21 July (Part 2) - A disappointing Transport meeting
I
like going to the Transport Users’ Sub-Committee meeting because everyone will
or should have an interest in its subject matter.
I missed the March meeting because I was in a hospital bed but last
Thursday’s started in the familiar way with a welcome from Chairman Cameron
Smith and his secretarial assistant Chantelle. But it was disappointing in several other ways.
Councillors were not in a talkative mood which presumably means that I have
upset both Conservatives and Labour Councillors in equal measure, which is no bad thing.
The meeting is conducted by Zoom or Teams or some such system and the sound
quality is only just tolerable first hand as it were, but is distinctly naff on the recording.
This first report is compiled from notes and memory and of course the Agenda and
will be augmented once the recording has been checked.
These were not the only disappointments; the normally excellent railway people
had very little new to say, the TfL representative didn’t have many answers to
questions and the police, useless as always, did not put in appearance or even
apologise for not doing so. The Chairman has already said what
he thinks
about the police’s fairly consistent failure to show up but I think I have a solution.
Cameron should rename his Committee to the Trans Users’ Sub-Committee, come dressed in his
ceremonial kilt (I have seen the photo) and misgender someone. The police would be there in rainbow
coloured cars in no time at all and do what they do best at Council meetings. Be totally unprepared.
So what did the railway people say? Well they cleared up my confusion over @SteveWhiteRail
who a few months ago announced he was moving to Network Rail but continued to
comment on Southeastern matters. We were told he now wears both hats and as he,
like his subordinates who work with Bexley Council, always seem to be on top of their game, it must be a good
thing. Southeastern and Network Rail cooperating closely has to be beneficial for travellers.
We learned that Southeastern cancels fewer trains than its rivals and Network Rail plans to
deep clean all its Bexley stations apart from Sidcup which was done not long ago.
In not so good news the subway at Bexley station is now in such a bad state that
it is beyond economical repair and will close permanently on 6th September.
Passenger numbers are growing, up by ten million journeys last year although the
Elizabeth line gave Abbey Wood (and nearby) a battering. A 20% loss of passengers. Not surprising. As us locals
will know, the National Rail Enquiries website directs travellers to Waterloo
to the Liz and Jubilee lines - and it is consistently quicker than Southeastern.
There will be the usual Autumn leaf fall timetable with trains setting out
earlier although it will mainly affect long distance routes. Cameron Smith put
in a plea for any station skipping to give Albany Park a break this year. It has
only just had its 15 minute interval service restored.
The TfL lady reminded us that the DLR to Thamesmead consultation will end on 17th August and of the increase
in the Congestion Charge from £15 to £18. The same lady spoke of an EV
exemption and Councillor Hinkley queried it. The TfL lady got in a muddle and we
got no answer but I can tell Sally that my renewal reminder said nothing about
any exemptions; it comes to an end on Christmas Eve and it is a stuff you from Sadiq. For 2025 it is
same money, half the benefits. Even
new residents to central London are to lose their discounts. Sadiq doesn’t care about anyone.
Cameron put in a half-hearted plea for the SL3 to stop in Bexley
Village but realises that for now at least it is a lost cause. He said that TfL stats show
it to be the least used of the SuperLoop routes.
Undeterred, a guest speaker said that the SL3 is grossly overcrowded and needs
new and larger buses. Obviously someone without any knowledge of vehicle size
regulations or the difficulties of steering a double decker through Bexley’s
narrowed streets. Later on someone else asked for more cycle lanes please with
little recognition of the need for cycle tracks to take the shortest route or
bikers will go another way; and sometimes the shortest route is just not
practical for a cycle track. I think I could see Cameron’s eyes rolling.
I sometimes think that the Committee guests are there to make sure that however
silly Councillors’ comments are they will never be the silliest.
Speaking of which…
Councillor John Davey continued with his one man campaign to do away with the
Superloop stop at Lion Road. It is only a short walk from the Library so why
bother, he says. I may be biased because I use the SL3 to Lion Road quite
often, though not as much as I used to. The Library is a brisk ten minutes walk away
By what right does a Councillor without a shred of statistical evidence think he has
a case for withdrawing bus services from a ward that is not his? TfL for all its
inefficiencies must know which stops are useful and have determined that Lion Road is worth having.
For God’s sake don’t tell John about Florence Road where SL3 passengers may alight
and in the morning peak period be able to walk from there to Abbey Wood Station in less time than
the bus takes to crawl over the flyover. I use that stop frequently including
this afternoon when an electric SL3 whisked me from Lion Road to near home in
just a few minutes. Don’t let John Davey ruin it. If bus stops are never used
as he claims they don’t slow the service do they? Elementary I would have thought.
On roads it was revealed that three new flat (not humped) Zebras will go ahead shortly and
the long awaited Abbey Wood CPZ (including my own road) will be operational by
mid-September with West Heath following a month later. Apparently humped
crossings and speed humps generally are the subject of far too many noise and vibration complaints.
In 2011 when Boris Johnson was seeking
re-election I heard him say that speed humps
were old hat and if re-elected would make sure there were no more.
Unfortunately that promise did not go on the old blog.