a) Bus services in the Town Centre
Michelle Wildish (Transport for London)
b) 412 Bus Service Cuts
Michelle Wildish (Transport for London)
c) Diversion of Bus Route 130
Michelle Wildish (Transport for London)
d) 410 Capacity Issues along Davidson Road
Michelle Wildish (Transport for London)
e) 468 Service Reduction
Michelle Wildish (Transport for London)
f) Thornton Heath bus garage(Update)
Richard Simmons (Arriva London)
Nick Bland (Arriva London)
Minutes:
a) Bus services in the Town Centre
The representative of the Mobility Forum began this item with a discussion of planned changes to the 75 bus by TfL, with the bus no longer stopping at Fairfield Halls, and instead stopping at West Croydon Bus Station from April 2019. The representative was concerned about residents who had formerly used this bus to access the Fairfield Halls, Croydon College and East Croydon. The representative also queried where coaches park when Fairfield Halls reopened, and suggested the possibility of using College Road.
The Head of Transport shared concerns over the 75 bus and informed the Panel that the council was in discussions with TfL to minimise the impact of bus route changes as redevelopment in the Town Centre progressed. The officer also explained that the council was conscious of the current lack of viable coach parking, but confirmed that several sites were being considered to accommodate this.
The TfL representative informed the Panel that work on the Croydon Bus Consultation had begun, but that it had not yet reached the stage of public consultation. The Panel were told that this would begin in Mid-November 2018 and that both the Chair and Head of Transport had been engaged as part of the process. The representative highlighted that the Consultation was looking to meet future demand, and looked at the idea of terminating buses on either side of the Town Centre. The buses being considered for changes were the 50, 75, 109, 154, 197, 250, 264, 403, 405, 412 and 433.
The Chair enquired as to whether TfL had looked into the accessibility for certain passengers who may need to transfer across the Town Centre, such as students and those visiting Croydon University Hospital. The Chair also asked about the commercial viability of the proposed changes, and whether this would increase or decrease ridership across different routes. The Panel heard that TfL were still looking at how best to maintain hospital access and that it was eager to hear public views; the representative agreed that they would take back the question about commercial viability to TfL.
The Head of Transport agreed broadly with the TfL representative, acknowledging the rationale behind the TfL propositions. The officer added that only a small number of passengers would need to make interchanges across the Town Centre, and that this could be revisited following the completion of works on Wellesley Road.
The East Surrey Transport Committee representative submitted a document to the Chair outlining proposed amended bus services for the Town Centre during the planned redevelopment works.
The Chair queried if there was an opportunity for greater public realm with the absence of buses across the Town Centre; the officer responded that this would largely be delivered by the construction of the East-West walk by Westfield, but that cars were the greatest barrier to increased public realm.
The Mobility Forum representative raised concerns about the planned closure of the subway under Wellesley Road that linked directly to the Whitgift Centre. The Head of Transport informed the Panel that the impact of this would be reduced by the closure of the bus stops here, and that the council had secured crossings be put in place at other points on the road before the subway was closed. It was further added that a crossing would be added here with the remodelling of Wellesley Road.
Action Point – For TfL to report back on the commercial viability of the proposed bus route changes in the Town Centre.
b) 412 Bus Service Cuts
The TfL representative highlighted that all bus routes were under constant review to ensure that capacity matched demand. It was stated that the frequency change for this route took place in September 2018, and that there was not yet enough data to inform any conclusions about future changes that should be made to the route.
Action Point – For TfL to report back to the Panel once more data on this route had been collated.
c) Diversion of Bus Route 130
The Panel learned that there had been requests for the 130 bus to serve King Henry’s Drive from Vulcan Way. It was explained that this had been trialled and found not to be viable as it would have meant that the bus skipped Fieldway, with the knock on effect of overcrowding on the 64 bus.
The Access Officer expressed concern over the number of residents who were impacted by this service not including King Henry’s Drive in the route, and informed the Panel of repeated complaints to Ward Councillors from residents on the issue. The officer elaborated that the current route of the 130 was already served by other routes, and therefore diverting it should cause minimal disruption.
The Chair expressed that he was keen for an evidence based solution from TfL, and that this should be reported back at the next meeting.
Action Point – For TfL to report back with progress toward an evidence based solution for the 130 bus route.
d) 410 Capacity Issues along Davidson Road
The TfL representative informed the Panel that the route was under review, and solutions such as removing ‘double runners’ on Davidson Road were being considered. The representative expressed that TfL were eager to work with the Council on a solution to this issue as they did not want to reduce frequency, but that larger vehicles could not be used on this route due to tight turns.
Action Point – For TfL to work with the council toward a solution to 410 Capacity Issues along Davidson Road.
e) 468 Service Reduction
The Panel learned that the 468 had a service reduction in September 2018 following a review that had evidenced a fall in demand. The TfL representative explained that the service could be reviewed again should demand change, and that the route was still being monitored.
In response to enquiries by the Chair, the TfL representative stated that they would take the question on the length of time monitoring would take place back to TfL for an answer.
Action Point – For TfL to inform the Panel how long it intends to monitor the 468 bus route for service demand.
f) Thornton Heath bus garage (Update)
The Chair introduced this item by reminding the Panel that this was a repeat item, and introduced Lindsay Williams (Resident) who had completed detailed timetables concerning the bus garage, and had written to Arriva, the garage and TfL.The resident informed the Panel that she had recently been disturbed 12 times in a single night, with most of this owing to the 64 bus route. The resident highlighted the issues of engine revving from the garage, and of the street outside being used as an extension to the garage.
The Arriva Garage Manager addressed the Panel and gave some general information on the current operation. The first bus left at 3:30am and the last arrived at 2:12am, with up to 80 buses passing through the garage during peak hours. It was explained that Arriva worked closely with the cleaning contractors at the garage to avoid nuisances, and that strict penalties could be brought if the speed and noise of cleaning were not within permitted parameters. It was stated that night observations were being undertaken by supervisors to ensure engines were not being revved when building up air for brakes, or any other activities which may cause disturbances for residents. The Garage Manager stated that he had spoken directly to all staff at the garage, and awareness was high about the importance of being a ‘good neighbour’. The Panel learned that work was being undertaken to see if staggering the arrivals of night buses finishing their routes could yield positive results for residents.
The Chair asked if this was a capacity issue, and one that could not be solved without a reduction in the number of buses using the garage, or until the entire fleet were electric. The Garage Manager explained that the garage was at full capacity as this was most efficient, but that land had been secured on Beddington Farm Road, with the view to expand. The Garage Manager elaborated that despite this more investigation needed to be done to find out if this was a viable solution.
Action Point – for Arriva to continue to work directly with local residents to address outstanding issues with the Bus Garage.