Danny Stephen (First Tram Operations) presented his apologies and was represented by Andy Morgan.

Councillors confirmed that their disclosures of pecuniary interest were up to date.
 

The notes were signed as an accurate record with the following corrections:

1 - Replace "He did say that the re-routing of the 64 service would be costly"
with "He emphasised the fact that, as with any bus service change, cost would be a very important factor"

2 - Replace "A consultation process was under way on bus services between Vulcan Way and Goldcrest Way"
with "A consultation process had been undertaken with respect to the review of buses"

Tim Williams, Borough Engagement Manager (South) was in attendance to give a presentation on the Mayor's Transport Strategy. Its three core priorities will be:
- to deliver a good public transport experience
- to deliver healthy streets and healthy people
- to support the economy, new housing and new jobs

The Mayor's Transport Strategy will develop an action plan recognising the different needs of central London, inner London and outer London.

Transport policy will focus on delivering affordability, tackling crowding, as well as improving accessibility and joined up services.

Tim Williams outlined the challenges facing Transport for London as officers endeavour to bring about a reduction in car usage from 36% (2015) to 30% in 2041, increase walking and cycling from 26% in 2015 to 31% in 2041 and public transport from 37% (2015) to 40% in 2041.

The Mayor aims to deliver health outcomes for Londoners by improving safety, the quality of the public realm and improved air quality among other objectives.

Tim Williams outlined some key milestones:
- a pre-consultation phase from January to April
- a consultation phase from May to July
- work to finalise the strategy from August to October, amending the strategy in the light of consultation responses

Panel members were advised that tram development would include building the Dingwall Road loop, carrying out other works to improve capacity in Croydon, as well as upgrading and expanding the network. Tim Williams explained that while the possibility of building a tram extension to Crystal Palace in future had not been abandoned, no further work on this was planned in the short or medium term. Instead, a tram route to Sutton was currently being explored.

As regards the bus network, it is proposed to make changes to 23 bus routes in central London to match future demand with space available on the bus. This would not involve any overall net gain across the network but potential for reallocation of resources. It is also planned to introduce new Low Emission buses, and to introduce an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in the capital to make a significant contribution to improved air quality.

Tim Williams was thanked for his presentation.

Panel members highlighted a number of issues which need to be resolved in the borough to improve public transport:
- major rises in traffic congestion as a result of road works in the borough e.g. on Wellesley Road
- the reliability of bus services
- accessibility issues at various railway stations in the borough

Tim Williams stated that TfL endeavoured to work as closely as possible with bus operators to minimise the inconvenience and delays caused by road works. Panel members observed that better planning and partnership work would have reduced the traffic congestion arising from the significant narrowing down of busy Wellesley Road during highway works. Council officers stated that the traffic congestion in the area had been caused in part by a faulty traffic light, only turning green for a few seconds at a time, and that this fault had now been repaired.

Tim Wiliams explained that TfL would work with developers and planners to seek extra funding e.g. section 106 contributions to expand the bus network. However, he remarked that new routes needed to be sustainable after section 106 funding had run out. Panel members stressed that boroughs situated south of the river were more dependent on buses than those north of the river, which had a wider range of travel options.

Council officers explained that two complaints had been received regarding the condition of East Croydon station, which had been forwarded to relevant officers. Some improvements had been made subsequently, e.g. improvements to platforms 1 and 2, as well as painting and reroofing to a number of platforms. However, some problems still remain outstanding and officers asked the GTR representative when the next deep clean was due. She replied that she was not aware that any additional work was due but would obtain the dates of future deep cleans.

Council officers explained that the main concourse of the railway station was dirty. In addition, Panel members reported that the pigeon proofing on platforms 5 and 6 had been removed and that the birds were now soiling these platforms. The condition of an area outside the station and in the vicinity of the tram was also reported to be dirty and covered in litter, but it was acknowledged that it was not clear whose responsibility it was to maintain this area.

Council officers undertook to find out which team had responsibility for keeping that area clean and litter-free. It was also reported that there were not enough signs informing passengers that they had arrived in East Croydon.
 

It was explained that the objective of opening a second entrance/exit was to ease congestion at the station, particularly during peak hours. Members were advised that there were no plans at present to do so, and that no business case had been approved for such work. Panel members stated that this idea was being looked at by Anthony Merlin as a priority and that any disability issues arising from the proposal were being studied by him.

Council officers asked whether this entailed only capital funding, and were advised that it may also necessitate an ongoing operating cost. They stated that they would investigate the feasibility of the business in more detail.
 

The GTR representative gave a brief report on rail performance in the previous three months. She stated that while there had been a number of strike days since December 2016, performance had been affected particularly significantly by the overtime ban from early December. This had resulted in a number of cancellations and in officers having to produce a revised timetable to manage reduced staffing.

The GTR representative reported that constructive talks with unions were continuing although no agreement had been reached yet. In terms of performance, she was able to state that statistics had improved. Panel members were able to confirm that railway services in the previous two weeks had been "nearly normal", although they remarked that there had been many Thameslink service cancellations, causing significant delays for passengers. The GTR representative stated that the control team at Three Bridges were working hard to ensure continuity and prevent consecutive cancellations.
 

-„« 64 bus route, New Addington Services and 130 bus route
The Chair reported that the ward councillors who had reported to this Panel had not noticed any improvement to services and that a letter was due to be sent to TfL describing problems experienced in New Addington and proposed solutions. It was suggested that the only quick way to resolve the problem and serve Kestrel Way was to divert the 130 bus to run clockwise instead of anti-clockwise, and to implement this solution as soon as possible.

The TfL representative urged officers to put forward any proposals for improvements to bus services at the yearly strategic meeting with TfL.

Council officers stated that they had requested separate meetings to examine bus services in the north, then in the south of the borough. They were also hoping to meet with TfL to focus on bus services in central Croydon in the light of significant forthcoming developments in the area.

-„« Temporary bus stops
The TfL representative reported that work to install temporary bus stops had been costed at approximately £1600 each. He added that no further work would be done by TfL on these in view of the high costs. Panel members remarked that the absence of bus stops during road works and other disruptions sometimes meant that people had to walk a mile to the next stop.

-„« South Norwood bus services and gaps in bus services
Council officers reported that these services had been raised at recent meetings with TfL but would be discussed in greater depth at future meetings

-„« Bus services to Tollers Lane, Coulsdon
Panel members reported that it was proposed to build 40 new homes in the area, and that 20 units had been constructed two years ago. They stressed the increasingly urgent need for bus services in the area. They added that there had been plans to build a new wide road in the area but that the money allocated to this work had never been used, as a result of which it is currently not safe for large vehicles to turn left on the existing road. The nearest bus stop is over one kilometre away, which presents a challenge for the local residents, many of whom are elderly and on a low income, and rely on public transport. Panel members stressed the need to improve the local highways and bring in bus services. They hoped that funding could be secured through section 106 or Community Infrastructure Levy (C.I.L.) contributions secured through conditions in the planning applications for the 40 new units.

-„« Terminal arrangements in Purley for the 412 bus route
Panel members were advised that a route test had been conducted and had failed. TfL officers were now considering rerouting the bus past Christchurch Road. Panel members asked for the bus to run in-service so that passengers could remain on board through Purley and alight at the hospital, to avoid crossing a number of very busy roads. Officers stated that this would be discussed at the forthcoming meeting on bus services in the south of the borough.

-„« Proposed changes to routes 289 and 455 (Purley Way)
The Chair reported that there had been an unfavourable reaction to proposals to change these two routes at the Waddon Community Forum two weeks previously and panel members felt that these proposals needed to be reconsidered by TfL. they added that the 289 bus stop was the only one linking buses with trams and should not be removed. Doing so would force people to cross busy roads with heavy shopping to access the closest remaining bus stop. The TfL representative urged all concerned to respond to the consultation by its deadline of 7 March.

-„« Lack of crossing at West Croydon bus station
Panel members were reminded that many requests for a crossing had been made since the reopening of West Croydon station.

The TfL representative stated that there was a fortnightly operational meeting with signal crossing staff, also attended by council officers Sue Ritchie and Mike Barton. He suggested that these officers be contacted to explore the possibility of a signalised crossing from West Croydon station. Council officers also announced that they were exploring the possibility of creating a walk-in to the bus station through the forthcoming St Michael development.

Panel members stressed the importance of interconnectivity between bus, tram and overground services.

-„« Clarity and font size of bus service information at bus stops
The TfL representative stated that officers had confirmed the display met the industry standard despite complaints about the small print size. He suggested that this issue might be raised at the 2 March Mobility Forum meeting but stated that he could make no promised about any future changes.

-„« Absence of information at West Croydon bus station on various bus routes running through Croydon but not through the bus station
It was remarked that there was no information at West Croydon bus station about all bus services running through the centre of Croydon and it was suggested that a map be displayed showing all services and their destinations, as was the case at many other stations. The TfL representative undertook to explore the possibility of displaying such a map at West Croydon bus station.

-„« Capacity on the 166 bus route on summer Saturday and Sunday afternoons to Oaks Park lavender fields
It was reported that the lavender fields were very popular with Chinese tourists in the summer time, leading to overcrowding on the 166 bus on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in summer time. Officers undertook to discuss this at the 6 April meeting on bus services in the south of the borough.

-„« Overcrowding on the 466 (by Coulsdon College) and 410 (by Crystal Palace)
Cllr Chris Wright reported that overcrowding was becoming worse every day as both the school and Coulsdon College had grown significantly and the College was due to grow further in the not so distant future. It was suggested that the frequency of the 404 and 60 bus routes might be increased in the afternoon to address this significant rise in demand.

-„« Need for bus stop humps by bus stops on London Road
Council officers reported that the accessibility programme was progressing very well, but that any improvements needed on London Road may have been delayed due to the extensive public realm works in the area. Council officers undertook to find out whether the bus stops concerned had been assessed for accessibility.
 

Panel members were informed that no progress had been made on plan but that a consultant was due to examine the issues relating to Spurgeon's bridge in June.

The Chair announced that the second interim report on the November tram accident in Croydon had been published.

The Chair reported that he had been contacted regarding cleanliness issues at Thornton Heath garage. Council officers stated that they had contacted the relevant officers to address these issues.