a) Updates from TfL Actions arising from last meeting
Michelle Wildish (TfL)
Ø Outcome of the 468 Bus Review
Ø Outcome of consultation concerning 404 and 434 Buses
Ø Update on changes made to 466 and 60 Buses concerning Oasis School and Coulsdon Sixth Form
Ø Update on any planned changes to the 166 route during summer
b) Bus services in the Town Centre
Michelle Wildish (TfL)
c) Performance of the 433 Bus Route
Michelle Wildish (TfL)
d) 130 Bus Route – Rerouting in New Addington
Michelle Wildish (TfL)
e) Plans to reinstate the Central Hill Bus Stop
Michelle Wildish (TfL)
f) Thornton Heath bus garage– (Update)
Richard Simmons (Arriva) & Linda Johnson (Pollution Team Manager)
Minutes:
a) Updates from TfL Actions arising from last meeting
Ø Outcome of the 468 Bus Review
The TfL representative stated that overcrowding had not been identified on this route to the extent that it had caused passengers to miss buses, or wait more than 10 minutes for another bus. The Panel were encouraged to report any instances that did occur.
Ø Outcome of consultation concerning 404 and 434 Buses
The TfL representative explained the intention of providing a bus service to the Cane Hill development and some areas of Lower Coulsdon; the consultation in January and February 2019 had received mixed responses, and so other options would be considered. There was a possibility of a consultation on rerouting the 404 to Cane Hill and Tollers Estate, with increased frequency.
The East Surrey Transport Committee stated that they had identified issues with school travel capacity on the 434 if frequency was not increased, and the TfL representative responded that this would be looked into to inform the final decision.
The Head of Transport informed the Panel that a consultation on parking restrictions on Tollers Estate had taken place to allow better access for buses. Additional parking bays and changes to corners were being implemented, but parking restrictions would not be implemented until there had been action tom TfL.
Ø Update on changes made to 466 and 60 Buses concerning Oasis School and Coulsdon Sixth Form
There were two additional 466 buses serving Oasis School on weekday afternoons to alleviate safety concerns with Lacey Drive. The change had improved safety and allowed teachers to more easily monitor pupils. During summer 2019 the second bus would be replaced by a 60 bus, with the overall frequency of the 466 increasing. This would also help pick up additional pupils from Coloma School.
Ø Update on any planned changes to the 166 route during summer
From the 22 June a shuttle bus would run between Purley and Banstead on Saturday and Sundays to cater for the extra demand to reach the lavender fields.
The Chair and Panel welcomed this.
b) Bus Services in the Town Centre
The TfL representative explained that proposed changes were intended to make the network simpler and more efficient, and to alleviate the effects of town centre development. 1500 responses had been received to the consultation, and these were being analysed and fed into a report. The report would be reviewed internally and published in early July 2019, after discussions with the council. Feedback on the report would be given at the next meeting of the Panel in October 2019.
The East Surrey Transport Committee representative expressed concerns over the distances that passengers may have to travel to change between bus lines, with the effect of this falling primarily on service users with reduced mobility. It was stated that there were opportunities for more buses to serve East Croydon, to improve the network and not to cut it. In response to this the TfL representative stated that mitigations would be made to address these concerns.
Action Point – for the TfL representative to give feedback on the report at the next meeting of the Panel in October 2019.
c) Performance of the 433 Bus Route
The TfL representative acknowledged that there had been complaints of irregular service of the 433 bus route through Selsdon. Discussions with the operator had revealed that these had mostly been during May and June 2019, owing to a burst water main in the Park Hill area.
Frequency of the route had been reduced in September 2018, and this had meant that disruption to the service caused longer waits for service users; this had been exacerbated by the limited opportunities on the route to curtail buses early and get back on schedule. The East Surrey Transport Committee representative queried whether this would be possible through Addington Village, to assist with peak flow in the opposite direction, and the TfL representative said they would feed this back.
d) 130 Bus Route – Rerouting in New Addington
The TfL representative stated that extending the route to King Henry’s Drive would require an additional bus on the route, or a reduction in frequency, and that the demand for this had been too low.
The East Surrey Transport Committee representative explained that some residents had to walk 400m uphill to the nearest bus stop, with many of these being quite elderly. It was suggested that the whole route be reviewed to fill gaps in the service.
The TfL representative informed the Panel that these issues had been raised at the Mobility Forum, and that they would be taken back to TfL who had already begun looking at many Croydon routes.
e) Plans to reinstate the Central Hill Bus Stop
The TfL representative stated that this bus stop had been removed around 15 years ago, and that there had been no plans for it to be reinstated. The site was in Lambeth, who could go through the process of requesting a stop be implemented.
The Chair stated that there needed to be continued investment in buses, with the overriding message of the Mayor’s Strategy being to get people out and using public transport.
f) Thornton Heath bus garage – (Update)
The resident stated that they had been under the impression after the last Panel meeting that lasting changes would have been implemented, however they had only lasted a couple of evenings. There had still been a lot of run-ins and buses having to be left outside the garage due to capacity issues. Passengers still often had to get onto buses in the middle of the road; there were noise issues with tests being done in the street and instances of idling.
The second resident agreed and added that the location of the garage was residential, not industrial, with these issues going from morning to late evening and having a huge impact on residents. The problems did not seem to be recognised by the operator. The residents in attendance were not the only ones concerned with the site; one had been in the area 35 years and felt it was worse than it had ever been, with more cars and residents in the area than before.
The Arriva representative informed the Panel that there had been room in the garage to accommodate all necessary buses. Promises had been made to see if some buses could be accommodated in the Norwood garage; this had taken longer than expected, but four routes had been moved across. Night services of the 64 route had been rescheduled; the bus wash had been replaced; feasibility studies and fuelling systems had been looked at. An air pollution awareness event had been put on for drivers, and the recovery company had been talked to to ensure noise would be reduced. There was an appreciation that the site was in a busy area, and that observations had not been as frequent as desired, but this had mainly been down to temporary staff shortages. A new contract had been signed with the cleaning company, and this allowed for noise penalties. There had been limited access to CCTV to investigate all complaints, but efforts would continue to be made.
In response to questions from the Chair about whether there had been a capacity issue at the site, and whether the lease specified a number of buses that could be accommodated, the Panel heard that there was not a restriction on the lease, but that it had been an obligation of the operator to their staff to ensure the garage had not been overcapacity, due to safety concerns, and to avoid damage to buses. In response to whether TfL had imposed a restriction on the number of buses, the Panel learned that when tenders were submitted they contained where buses would be stored, and where they would operate from.
There were 99 buses stored at the site, with the Arriva representative asserting that none were kept on the road, although this had been disputed by the resident who responded that some had been on the street as late at 2.00am. The Arriva representative stated there were times when buses were changing on the street, but this should not have occurred overnight and this might have been the fault of the contract cleaners.
The Chair asserted that issues with the garage had been ongoing for a long time, and suggested Arriva invite residents in to discuss issues, to give both parties a better understanding of each other’s perspectives. There could be an opportunity for Arriva to share its schedules and procedures to assist in finding a way forward. The Chair hoped that this would be resolved in the coming few months, and suggested that TfL, Arriva and residents meet to agree actions, and that they would be happy to attend.
g) Faulty Bus Stop Countdown Timers – Wellesley Road and East Croydon
The East Surrey Transport Committee representative stated that countdown timers on southbound stops on Wellesley Road had been damaged by leaks in late 2018 and removed; they had not been reinstated. The Head of Transport informed the Panel that the repair of the bus stop could be the responsibility of the council and that they would see what could be done. There were a number of other faulty timers around the borough.
The TfL representative agreed to note this and take it back to TfL. The Mobility Forum representative raised if the position of some stops on Wellesley road could be reconfigured, and the TfL representative acknowledged that this had been raised at the previous Panel meeting and agreed to see if any progress had been made.