Traffic leads to fall in bus passenger numbers

Walthamstow campaign group Save Our Buses also carried out research, showing usage of south Hoe Street, Walthamstow routes declined 11.3 per cent in three years.

Nine bus routes serve Waltham Forest’s principal bus corridor between Walthamstow Central and Leyton, Bakers Arms.

They provide 55 buses an hour at the busiest times.

In April 2014, these routes accounted for 47.1 million passenger journeys.

The campaign said that, between 2014 and 2017, changes to road layouts as part of the Mini-Holland cycling scheme have created more traffic.

Buses caught in traffic have seen passenger numbers drop sharply to 41.8 million. That equates to a a drop of 5.3 million journeys annually.

Paul Dogan photographed queues that occur regularly along the bus routes.

Paul Dogan, a Save Our Buses campaigner, said: “Scenes of buses locked into continuous lines of traffic on Hoe Street between Central Walthamstow and the Bakers Arms would have been unimaginable three years ago.

“Congestion systematically damages local services, leading to longer journey times. Reliability suffers and passengers are less able to depend on the buses. As a result, people are deserting Walthamstow’s services in large numbers.”

Save Our Buses members are concerned that falling passenger numbers will lead to service cuts.

Campaigners believe reduced fare revenue, combined with a £700million cut in TfL’s operating budget, could result in buses becoming less regular.

Five Waltham Forest bus services, including two on Hoe Street, have been cut in recent months due to falling passenger demand.

Mr Dogan worries buses will become less frequent due to falling passenger numbers.

Mr Dogan added: “Bus services become less viable as passenger numbers and fares revenue fall.

“Bosses at cash-strapped TfL, looking to cut costs, will have routes losing passengers in their sights. However, reducing frequencies makes services less popular and drives even more people off the buses.

“Waltham Forest Council’s transport policies have pitched our bus services into a cycle of decline last seen more than two decades ago. This will only be reversed when town hall chiefs admit there is a problem and then take action to get the buses flowing along the borough’s principal transport corridor.”

Transport for London is responsible for changes in bus routes and proposed closures. Bus passenger figures have been falling in London for at least the last three years up to March 2017.

There was a 2.3 per cent reduction in 2016 / 17 alone.

A number of reasons have been suggested for this, including changing work patterns and the rise of alternative transport options, such as Uber.

A council spokesman said: “We work very closely with Transport for London (TfL) in continuing  to improve the bus network in Waltham Forest.

“This ongoing engagement has led to improvements including our joint activity to reduce congestion on Hoe Street and the improvements being made to Walthamstow Town Centre, which will make bus journeys quicker and the station more accessible.

“The upgrade being made at Whipps Cross junction where the new interchange will include four extra bus stops and new bus stands will also improve passenger experience.”