Transport for London (TfL) have warned that bus services in central London could be cut by up to 20% under new proposals in response to savings demanded by the Government. TfL are currently consulting on the proposals which include the removal of 250 buses and 16 routes across the capital. The 4 bus from Archway to Blackfriars and the 24 from Hampstead Heath to Pimlico are two of the routes that would be scrapped as a part of the biggest bus cuts for decades.
The 88 bus would begin in Hampstead, rather than Parliament Hill Fields, to replace the 24 route, and the 214 – whilst running on down to Camden Town as now, will then go on down to Pimlico, instead of Moorgate, in order to replace the 88. With next year’s scrapping of the 271, this means there will no longer be any direct bus route to Kings Cross and Moorgate from Highgate. However, the 205 service would instead start from Parliament Hill Fields and go via Camden Town and Kings Cross and Liverpool Street to Mile End.
The 43 bus, which currently runs from Halliwick Park to London Bridge, would instead terminate at Liverpool Street.
See maps below for the proposed new routes.
The Consultation on these proposed changes runs until 12 July, 2022. Read the full Central London Bus Review and have your say at https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/busreview.
The proposed cuts to buses serving Highgate are very badly planned with no regard for older people. With the 271 bus abolished and the 214 now being diverted onto the 88 bus route, there are now no buses from Highgate Village to Kings Cross St Pancras or Moorgate, both very necessary and popular routes. As older residents with no car and finding travel on the underground difficult because of the number of steps, walking distances, etc. these plans will severely curtail our mobility.
At 97 yrs these bus cuts from Highgate village will
affect me seriously. I dare not use the tube and the local
taxi is unreliable. Also expensive when of course I have
a free bus pass
They could extend the 205 to the old 271 terminus (as the 263 will run through) which would provide a direct link to Old Street via St. Pancras from Highgate Village. Still no link to Moorgate though.
These cuts aren’t so bad, but TfL just need to fix some things about them, I’ve picked a few changes which I think significantly stand out.
The 414 and N430 won’t replace the withdrawn section between Marble Arch and Baker Street Station, meaning you’d either have to spend 20 minutes walking all the way there from Marble Arch, or spend 10 minutes waiting to change to the congested and packed 2 (Which will probably be even more packed when people have to change buses to get to Baker Street Station).
These changes will also remove direct connections from East London to Paddington (205, N205), which is still an extremely significant connection that I see many people board the 205 for.
If you live near Chelsea Old Town Hall or The Latchmere too there won’t be any direct connections to buses in High Street Kensington and people who will need to go from Chelsea Old Town Hall or The Latchmere to Willesden or North Kensington will need to change 3 BUSES (Excluding the 70 in South Kensington and getting the 452 in Sloane Square, as the 70 takes the long and congested ways round and going all the way from Chelsea Old Town Hall or The Latchmere to Sloane Square just to get the 452 will add 2-4 more miles into your journey). What absolutely pisses me off is that if the 345 got a minor extension up to the Royal Albert Hall or Notting Hill Gate this wouldn’t even be much of a problem.