Agenda item
Sudbury and Harrow Road Bus Stop Petition
- Meeting of Highways Committee, Tuesday 16 July 2013 7.00 pm (Item 6.)
- View the background to item 6.
This report responds to a petition signed by a group of 235 residents in Sudbury asking for the restoration of a bus stop/stand at 786 Harrow Road, opposite Sudbury and Harrow Road station, which was removed as part of a major improvement scheme. The full text of the petition is set out in the accompanying report.
Decision:
(i) Noted the petition received from Sudbury residents.
(ii) Declined the request for reinstatement of the original bus stop at 786 Harrow Road.
(iii) Instructed officers to review the operation and stopping patterns of bus services in Sudbury six months after scheme implementation to determine whether there have been any notable impacts on punctuality or passenger usage.
(iv) Agreed to to press TfL to expedite erection of large modern shelter at the new bus station.
(v) Instructed Officers to liaise with the appropriate department to tackle the environmental issues (pigeon droppings from the bridge), to ensure that passengers waiting for buses have a pleasanter wait.
Minutes:
Members considered a report on the petition from the local residents that requested the Council to restore the Sudbury and Harrow bus stop to its original location prior to its relocation. In setting the background to the bus stop relocation, Paul Chandler, Head of Transportation stated that the Sudbury town centre scheme was devised in 2010, at the time when articulated single-deck buses (‘bendy-buses’) were due to be withdrawn from service. The opportunity was therefore taken to review bus stand locations in Sudbury town centre as part of the new scheme design. A key design consideration was the lack of customer short stay parking and loading facilities in the town centre, an approach which was strongly supported by the traders. The scheme was also consulted on with London Buses and the Police during the design phase.
Paul Chandler explained that the new Sudbury and Harrow Road station stop was located 100m south of the original stop, less than 2 minutes’ walk. The stop move was originally proposed to rationalise stopping patterns and free up space for parking and loading facilities within the main town centre area. It had been allocated as the first southbound stop for the Route 18 service and was also used by the 92, 182 and 245 through services, the same services that stopped at the original stop location. He continued that the improvement scheme in Sudbury, which had been recently implemented, was designed to improve the ambience and viability of the town centre as well as cater for the conflicting requirements of through traffic, traders, their customers, cyclists and public transport users. To re-instate the previous bus stop as the petitioners were requesting would involve changes to a scheme that had only just been delivered and removal of on-street parking and loading facilities.
In conclusion, Paul Chandler submitted that a reinstatement to the original stop was not considered to be appropriate at this time but recommended a proposal to allow a period of six months for the current bus routing and stopping patterns to operate and “bed in” before a further review be undertaken. Officers would then review the situation in conjunction with London Buses and determine whether the current arrangement was acceptable for bus passengers and other town centre users.
Councillor Daly stated that the relocation of the bus stop had resulted in unintentional consequences for a considerable number of groups including parents, old age persons and National Health Services (NHS) users to and from Northwick Park Hospital. She added that the current location of the bus stop under the railway bridge without a bus shelter made it unpleasant for waiting passengers. Councillor Daly called for an urgent review to ensure the relocation of the bus stop to its former place.
Councillor Lorber stated that the relocation of the bus stop was carried out without adequate information as the review consultation did not point out that the bus stop would be relocated. He also stated that the new location was a major inconvenience to bus users and suggested that instead of officers’ proposed review in six months, the Council should approach London Buses with a request to bring back the bus stop to its original position.
In the discussion that followed, Councillor Mashari, Vice Chair, suggested that the environmental hazards of the new bus stop should be brought to the attention of the relevant department of the Council. She noted that the new location had become an issue within the area, however, the consultation results showed that 81% of the respondents were in favour of it. Councillor Denselow requested officers to review the scheme whilst closely monitoring any possible impact of the new location.
The Head of Transportation responded that it was always planned to provide new bus shelters at all of the stops in Sudbury. However, their provision had been delayed due to internal ordering processes within Transport for London (TfL), who arrange for bus shelters to be provided. Every effort would be made to press TfL to bring forward the provision of bus shelters. In addition, capital funding might be available, which could potentially be used to improve bus stop facilities, particularly at the new stop south of the railway bridge.
RESOLVED:
(i) that the petition received from Sudbury residents be noted;
(ii) that the request for reinstatement of the original bus stop at 786 Harrow Road be declined;
(iii) that officers be instructed to review the operation and stopping patterns of bus services in Sudbury six months after scheme implementation to determine whether there had been any notable impacts on punctuality or passenger usage;
(iv) that TfL be pressed to expedite erection of bus shelters at the new bus stops;
(v) that Officers be instructed to liaise with the appropriate department to tackle the environmental issues (pigeon droppings from the bridge), to ensure that passengers waiting for buses had a more pleasant wait.
Supporting documents: