Running just to the north of my central Lewisham patch, Darryl today reports on the sudden, unexpected and roadworks-attributed cutback of bus route 53 from Trafalgar Square to Lambeth North, starting tomorrow.
But that’s not the only cut sprung on us via the publicity medium of the scrolling bottom row of iBus displays in the past day or two. Yesterday I noticed on a 47 I’d caught iBus said the route would only run as far as Liverpool Street station, not Shoreditch, also from tomorrow (17 January 2015). No explanation of why, and at that point there was no information to be found about this anywhere online at all – including in TfL’s bus service changes PDF, which hasn’t been updated since 10 December!
The new 47 service harks back to the era represented on this canvas I found in my block of flats’ bin room some time ago – but without the Bromley end!
I tweeted at @TfLBusAlerts, from where the ever-helpful Craig revealed it was (like the 53’s cut) due to roadworks. I’ll be in Shoreditch on Monday evening and will be interested to see if these look noticeably worse than they’ve been for months – and, if not, what’s changed to warrant depriving SE Londoners of a direct link to Shoreditch as part of what appears to be something of a network-wide service-reduction approach to coping with disruption, starting tomorrow.
My Catford-dwelling friend received an e-mail from TfL this lunchtime, giving a grand total of half a day’s notice of the change. (I’ve no idea why she always gets these kinds of e-mails and I don’t, but thanks to her for passing it on!)
The text reads:
I am writing to let you know that from Saturday 17 January until further notice, route 47 in the City of London area, will stop short of its normal destination. This is due to major road works being undertaken on behalf of a number of utility companies, who are carrying out upgrades and essential repair works.
During this time, there will be the following changes:
- Route 47 will not run between Liverpool Street Station and Shoreditch
- Buses will start and finish from Liverpool Street bus station
Rather briefer and simpler than the e-mail about the 53, which sounds like it’ll run its full route at certain times – no such luck for 47 passengers.
The worst aspect of the 47 change is the complete lack of suggestion of an end-date to the inconvenience.
https://twitter.com/TfLBusAlerts/status/556116373865529345
It feels worryingly like an attempt to change this route near-permanently without the hassle of consultations, expense of publicity and need to provide proper justification. Let’s hope the end does come eventually.
SE13URE 
How does this square 1) with the obligations to give the appropriate notice for changing a route, and other details of the route registration – will this appear in next N&P from SE&Met TAO? 2) whilst the bus operator is expected to register the service and operate it very much as if it was doing this anywhere in UK, when it comes to moves like this suddenly its TfL London Buses? Yet when it comes to a matter of a strike, bus maintenance, operating legally & safely it is the bus operators’ issue to deal with?
This dichotomy, of the times when there is a clear chain of control & due diligence from the principal client and brand manager (London Buses) and when that chain is disconnected is a detail many would like to clarify, not least on safety, as http://www.saferoxfordstreet.blogspot.com at times rather vociferously highlights.