively it worked. Maybe a bit of folk dancing in my youth helped with the twirling about.

[@iankemp1131]

The Swindon one (5 mini roundabouts in a circle) and the similar Hemel Hempstead one (6 mini roundabouts) actually work remarkably well if you don't panic and just follow the general road rules. You can go round them in either direction. OMG, just imagine being able to do that at Hanger Lane!!!

[@rjjcms1]

I've been on the Swindon one more than once and it's a matter of taking a leap of faith and just going for it,but despite the reservations brought on by what lies in front of you it seems to work perfectly well. I must have been on the Hemel Hempstead a thousand times by now,and still use it regularly to reach one of my 2 jobs (just been put on sick leave from both after spending Monday evening to Thursday lunchtime in hospital),and despite its appearance it works perfectly well as well.

[@iankemp1131]

@@rjjcms1 Yes, I'd say that the anticipation and the reputation are worse than the reality for both. Maybe a useful life lesson :)

[@waightkl]

Update on the Swindon "Magic Roundabout". I was told by someone that, many years ago, they just had a large conventional roundabout. Apparently there was at least one fatal accident due mostly to speed. The magic roundabout definitely slows people down and, while there always seems to be bits of bumpers and broken lights around, I believe it's actually a lot safer than the single roundabout it replaced.

[@raverdeath100]

Hanger Lane Junction's not that bad - you just have to be assertive or have really good insurance.

[@iankemp1131]

Preferably both!

[@PopeLando]

I remember as a kid looking at the Great Western line on a map. I followed the line to Denham. Then the next station told me exactly what kind of area I was looking at: Denham Golf Club!

[@safetyamsv3515]

As a Greenford Group Station Supervisor I would do "Relief Duty" from time to time, I heard many of my longer serving colleagues speak about Hanger Lane Station being haunted... If it was, the ghost left me alone though the night shift duty was made a little tense by these stories LOL (BTW South Ruislip Station, in the same station group, was also reputed to be haunted as well

[@dr.ryttmastarecctm6595]

How delightful, we will be visited by the ghosts of rail travelers who didn't survive crossing the multi-lane roads.

[@Edward_Plantagenet]

We need a Jago halloween special

[@domramsey]

It always blows my mind when people talk about things being "haunted" as though it might actually be a real thing. Yet every time I talk about the dragons that are reputed to live in my toilet people think I'm a bit stupid.

[@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO]

Hanger Lane Underground station is haunted by the spirit of a dead fart.

[@aprilsmith1166]

@@domramsey I think your toilet dragons will disappear if you flush. Works for me.

[@StuK323]

The impact font……….takes me back to my school days

[@scottc1589]

The old posters are great! Autumn Hues Fungi at 6:44 is sublime. Thanks for braving the horrors of Hanger Lane - on a bank holiday at that! - and bringing back the goods!

[@andrewbuckley9180]

Once again, a mesmerising and totally captivating article on a notorious part of London's infrastructure. Not at all dysfunctional I have to say. There, I am sounding like Jago once more.

[@Mr79Shahin]

They’re building accommodation for 600 students on top of the station. I suppose students are immune from noise and air pollution :)

[@jakewharmby]

No opening windows except the top floor I believe. Not that you'd want to open them

[@nohandle747]

I work in this area. It's so depressing.

[@chrissaltmarsh6777]

The station is fine, outside is horrid. Well, it was when I got the tube out there to get on the A40 to hitch a lift to Oxford.

[@doublea06]

English subtitles are back.

[@christophernoble6810]

This was my local station from 1954 to 1957 and used it a lot on my own even though I was only born in very late 1943. Traffic was much lighter then. Also used nearby Park Royal quite a lot.

[@lapiswake6583]

Very interesting. I did that stretch of the central line in the dark, and I didn't leave the confines of the station itself, so didn't see that much of the junction. Until recently, I'd forgotten about the ghost train that runs through there, so next wednesday I'll be aiming to catch the 11.17 chiltern service from West Ealing to West Ruislip, before going on to do more chiltern services and actually tick off Marylebone (eventually, the only terminus I've not done in london). I'll have to get an anytime travelcard, since I'll have to depart Staines during the morning peak to make it to West Ealing in time (might have to go via central london, because I don't think going via Windsor is valid on a travelcard...)

[@surreygoldprospector576]

btw. the Chiltern service no longer goes through Hanger Lane. The nearest it gets is Greenford. Maybe one day it will come back, if they put the line back after HS2.

[@lapiswake6583]

@@surreygoldprospector576 oh yeah. I didn't look at a map, and assumed Hanger Lane was north of Greenford when it in fact isn't. My bad.

[@surreygoldprospector576]

@@lapiswake6583 No problem. Enjoy your trip - it's fun! :o)

[@yorkshireball_animations]

I always have to go under the gyratory when going to Hanger Lane so I always found it a weird station

[@cramarshe]

Can you do a video on hillingdon station, idk wacky station imo . great video :)

[@philclennell]

I remember travelling to this station in 1971 to play a cricket match at the old nearby Guinness Brewery ground which I later discovered had its own railway branch. Even then the traffic was a total free-for-all. Happy days!

[@highpath4776]

Step Free Access to a station that demands run like hell accross a traffic crossing !

[@vicedwards4376]

Is there anything left of the two stations Hanger Lane replaced ? Worth a video ?

[@philiplettley]

When I saw hanger Lane, I instantly thought of the gyratory system, didn't know it had a tube station lol.

[@stephenfrost2272]

On one of my very rare visits to London, I'd been booked into a hotel near the end of the North Circular. Not a road or a junction I was familiar with. As I battled my way around the maze of lanes, carefully planned to ensure strangers are always in the wrong one, I took in the tube station. What a site for one! And the big guy slumped outside the entrance didn't give a good impression, either. At least he'd gone, or been removed, by the time you got there.

[@highpath4776]

Morehellish is a small villiage famous for china clay in Cornwall

[@stevem.1853]

As an American, a junction called "gyratory" just sounds intimidating without even seeing it...

[@ballyhigh11]

I often wonder how an unfortunate American tourist, foolhardy enough to drive a hire car in London, would fare when stumbling into one of our ghastly gyratories. They get my heart pounding every time I have to cross through one.

[@stevem.1853]

@@ballyhigh11 there was a comedy movie from the 80s called European Vacation where exactly that happens and they spend several hours stuck in the roundabout...

[@MattMcIrvin]

We Massholes would just call it a rotary and probably name it "Hanger Square" just to be more confusing.

[@ballyhigh11]

I think that was the infamous Arc de Triomphe?

[@Unicysis]

Forget Hanger Lane. You’ve got a train station that hangs in the middle of a chaotic roundabout. My Dad and I drove around it so many times when I was a kid.

[@gilesl]

I used ride my motorbike round that junction almost daily about 20 years ago, and it hasn't changed at all by the looks of it! Nice video, thanks

[@sianwarwick633]

what a redemption of a place I only knew through the London Live BBC for Greater London traffic reports . starting low, brow-mopping along the way, and yet, ending smoothly. a lot of things to like 👍

[@marsgal42]

I've driven Westway/A40 but couldn't figure out how to get off it until the M25 junction...

[@Berry-fr5wj]

Ouch !

[@highpath4776]

@@Berry-fr5wj The Polish War Memorial is a reasonable exit

[@judgedread-q4t]

C'mon Jago, swinging across four lanes of traffic in rush hour polishes up the driving skills and gets the adrenaline going! The gyratory sure does test one's sense of direction though.

[@jonathanpagden8149]

When I first moved to London in 1985 I lived in one of the flats right next to the gyratory, and used to commute to Oxford Circus so an easy journey. One thing you missed is that the entrance hall is domed (like St Paul's, on a vastly smaller scale) and if you stand in the exact centre there's a weird acoustic effect as you're in the focus of the reflections. But I think they may have put that uplighter in the exact spot, so may not happen any more. I haven't been there since 1987 and I don't miss it.

[@jakewharmby]

As someone who goes through almost every day I can happily confirm this is indeed still the case!

[@jonsoftedge]

@@jakewharmby That's nice to know!

[@darganx]

I heard there was once an attempt by LT years ago, to connect Hanger Lane and Park Royal?? A tunnel was even built apparently, but the plan shelved. Maybe if Jago knew about this? Crazy to think that Holborn is the only station on the entire network where the Central and Piccadilly lines meet.

[@JagoHazzard]

There was indeed such a scheme. I would like to talk about it in a future video, once I’ve researched it a bit more.

[@darganx]

@@JagoHazzard Cheers Jago, at last someone's on the case! Would also like to suggest a video about Twyford Abbey, a close by area of land off the A406 that has quite an intriguing history, going back to the 12th/13th Century (not necessarily about trains, although there was a Halt that was referenced in the video). Info on this (and Ongar Castle to the east of the Central Line) is hard to find.

[@DeathInTheSnow]

Sounds more like Hang-up Lane with all those issues...

[@martinaoxley5188]

This is my local tube station. Its so exciting to see a video about it!! Would love to see you do a video on Alperton station too please

[@gussmedways]

Please can you stop producing such good videos? You're costing me a fortune! This will have to be another trip out / visit in the near future. I've still got Thamesmead, The Barbican and Barking Riverside to do. I must say that between your good self and a certain "Mr Marshall" you've given me the nudge and encouragement to get off my backside and come to London to explore. So many things ticked off my bucket list. Thank you!!

[@Pesmog]

I know the feeling. I had a very interesting morning visiting the new Battersea Power station station, the new Nine Elms and the much modified (and now massive) London Bridge Station this week upon the recommendation of these two. Later in the year it will be a whole day checking out the Elizabeth line when I am next in town........ Thank you Jago. 👍

[@Ireallymissmymind]

My Dad used to travel to work and back via Hanger Lane in the early '50's - on a pedal cycle fitted with a Mini Motor tyre-drive. The mere existence of me and my siblings is, by that account, something of a small miracle.

[@gordonm2821]

I used to live near Twyford Abbey Road off Hanger Lane Gyratory and my most memorable tube story was the vending machine on the platform having loads of credit on it. I worked out it was only vending every second transaction so turned up to work with half of a Cadbury factory under my arm.

[@stevewfreeman]

I remember hanger lane from the early 60s. At 4am the roads were deserted and great to cycle on. The station was easy to get to then but of course shut..

[@simonhodgetts6530]

First time I drove to London after recently passing my test, my route took me to Hanger Lane gyratory - naturally I got confused and took the wrong exit. This was pre sat nav, and I got horribly lost. Finally arrived at my friends house 2 hours later…….I’ve avoided the bloomin’ place ever since.

[@rattyfus8218]

My local station for work from 1989 to 1997. Shivers!

[@johnyossarian1397]

Thank you for the nostalgia. And your comment regarding the Impact typeface has made my day 😄

[@grahvis]

I worked for a while in Hanger Lane in the 60s, I remember the nightmare.

[@georgewallis2020]

Fun fact: they've just started construction on three 16 storey buildings of student accommodation, right next to this station, right in the middle of dysfunction junction

[@wibblewabblewoo6249]

There are similarities with Redbridge roundabout in a weird way, which sometimes can be a bit of a free for all too

[@frazerguest2864]

I used to live there, (Royal Parade). To say it was noisy would be an understatement ! I don’t miss it.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Hanger in this context normally means slope as in Moggerhanger in Bedfordshire (what or who Mogger was is lost to history).

[@frankupton5821]

'Hanger' comes from 'hangra'. the Old English word for a wood on a hill.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@frankupton5821 the anglo-saxon dictionry I have access to has hangra meaning a piece of sloping land, but doesn't include anything about a wood on a hill. It must be one of those words with multiple meanings.

[@garycook5071]

The map at 2:57 is obviously the route to safely cross the junction

[@indiegirl9882]

Grim station. Okay during rush hour but intimidating to walk the subways alone in the middle of the day.

[@MLB9000]

It's a very scary junction to drive around, especially when you're in a 35 ton articulated truck and people still expect you to stay in a lane about the width of a small car.

[@msr5996]

Just straddle mate, I drive defensively and preemptively straddle even when I'm not sure if I need to just incase I have to. And that's in an 18 tonne.

[@roderickmain9697]

Going on to Denham looks vaguely feasible (looking at Google maps) - or might have been 60 years ago. It was probably predicated on the idea that both companies would be using "Mainline" trains. To get there today might involve them going underground. (bit of a radical idea) but theres probably not the justification (yet)

[@surreygoldprospector576]

It was the Green Belt after the war that stopped that, as there would be no more housing development beyond West Ruislip.

[@grahamwhitworth9454]

So the Central Line now conveniently ends just within the Greater London boundary instead of crossing into Buckinghamshire.

[@iankemp1131]

It's an intriguing though how travel patterns might have been different if the Central Line had gone on the Denham. The A412 that goes through it was the pre-M25 orbital route and even today still gets some diversionary traffic when J16 is snarled up as usual. Imagine people driving down from wherever, going round the M25 and taking the Central Line from Denham. Cockfosters fulfils a similar role.

[@michaelcherry8952]

I find it somewhat ironic that Hanger Lane (a public transport station which should in theory relieve some of the traffic congestion on the roads) is smack dab in the middle of one of the more complicated road junctions in London. You almost expect it to jump up and down and wave its arms shouting "Look over here! If you use me, you won't have to deal with the traffic!" (if it had arms and legs, of course!😁)

[@highpath4776]

A problem is that much of the traffic would like to go roughly Neasden to Ealing and onto Kew - not a easy routing by fast public transport. Plus Hanger Lane itself as it gets toward Ealing narrows in road width significantly

[@fetchstixRHD]

@@highpath4776: Beat me to it - was going to mention that in general, getting into central London is great, but going around usually isn't, and even going across London in a "straight(-ish) line" can be terrible. Often poor connections/frequencies make journeys that would be competitive become very unappealing, and traffic still eating less time than waiting for a connection and getting to/from the stations on each side!

[@highpath4776]

@@fetchstixRHD Tried to do Clapham High Street to Welling avoiding Zone 1 , Its possible but you have to plan - I ended up with 29min wait at Denmark Hill. the SLL desperately needs better connections that have been removed despite the improvements for 'commuters ' from Sevenoaks via Thameslink bit, the benefit to London Residents of the London Rail network is patchy

[@fetchstixRHD]

@@highpath4776: Funny enough, I was actually thinking of (and was going to mention) the Denmark Hill "wait of shame"! Catford Loop to Whitton isn't too bad if you have good legs and know to position yourself properly for the bridge, but no matter how hard I've tried, in the reverse direction I've always had the Thameslink leave me at DMK - I was pretty sure the Catford Loop was supposed to get 6 trains per hour at one point Also sucks that many of the shops are quite a distance away in Camberwell and the vending machines have been pretty poor, one of the things making that half hour wait pretty long (were I not mentally cheap, I'd probably just opt for a 185 bus and have the benefit of less walking and the Hopper fare on the other side!)

[@highpath4776]

@@fetchstixRHD used to be a coffee stall in the Denmark Hill Station building but the new step free exit seems to have been used to eliminate that ? Not been till yesterday until before covid. (though have passed through on a need to get to Peckham).

[@julianaylor4351]

When the road junctions were redone in the late seventies, a set of bungalows that were on a traffic island, in the middle of the road junctions were demolished. I don't know if they were ever photographed, but they are probably marked in old A to Zs like the demolished buildings on the road junctions around Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

[@jakewharmby]

They are now building a huge student flat complex in the middle of the gyratory

[@ShedTV]

I've driven into London many times along the A40, but it wasn't until I was working near Park Royal for a few days that I realised, close-up, how utterly scary, dirty, smelly and loud that system of roads is. And I wasn't all that much more comfortable using the pedestrian subways by night!

[@theniceorganization]

I only know the Hanger Lane Gyratory System from the traffic reports on the radio, but it's always seemed to me to be a good name for one of those sequinned dance troupes that would appear on such light entertainment mainstays as the Lulu Show and whatever it was Cliff Richard was fronting.

[@Khaled91]

Can you make a video on why there are so many stations in Leyton? I have a feeling it's because of the same reasons there are so many stations in Acton (a video you already made), but are there other reasons?

[@groovydonkey]

It is a shame that it didn't extend to Denham as now I think it would be a quite busy as more people move out of London and be a more direct route, rather than having to use national rail.

[@architectofechoes4]

Back the 80's I used to go round the lovely gyratory at 8:30 every week day morning in my milk float. Such fun!!

[@Audion]

That place needs a road diet.

[@AtheistOrphan]

A Good Samaritan once helped my mother across the road. She didn’t actually want to cross but let him do it anyway ‘so he could feel like he’d done a good deed’. She was like that. I miss her greatly.

[@davey2363]

The roundabout is great fun……I used to use it daily…….it must be stunningly hard for learner drivers…

[@okiguess3795]

When I was younger I didn't know Hanger Lane had a main building and was surprised when I saw it for the first time when travelling in the area by car

[@johnmichaeldorienjohn467]

Thanks for uploading about HLgs! It is crazy place to, navigate especially,as someone commented from Abbey road! & Keep up with the excellent quality content!

[@beatxt]

Brave man Jago... for venturing anywhere near the place on foot! Ive never used the station. I live near Southgate and never thought about the similarities. Too busy negotiating the madness of the traffic over 40 years of using the devil's gyratory since moving to London.

[@hughs591]

Have driven around “dysfunction junction” many times but never seen the station below ground level, thanks for the insight!

[@jameshamilton5703]

I grew up near there -- I think I did the Hanger Lane Gyratory on my third or fourth driving lesson when I was 17. Trial byfire.

[@alisonarcher5072]

Ah! The Hanger Lane Gyratory System. I remember it being finished. I also remember learning to drive round it.

[@roystudds1944]

Great video Jago. Have been round the gyratory twice recently to get to Wembley Stadium. Neither occasion was a pleasure! Had never been to the platforms there, they seem an oasis of calm compared to what goes on above. Thanks for sharing. Roy.

[@ParaSytius]

Hanger Lane gyratory needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the underground up, but I doubt it'll ever happen now that HS2 has been built under it also.

[@drsteele]

Had to use the station for a couple of days when I stayed in the "Travelodge London Wembley" which turned out to be along the road from Hangar Lane rather than anywhere near Wembley.

[@iankemp1131]

Amusing thought; imagine trying to get from Hanger Lane to Wembley by tube. Not exactly a direct route! There's almost certainly a bus that does it in a tenth of the distance, though maybe not much less time.

[@lon3don]

The obvious and much mooted solution would be to merge Park Royal and Hanger Lane, the lines actually cross not far away and new platforms would allow easy interchange.

[@daveyboy6210]

I used to work out of a cab office in the eight's that was at the back of the shops on Hanger lane and the Fiat garage up the road at Alberton . I can only remember driving around there as a bit of fun lol

[@zivkovicable]

Driving around it is fun. That's the only fun you can have around there though. The arse end of London, & thats purely down to the Gyratory.

[@shadytube84]

When I was a kid I remember watching London Tonight’s traffic report or listening on the radio and hearing about accidents etc at the Hangar Lane gyratory and being fascinated by the word ‘gyratory’ and having this idea that it must be some amazing place…. Years later whilst in the van on the way to a job I remember passing it and it’s safe to say being majorly disappointed!!!

[@taliesinbourne7484]

No way! I drove to wembly stadium a little while back twice in a matter of few weeks, noticed what I thought to be a really cool abandoned station in the middle of the road. I was telling someone about it the other day but I couldn't remember the name... Hanger Lane. It was only because the second time I came past again night and saw the tube sign light on that I realised it wasn't abandoned.

[@indiekid19872]

Hanger lane gyratory sounds like a very funky disco.

[@kentcordray8675]

Jago, I love the way you occasionally reference one of my favorite authors, J.G. Ballard.

[@DadgeCity]

First time I'd heard of Brentham. Seems to have been a name invented by the builders of one of the new housing estates at Pitshanger.

[@solcarluscaen]

A garden suburb, no less: Bentham Garden Suburb. It should be noted, however (sorry, Jago!), that it's pronounced "Brent-um" rather than "Brenth-um".

[@AGMTB.]

That used to be my local station, much preferred walking there and taking the tube than trying to drive!