Still no results on proposed Greenwich bus changes from TfL
Many months after consultation finished on plans to change a bus route in Greenwich and there’s still no update from Transport for London.
If you missed it, TfL are looking to alter the 188 bus route from east Greenwich to Greenwich peninsula.
Instead of heading via Millennium Way it’d go via the joyously uplifting space that is Tunnel Avenue.
Now, most consultations are generally a fait accompli with perhaps some minor tweaks around the edges.
This proposal however is rather awkward as it’d move the existing route further away from the massive 1,600-capacity St Mary Magdalene school serving children from ages four to 19.
That alone may not be the worst thing in an ideal world, except the walk then expected of school children and parents is dismal, polluted and dangerous both beneath the A102 Blackwall approach flyover and then roads that havn’t changed despite thousands of new homes, shops, schools and much else.
To compound it Greenwich Council don’t plan any street changes until 2037.
Yes, you read that correctly.
2037. Not exactly an authority champing at the bit to improve active travel.
Not only will it impact school children but it’d also divert away from a recently-approved development of hundreds of homes, student rooms and an adjacent hotel site on Millennium Way.
In recent weeks plans for 361 flats and 350 student beds were approved beside the existing 188 route.
The rationale for switching routes to the south of the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel approaches is to serve Morden Wharf and a neighbouring development at Enderby Wharf.
Morden Wharf will see 1,500-homes though the site has been sold so could well arrive behind approved plots on Millennium Way on the existing 188 route.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Where this all gets contentious is the sheer scale of approved housing (Greenwich peninsula will end up with around 20k homes one day) will necessitate more routes not simply switching an existing route, particularly given the impact on school children.
If money from current and prior housing had been invested in people-friendly streets it may not be such a hardship but it hadn’t – and isn’t anytime soon.
This could be why this consultation results are taking rather longer to be revealed than is the norm.
Whatever decision is made will cause problems. Keep the existing route and is bus provision enough for when Morden Wharf and Enderby Wharf’s next phase is complete?
Move the route and ensure school children use a dangerous, polluted route to school while limiting buses past a forthcoming hotel and new development?
Either option sees losers.
I do wonder what TfL officers do all day and who holds them to account ?
Thought it was the job of the Deputy Mayor for Transport ?
Still waiting to fix the escalators at Cutty Sark DLR – that saga has been going on for years.
As for that fourteen year timetable ??? Is that supposed to be taken seriously ?
Plus is that still the state of Tunnel Avenue ??
Is the Tunnel not included in street cleaning schedules ??
Tunnel avenue seems to be cleaned when I highlight what a state it’s in then nothing.
Street changes in 14 years is Greenwich’s decision. They collect and allocate developer income and manage much of the road layout there. TfL’s bit isn’t any better mind.
Feeling huge compassion for those people either living, or will be living in this area. With the 188 bus route changed, and at the same time with no intention (or rather a lack of action on this), those poor students having to walk dangerous and polluted roads just to get to school then back home again (especially as the days goes colder and darker towards Winter time) is very selfish and short-sighted of those decision-makers. Then what happens when more and more new-builts are being developed around the same are? The population will increase by far more. Lacking thoughtful and considerate planning, and zero common sense, in my humble opinion.
Kerry I could not agree with you mote. Well said I could not have put it better myself.