16 October 2006 1

16 October 2006 2

London Borough of Merton Transport Liaison

Robert Pontin

Lavender Road Area Bus Review

Steps so far

• October 2010 – TfL undertakes to review local bus provision

• January 2011 – TfL produces a feasibility study which is distributed to the Local AM, Council and Residents Associations

• February 2011 – Lavender Residents & Tenants Association provide a comprehensive response to TfL

• March 2011 – TfL undertake to review feedback and continue looking at options as part of an on-going review. Also arranges a route test to see whether vehicles can use Victoria Road.

Option 1: Diverting Route 355

• Through passengers:– The average journey length on the 355 is 1.4 miles and have a journey

time of 11 minutes. They do not use the whole length of the route. The diversion via Lavender Avenue would increase their journey time by 4 minutes.  As a result their journey time would be 36% longer.  This is not negligible and represents a significant increase in journey time.

• Passengers using the stops A and D in the northbound direction and B in the southbound direction on London Road

– A section of London Road would no longer be served if the 355 was rerouted. Passengers who are currently using the stops on London Road and can only use the 355 (travel between London Road and Tooting Bec/ Balham/ Clapham and Brixton) would have to walk further.  Assuming there would be a stop on Victoria Road, most of those passengers would have to walk an extra 250 metres.  

Option 2: Extension of route 77

• Standing space– It should be possible to stand a bus on the section of Victoria Road

between Heathfield Drive and Longfield Drive.  It has to be borne in mind that spaces for 2 vehicles would be required if a high frequency route, such as the 77, served the area.  

– The width of the roundabout at the end of Victoria Road seems to be sufficient.  A route test would still have to be conducted.

• Bus stops– Bus stops would be required along Victoria Road and ideally, 3 pairs

of stops would be implemented to ensure access to service to most residents. 

– Victoria Road is highly used by residents who park on both sides.  Parking restrictions will therefore have to be implemented in order to secure space for bus stops and to allow general traffic to go through in the opposite direction.

Option 3: S1 cut back and extended to Victoria Road• We took into consideration benefits as well as disbenefits

generated by the S1 proposal.  Below are the disbenefits included in our analysis:

– Passengers who currently use the stops on London road would have to walk further to reach the stops on Upper Green East or Raleigh Gardens. 

– Passengers using the last stop on Lower Green West.  Some of the passengers will be able to use routes such as 118, 200 and 280 to reach their destination.  For other passengers where the S1 is the only direct service, we assumed they would have to interchange.  As a result their journey would be lengthened and some passengers would no longer travel.

• Although this scheme generates disbenefits, the benefits are overall greater.

Next Steps

We will explore further options in the light of feedback from local residents. 

London Buses will undertake a route test to look at the feasibility of running buses along Victoria Road.

We will take into consideration the possibility of providing a link between Lavender Avenue/Victoria Road and an underground station.

New Bus for London

Stakeholder Engagement

Between 18 November and 28 January TfL invited stakeholders to view a mock-up of the new bus and comment on proposed designs.

It also allowed us to validate basic geometry, test seating layout, undertake passenger flow testing, refine design/layout and look at safety and operational considerations

What we consulted on:

• Staircase design, handrail locations, priority seating• Colours & lighting levels• Floor surface textures• Wheelchair access and facilities• Location, designation & marking of priority seats• Edge of step colour• Seat heights, trims, colours, floor coverings• Handrails and hand poles layout and colours and finish• Arrangements for people standing• Bell push locations and signage

Project next steps:

Stakeholder engagement & customer research

o November 2010 – January 2011

Completion of proving vehicle build and testing

o April 2011

Prototype build and delivery to London

o Autumn of 2011

First bus in operation

o Early 2012

Customer Service Queries:www.tfl.gov.uk/contact