Transport for London is going ahead with three new bus routes to serve Croydon and Sutton, with significant changes lined up for 13 existing south London routes.
All change: TfL’s re-routeing will affect 13 existing routes, see others axed and bring in three new routes
With no prospect of the long-requested tram extension to the Royal Marsden Hospital at Belmont, TfL is seeking to deliver public transport for the “Cancer Hub” with new and re-routed bus services around Belmont, Sutton, Purley, Addiscombe and Waddon.
TfL consulted on the changes last year, as they seek to rationalise and reduce some services due to the reduced fares income they have suffered since the first covid lockdown.
TfL says that fewer than a thousand members of the public participated in its consultation, of which 35 per cent supported and 22 per cent opposed the proposals.
“After carefully considering all responses and feedback received, we have decided to go ahead with our proposals with some amendments.”
No date has yet been set for the route changes, which are “subject to confirmation of future funding arrangements”, TfL says, acknowledging the continuing need for support from central government because of the financial impact of covid-19.
The original proposals for bus routes S1, 164, 312, 405, 407, 434, 455 and 645 will go ahead as outlined last year, with the introduction of new routes, numbered S2, 439 and 443.
TfL has done a lot of detailed work to streamline some of the bus routes across the two south London boroughs. There are maps available for all the route changes on the TfL website
TfL says that they have “revised our proposals for bus routes 80, 166, 413, 470, S3, and S4”, though a briefing document to City Hall failed to explain what those revisions might be.
The changes as originally proposed were as follows:
- Re-route the S1 between Wrythe Lane and Middleton Road via Bishopsford Road and Green Wrythe Lane. This re-routeing would be necessary to enable the right turn to be undertaken by longer buses which would be used to operate on route S1. In Belmont, it would be re-routed via Cotswold Road rather than Belmont Station
- Introduce a new route S2 which would run between Belmont, High Down and Downview, St Helier Station via Belmont Station and the western part of the S4. Both routes S2 and S4 would operate at a frequency of every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes. Both routes would continue to operate every 30 minutes at evenings, and Sunday services with a frequency of every 30 minutes would be introduced
- Withdraw route S3 between Sutton Station and Belmont Station, and swap its routeing with the 470 between Sutton High Street and Sutton Common Station to provide a more direct routeing
- Re-structure route S4 which would now run between Waddon Marsh and Belmont Station via route 455 to Mollison Drive and then via current route S4
- Withdraw route 80 between Belmont, High Down and Downview, and Sutton Hospital. It would be converted to double-decker buses to provide sufficient capacity for growing demand, particularly at its southern end. The S2 would serve High Down and Downview
- Extend route 164 from Sutton Station to Sutton Hospital when development in that area requires additional bus capacity
- Re-number the school-day only journeys on route 405 to 645 running from Waddon Road, Purley Way to Purley in the morning and in the opposite direction in the afternoon. Between Waddon and mid-Croydon, it would run via route 407 and between mid-Croydon and Purley via route 405
- Re-structure route 407 so that it terminates at Sutton and Croydon town centres. It would continue to operate at the same frequency
- Withdraw route 413 between Sutton Garage and Sutton town centre and extend it from there via Benhill Avenue and route S3 to Belmont Station
- Re-structure route 434 so that it is extended to Caterham and diverted away from Northwood Avenue to serve new developments on Higher Drive in Kenley. Its frequency would remain unchanged
- Introduce a new route 439 which would operate between Whyteleafe and Waddon Marsh at a frequency of every 30 minutes Monday to Sunday daytimes. It would serve Kenley, Northwood Avenue as the 434 does now. The route would use single decker buses
- Introduce a new route 443 from Caterham to West Croydon Bus Station. This would replace the existing route 407 between Caterham and South Croydon but would serve Old Town instead of the town centre. This would operate Monday to Saturday daytimes at a frequency of every 15 minutes, and on Sundays and all evenings at a frequency of every 20 minutes. The route would use double decker buses
- Withdraw route 455. The southern section of the route would be replaced by changes to routes 166 and 312. Route 312 would be extended from South Croydon to Purley Old Lodge Lane via Brighton Road. Route 166 would be re-routed between Purley and Croydon town centre via route 455. The western section would be partially replaced by changes to routes S4 and the school day only journeys on route 405
- Re-route the 470 to run two-way via Stayton Road and Oldfields Road, which are judged more suitable for bus operation than Dibden and Marlborough Roads. This would require changes to the junction of Oldfields Road and Stayton Road.
To view the TfL proposals and maps in full, click here
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
- ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: Croydon was named the country’s rottenest borough in 2020 in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine – the fourth successive year that Inside Croydon has been the source for such award-winning nominations
- Inside Croydon: 3million page views in 2020. Seen by 1.4million unique visitors
