17 January - Less traffic, fewer accidents, slower buses, no money but new trains
Last weekְ’s Transport Users’ Sub-Committee meeting in Bexley was probably the
shortest on record at about 55 minutes but if you listened hoping to hear
comment on how TfL is to turn the once tranquil New Road into
a Bus Superhighway
with very nearly one every two minutes you would be sorely disappointed. Bexley Council
argued against it three years ago and TfL ignored them then as it
would surely ignore them now. Such was Bexley Council’s interest in the subject
that the Councillor who reintroduced it couldn’t remember the route
number.
The B11 has been using New Road since 1st March 2003, before that
date it was bus-free.
The
first item discussed was the allegedly dangerous Hook Lane in Welling (Welling Corner to A2) and
whether a pedestrian crossing would be beneficial. The Chief Highways Engineer Andrew Bashford said that parking spaces, residents’ dropped kerbs and the most
recently available accident statistics did not justify any traffic calming. Speeding is not a Council responsibility but the police officer at the
meeting volunteered to look at the situation..
As one might expect the
cyclist’s representative argued that motorists should be penalised by having
their parking spaces removed but was told that all the evidence points to parked
cars being a deterrent to speeding.
TfL has withdrawn funding for road safety education and the well regarded head of Bexley’s school crossings team
has voluntarily left Council employment as a result. Councillor Stefano
Borella (Labour) said that the funding has been restored and the TfL
representative at the meeting confirmed that was recently the case but only until March 2021.
2020’s reduced traffic levels accompanied by allegedly higher speeds have
resulted in noticeably fewer road traffic accidents.
Chairman Val Clark said she was concerned by the
behaviour of school children while waiting for and riding on buses. They ignore
the Covid rules. The police said they are maintaining patrols at normal levels
but under-18s cannot be fined although in extreme
cases school children could have their free travel concession withdrawn. Councillor John Davey (Conservative) had seen
similar non-compliance.
Crime on Bexley’s buses is at almost vanishingly low levels, six incidents in December 2020 and much lower
than in earlier years.
No information was forthcoming from Network Rail
about the proposed turn back facility at Bexleyheath. Station Covid swabbing tests have all come back negative.
A flexible ticketing scheme is coming and new air-conditioned trains
will replace “the 40 year old units”. Two so far, more soon. Pedantically they are three year old units formerly used by South Western
Trains. Councillor Borella in full-on train spotting mode said they were nothing
like 40 years old, more like 25 and as usual he is right. Trains were all slam door units
when I moved into the borough 34 years ago, a time when
trains reached London in only
two thirds of the time taken now.
There were seven new train timetables
introduced during 2020 and currently there is no station skipping.
It was
Councillor Davey who introduced the subject of more buses along New Road in Abbey Wood and
asked a number of questions which would have been unnecessary if he had read
last Thursday’s blog. The TfL representative was of no help because he didn’t
realise that the consultation and approval of the change is more than three years
old. Look at TfL’s consultation webpage to see what is there now was his
suggestion. Given the circumstances I think his lack of knowledge on the 469
route change can be forgiven, the delayed revision is old news - but
totally unnecessary until Crossrail services commence and inconvenient for many even then.
There was no discussion on the ongoing or proposed road ‘improvements’.
Abbey Wood station and Harrow Manorway improvements are on hold but the new Bexley Road bus lane is coming soon.