The 484 and 172 among London's busiest buses

The London Assembly transport committee has identified two Brockley bus routes (the 484 and 172) as being among the top 10 most crowded routes in the capital, according to a passenger survey. In a report issued last month, the committee examined how the system will be able to cope with continued passenger growth - 4% growth in the last ten years, with 7% growth predicted in the next 10):

The committee calls for the Mayor to publish a new strategy to show how London will respond to growing demand and makes a number of recommendations of its own, although they mainly amount to "run a good bus service". You can read the report here. The results of the survey should mean that the 484 and 172 (and South East London bus routes in general) receive particular attention.

With thanks to Laura.

The Economist on East London Line

Last post based on an Economist article for a while, we promise, but a few people tipped us off about this one and it's relevant to London's "great inversion", as well as our daily commutes.

Last week, the magazine focused on the London Overground's impact on areas along its route and claims the TfL-run model is likely to be rolled-out to other services as a result of its success, with the South Eastern service among the most likely to be taken over:

Since it opened in 2010—with extensions in 2011 and 2012—the London Overground changed two things. First, the way that commuters get around the capital has shifted. In 2008, 33m passengers zipped up and down the service. Last year 120m did. Fully 64% of those who use the network are getting to and from work. This initially lightened heavily congested trains on the Southern service (another line running along the route) with 46% of new passengers swapping from other train services...
  
Second, areas that were once underdeveloped became more popular... In Peckham Rye, another stop on the service in the south-east, average values went up by 24%. In New Cross, also in the south-east, the average value of property sold increased by 12%. Many buyers are young professional families, says Abdallah Osman of Winkworth, another estate agent. By contrast, average property values in Highgate, a leafy suburb in north London fell by 8%, while those in Muswell Hill, also in the north, fell by 3%. As prices go up across London, younger families and rich professionals are pushed farther east... 

But the continuing success of the Overground will not come smoothly. TfL predicts that several parts of the line will be crammed with commuters by 2016... Squeezed buses and Tubes in the East End have not seen the decline of 6m passengers originally predicted. New passengers have simply taken the place of those who have swapped to the Overground.

For the full article, click here.

The shuck of the new

From tomorrow, weekly Travelcards will no longer be available from Overground ticket offices. Instead, passengers will need to use Oyster. Thanks to Endwell Andy (who hates Oyster) for the reminder.

Boris "seriously looking at the Bakerloo extension"

Mayor Boris Johnson has confirmed that he is giving serious consideration to a Bakerloo Line extension through South East London. In today's #askboris Q&A, he responded to a question about tube provision in south London:

yes, seriously looking at Bakerloo line extension #askboris @opearman
— Boris Johnson (@MayorofLondon) September 23, 2013

This is the second bit of positive noise Boris has made about the idea this year. And while we understand that these utterances need to be taken with a huge dollop of salt, we've argued for a while that although the Bakerloo line is nominally lower down the priority list than the likes of Crossrail 2, it's also a relatively cheap and easy way of expanding London's transport capacity, in a way that might become appealing to our opportunistic Mayor.

While mega-projects like Crossrail and Thameslink take decades, everyone has taken note of what the relatively cheap and easy ELL upgrade achieved. The Northern Line extension to Battersea is set to do something similar. A Mayor in search of a quick win could do worse than extend the Bakerloo through Southwark to Lewisham.

With thanks to Monkeyboy.

Canada Water platform extension confirmed

TfL has confirmed that five-carriage East London Line trains will start running at the end of next year, with all doors opening at Canada Water, thanks to a platform extension at that station.

Confirming the appointment of the construction contractor, TfL says:

The first of [the five carriage] trains will run on the East London route - Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Crystal Palace, West Croydon and the South London route to Clapham Junction - by December 2014.

Works to extend platforms will take place at the following stations on the East London route: Highbury & Islington, Canonbury, Hoxton, Haggerston, Dalston Junction, Shoreditch, Shadwell, Wapping, Canada Water and Surrey Quays on the east London route, as well as Wandsworth High Street, Clapham High Street and Clapham Junction on the south London route. Work at the first of these stations is expected to begin in autumn.

The short platforms at Canada Water can't currently accommodate five carriages, meaning that without an extension, the front doors would have remained shut. These works mean that work-around won't be necessary.

With thanks to Matt on the South East London transport forum.

Will Brockley's buses cope with passenger growth?

The London Assembly is asking Brockley Central readers to complete this survey. They explain:

Nearly 6.5 million passengers in London travel by bus each day on 700 different routes. Will London buses be able to cope with the additional demand triggered by the capital’s rapidly rising population? As London grows by the equivalent of two full buses each day, will failure to expand the capital’s bus network mean passengers face overcrowded and unreliable services?

The London Assembly launched an in-depth investigation – reaching out to policy makers, transport experts and millions of London bus passengers – to examine whether the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) can meet current and future demand for buses without damaging its reputation.

The London Assembly also wants to hear from passengers about how they feel about their local services. They are being are asked to fill in a short survey that will feed into the investigation.

Chair of the Transport Committee, Valerie Shawcross AM, said:

“As half of all bus journeys made in the UK each day are taken in London, it is vital we see our bus network grow from strength to strength rather than suffer damage due to neglecting the changing needs of the capital.  The growth in passengers shown over the last decade shows no signs of diminishing. TfL’s business plan does not provide for expansion of the bus network, and unless plans are secured to deal with extra passengers, London buses run the risk of entering a period of decline.

“We intend to gather the views of passengers across London for our investigation to help Assembly form strong recommendations to avoid a decline in standards across the bus network. Otherwise London’s growing reputation as a model city for buses could be under threat.”

Sink the South Circular!

The Evening Standard reports that the Mayor of London's transport advisers are recommending that the South Circular should be driven underground, to free up more space on the surface and make the areas it travels through more pleasant to live and breathe in.

The plan is part of a series of recommendations, budgeted at £30bn, to improve road transport while tackling problems like air pollution and making better use of London's limited space. The Standard says:

The bold proposal is greater in ambition than the current £15 billion Crossrail project under the capital and is the most eye-catching plan from the influential Roads Taskforce.

It is the first strategic review for decades of London’s roads which Boris Johnson believes have been overlooked even though they account for 80 per cent of passenger trips. Sources stress the tunnelling is not designed to make way for more cars but to improve the space at ground level for pedestrians, cyclists and parks while improving the environment by cutting vehicle emissions.

They insist a radical solution is needed. Central London has lost 30 per cent of its capacity for motor vehicles in a decade to schemes such as cycle lanes and pedestrianisation. The task is made urgent because London’s population is forecast to grow by 1.25 million by 2031, adding 14 per cent to road congestion.

Much though the good folk of Forest Hill bridle at any suggestion that the South Circular spoils their home, the leaden scar it carves through this part of London is a big problem and the respiratory problems caused by car pollution alone demand a radical approach. The £30bn cost of the project could be significantly offset by using the reclaimed land for residential and commercial purposes.

TfL is now due to look at the proposals.

Vegetable matter

Robin writes:

I was in Russell Square station today and noticed this striking TFL poster...

We've had a look for this project on the Volunteer Team website, but it seems no, you couldn't plant vegetables on Brockley Road: Either it's a hypoethetical example or it's extremely well hidden by their search engine. This is a good initiative, but it's a shame if someone inspired to volunteer locally can't work out how to do what's being advertised. There are, however, opportunities to volunteer with food charity FareShare, The Scouts or Brockley's Montage Theatre Arts.

If TfL and the Mayor of London are keen on vegetable growing on Brockley Road then there is a little corner of Brockley Road that could easily be turned in to a vegetable patch and flower garden. The disused entrance to the upper level of Brockley Station is currently fenced off and a little overgrown. Handing that spot over to the community and allowing people to install planters could created a nice little green space in place of one of Brockley’s ugliest spots.

Extra capacity on the East London Line as TfL orders 57 new carriages

TfL has ordered 57 new London Overground carriages, which will enable it to expand capacity on the East London Line by the end of next year, sooner than previously expected.

The order means that trains will be lengthened by an extra carriage, increasing capacity by 25%. The East London Line (the busiest stretch of the service) will be the first to get the upgrade.

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In other Brockley Station news, a few BCers have asked us about the building work currently taking place on the northbound platform. Unfortunately, this does not signal the start of step-free access, they're just relocating the cafe.

Boris: Bakerloo line extension's time has come

The Standard reports:

Boris Johnson today raised hopes of extending the Bakerloo line further into south-east London by describing it as a £2 billion project whose “time has come”. 

The Mayor confirmed his wish to take the line from Elephant and Castle to Camberwell and Peckham and probably overground to Bromley after pressure from Labour-run Southwark council. 

Precise routes have yet to be confirmed and it could take more than a decade to secure funding. [Southwark Council leader] Mr John, who was told by the Mayor that “it’s a deal” when he lobbied him at a property conference in Cannes, said it was important to get the scheme included in Transport for London’s masterplan for 2020. TfL is working with Southwark and Lewisham to examine the potential for the extension “unlocking” other developments. 

Mr Johnson said: “It is the new extension of the Northern line that is making possible the development of Battersea. We can do the same for south-east London.”

There are several possible routes that have been touted, including one that would stop at Brockley Station, as this image posted on South East Central illustrates:

Other possible routes could take the line through Honor Oak or New Cross (to see more discussion about possible routes on the Nunhead forum, click here).

A Bakerloo Line extension is low-hanging fruit for the Mayor and this is a welcome change of rhetoric. Relatively cheap and easy to deliver (by the standards of mass-transit projects), serving an area of enormous economic potential, extending a line that stops short at Elephant & Castle and is therefore unbalanced in terms of passenger volumes. The Bakerloo would fill the gap between Crossrails 1 and 2 and address one of the biggest holes on the London transport map. It will happen.