Sunita Gordon, Marian James and Barry Lewis

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Sutton Council opposes changes to 463 bus route

by Sunita Gordon on 9 October, 2015

Sutton Council has voiced its opposition to Transport for London’s proposed changes to the 463 bus route in Beddington and Wallington.

In the council’s response to the TfL consultation, which ends today (Friday 9 October), the council considered any proposed amendment to the bus route to be “unwelcome and unwise” and asked TfL “not to proceed with this proposal”.

The TfL proposal, which would mean the 463 bus no longer served Manor Road and Croydon Road between Maldon Road and Demesne Road, has also been rejected by residents.

Letter to TfL below

Response to the consultation on the proposed route amendment for the 463

“The Council has a long standing aspiration to improve the coverage of bus services for residents in Beddington and Wallington, as it is noted that some residents live further than 400 metres from a bus stop. However, concern has been expressed by residents who are currently on existing bus routes such as the 463 that they may be disadvantaged if any changes occurred to present bus routes – particularly if they involve the ability to change buses at an interchange e.g. onto the X26.

Residents on the existing 463 bus route have confirmed that they are happy with the present arrangement and do not wish the current route for the 463 bus to change. Further, residents on the TfL proposed route alteration for the 463 bus have also confirmed that they do not wish the route to change either for a number of specific reasons which are set out below. Bearing this in mind, the Council cannot support TfL’s proposal for a route change to the 463 bus. With this letter we are expressing our opposition to the proposed route change.

Following the launch of the consultation on the proposed change to the 463 route by TfL, there has been a considerable amount of concern from residents about this proposal. A petition with over 500 signatures has been assembled and this is being presented to TfL’s Commissioner by Tom Brake MP. Many residents have also written to Tom Brake MP and Councillors and expressed opposition on the doorstep. The main concerns of residents are around:

• the risk of exacerbating congestion in these residential roads;

• the potential loss of on-street parking and the potential need for residents to provide off-street parking on their front gardens and move street furniture to create dropped kerbs;

• the potential for an increase in noise and air pollution along the residential roads which could be exacerbated by the stop-start nature of this traffic calmed route;

• the potential road safety risk posed by the buses as heavy vehicles;

• potential anti-social behaviour caused by waiting passengers;

• the lack of need or demand for this alternative route.

Ward members report that those along the route of the current service are concerned about the impact on journey times with the loss of the service, and that current users are also concerned about the loss of connections with the X26 at Wallington Green.

We welcome the resources that TfL have applied to their consultation which has included an extended time period for response to reflect the summer holiday period and a willingness to make provision for a second round of written communication with the residents of Malden Road, Montague Gardens and the affected part of Demesne Road when it became clear that not all residents had received the information initially. We are pleased that the consultation has been more widely publicised and that TfL report a greater than average number of responses.

As a consequence of the concerns of residents, the Council considers that it would be unwelcome and unwise for TfL to go ahead with the service change, and therefore respectfully asks TfL not to proceed with this proposal. The Council remains committed to working with TfL to improve bus services where ward councillors and residents consider there are clear benefits, particularly in areas most distant from bus routes.”

 

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