Bus cuts petition delivered to Deputy Mayor for Transport
Petitions signed by local residents opposing Transport for London’s proposed changes to local bus services were handed to the Deputy Mayor for Transport, Heidi Alexander, on Wednesday. Local London Assembly Member, Jennette Arnold AM, joined Islington and Hackney councillors at City Hall to deliver the petition and directly raise their concerns about TFL’s ongoing consultation.
The Central London Bus Review proposes changes to 33 bus routes across the capital, including the cancellation of the number 48 bus and the curtailment of the journeys made by the 19, 134 and 172.
TfL have recommended these alterations to reflect decreased demand for bus services across central London and to facilitate the reallocation of underused routes to the outer boroughs.
Since the launch of the consultation, local concerns have been raised about the potentially adverse consequences that the planned changes may have for workers on lower incomes who rely on the bus network to commute into the City and other areas of Central London. With the truncation of certain routes, passengers are more likely to need to change buses to reach their destination.
Alongside local representatives, Ms Arnold has also previously highlighted the impact that scrapping the N271 bus would have for patients and shift workers based at Whittington Hospital, which is based along the route.
The public consultation closed on 9th November and TfL are now evaluating the comments submitted before publicly releasing their response.
Local London Assembly Member, Jennette Arnold AM, said:
“It is clear that many Hackney and Islington residents have some serious concerns about the proposed changes to local bus routes.
“These changes are likely to have a far-reaching impact on our community, and it is therefore vital that TfL plays very close attention to the voices of local people during this process.
“I am grateful to the Deputy Mayor for Transport for agreeing to meet with me and other local representatives to hear some of the feedback first-hand. Going forward, I hope that the issues we have raised will be fully considered and mitigated as part of the outcome of the consultation”.
Notes to editors
- More information about the Central London Bus Review can be found here;
- Since the launch of the consultation, local concerns have been raised about the potentially adverse consequences that the planned changes may have for workers on lower incomes who rely on the bus network to commute into the City and other areas of Central London;
- Alongside local representatives, Ms Arnold has also previously highlighted the impact that scrapping the N271 bus would have for patients and shift workers based at Whittington Hospital which is based along the route;
- Jennette Arnold OBE AM is the Assembly Member for the North East (covering Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest).