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News and Comment July 2023

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21 July (Part 1) - Super Loopy

Superloop Superloop stopsLater today - it is 6 a.m. and the the by-election results have not yet been revealed in 20 minutes of listening to my news radio station - TfL will announce a six week consultation on their proposed Bromley to Thamesmead bus service to be numbered SL3 and branded SuperLoop. (The map omitted Thamesmead before the Bexley Council intervention.)

Old timers might say that is to restore the 229 of the 1980s which used to run through to Bromley North railway station.

The 229 was divided into two routes because road congestion and Bexley’s ever narrowing roads made operating to a reliable timetable impossible.

However this time it is different, SL3 will be a limited stop service and the slide briefly put on screen at last night’s Transport Users’ Committee in the Council offices suggests it will serve Bexleyheath Market Place (the Clock Tower), Lion Road, Bexleyheath Station, Abbey Wood station and Thamesmead.

With a 12 minute frequency most of the time that is another ten diesel buses an hour on New Road. Electric power has been ruled out for the foreseeable future.

The overall Bromley to Thamesmead journey time is expected to be an hour and a quarter. Getting around the Knee Hill roundabout and over the flyover might in practice take ten minutes of that.

It is now 6:24 and I still don’t know the by-election results except that there is a suggestion that Sadiq Khan has given Labour a kick in the teeth in Uxbridge. It looks like being a good day.

P.S. In other bus news, TfL plans to terminate the 229 and 269 services at stops 300 yards apart, effectively halving the service frequency for passengers heading towards Sidcup. Cabinet Member Richard Diment who graced last night’s meeting with his presence has protested on behalf of residents and TfL has acknowledged the downgrade. I do not recall the former Cabinet Member for Places being sufficiently interested in residents’ well being to attend the Transport Committee meeting.

TfL acknowledged the problem but two or three years ago they did the same in Woolwich with the QE Hospital services. They prefer people to run around three stops but unlike in Bexley, all three are visible from one vantage point. Amateur sprinters can usually manage.

 

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