Mind the gap!!

This horrifying news item from Miami reminds Lady Bracknell of a similar story she was once told about a mishap at Clapham Junction railway station.

Lady Bracknell is given to understand that some of the platforms at Clapham Junction are both very long and curved. This curvature results in the gap between the train door and the platform being more than ordinarily wide. (As Lady Bracknell herself has quite enough to do in descending from a carriage the door of which is almost flush to the platform, she can envisage herself being irretrievably marooned on board a train at Clapham Junction. Which is as good a reason as any for her to avoid visiting South London. At least by rail.)

The story goes that a visually impaired lady and her guide dog had travelled to Clapham for a union meeting. On attempting to guide its mistress off the train, the dog fell into the gap between the carriage and the platform. Fortunately, the lady did not follow suit. Equally fortunately, the dog was not injured.

This story might appear to the casual reader to be something in the nature of an urban myth. However, given the integrity of the individual who related it to her, and the circumstances under which it was introduced to the conversation, Lady Bracknell does not doubt its veracity for a moment. Neither does she consider herself to be particularly credulous. As to whether this problem has been taken under consideration in light of the station's obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act, Lady Bracknell cannot say...