Londoners have called on Sadiq Khan to improve bus routes, with some concerns residents’ expectations have not been met.
Councillors in Richmond are demanding for improvements to public transport to be made in light of the Ulez expansion.
There have also been concerns about the reliability of buses, ‘cancelled at last minute’ since the expansion of the scheme.
It comes as, since the expansion of the scheme, the zone now covers the whole of Richmond borough, where it previously only included areas in Barnes, Mortlake, East Sheen, North Richmond and Kew.
There have been questions about the reliability of buses following the expansion of Ulez
PA
Green councillor Andrée Frieze said: “Bringing in Ulez, you have to ensure that there is enough public transport for people to use and, like in my own ward which is very reliant on our bus services, we need to make sure we have as many of them as possible if we’re going to really reduce the air pollution, reducing climate change and getting more people active… and making sure they’re healthier in the long-term.”
Lib Dem councillor Kate Mansfield added there were areas in the borough with particularly low public transport accessibility levels.
She said: “I do think we need to follow up with TfL and get them to meet the commitments they made at the time of Ulez for outer London.”
Lib Dem councillor Sam Dalton said residents rely on buses on the R70 route in Hampton North but they “aren’t the most reliable” and “cancel last minute”.
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The Ulez scheme has proved controversial since it was expanded
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Transport strategy team manager David Tidley said: “I think that TfL and the Mayor of London effectively when saying that they were going to expand Ulez… did it really on a presumption that there would be better, strengthened public transport in outer London.
“There has been some, we mentioned the Superloop bus, but it’s relatively light compared to what I would expect residents’ expectations are and the R70 particularly has struggled recently due to the works at Manor Circus which has resulted in it being on a diversion and suffering from reliability problems.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan launched the Superloop bus network circling outer London with an aim to improve connectivity and journey times.
All routes that make up the loop are expected to be in service by spring this year.
A TfL spokesperson said: “We’re determined to ensure that people living in Richmond have access to high-quality, affordable and sustainable transport options and the borough is in the top third for bus vehicle kilometres per resident.
“We’re working to increase bus services wherever we can.
“This includes doubling the frequency of the SL7 route as part of its introduction to the game-changing new Superloop network.
“We’re working hard to bring the full orbital loop into operation this spring, transforming bus travel across outer London.
“We’re working closely with Thames Water to minimise the impact of the work on the Manor Circus project and doing everything we can to complete the roadworks as soon as possible. We expect all buses in the area to return to normal service by early March.”
