TfL consults on plans to cancel the 48 bus route and cut length and frequency of 149, 242 and 67
The 67 coming up Kingsland Road. Picture: Emma Bartholomew - Credit: Emma Bartholomew iphone 8
TfL has launched a consultation on whether to cancel the 48 bus route and slash the length and frequency of a string of others.
The leaked secret plans, which will also affect the 149, 242 and 67, sparked fury last month and Hackney mayor Phil Glanville said losing the 48 would be “unacceptable”.
The route runs from London Bridge to Walthamstow, passing through Shoreditch, Hackney Road, Mare Street, Lower Clapton Road and Lea Bridge Road. The 55 route would be extended from Leyton to Walthamstow to cover the lost part of the route, but its frequency would not be increased to make up for the loss of the 48.
Kingsland Road would also be hard hit by the shake-up, with the 67 set to be cut between Dalston and Aldgate; the 149 made less frequent in the evening and Sundays; and the 242 no longer serving St Paul’s but instead going from Shoreditch to Aldgate via Commercial Street.
While the 149 would be increased during the day from every 8-9 minutes to every six minutes, the frequency of the 242 would decrease from every 7-8 minutes to every 10 minutes.
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The move has been suggested because of “excess capacity” between Dalston and Shoreditch, the point served by all three routes.
In total 34 bus routes across the capital would be affected, which would “reduce central and inner London bus kilometres by around nine per cent”, and increase customer journey times by an estimated one pc.
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“There may be greater increases for some of our customers and we would like to hear about any issues with your journey in your consultation response,” they said.
The changes would enable the bus network to be expanded in outer London according to TfL, while “adapting underused and inefficient services” in central London “that contribute to congestion and the damaging effects of air pollution”.
“The proposals are about providing the right number of buses, in the right place, at the right time,” said a spokesman.
“If no action is taken, GLA figures show that by 2041, three days would be lost per person every year due to congestion on London’s roads, and 50,000 hours would be lost to slower bus speeds in the morning peak every day,” they warned.
To respond to the consultation see bit.ly/2OWV8dt.
