E1 bus route extended to Osterley Tesco
Yesterday I wrote on Pitshanger Area Friends' Facebook Page that some bus routes which terminate outside Ealing Broadway Station were inevitably going to have to be shortened or lengthened, just to reduce the number of buses using the station as a terminus. Currently, buses that terminate outside the station are the 65, 112, 226, 297, E1, E7, E8, E9 and E10 (have I missed any?!). We surely all agree that there is nowhere near enough road space to handle this number. It was pure coincidence, then, that two E1 drivers told me yesterday that TfL is currently running a risk assessment for the E1 to run from Greenford to Osterley via Ealing Broadway. From Greenford, it will follow its current route to Ealing Broadway Station. It will then turn right onto Uxbridge Road, left into St. Mary's Road and continue along South Ealing Road before turning right onto the Great West Road and terminating at Tesco Osterley. None of this has been publicised as yet; you heard it from me first! The change is anticipated to take place "in a couple of months, maybe more." It is more than probable that the lengthening of the route, which will bring with it more traffic and the likelihood of more roadworks, will mean that the E1's high frequency will be considerably reduced and therefore become less reliable. On the positive side, it will alleviate the overcrowding outside the station. My guess is that the E9 will be the next route to be amended; if it does it will probably terminate at Greenford Broadway. We shall see. Why do I think this? First, the E9 frequently runs late and often gets turned round at Scotch Common; second, because not only are Pitshanger Lane and Woodfield Road bottlenecks when two buses try to pass each other, but also because I don't think that Eaton Rise, Woodfield Road and Pitshanger Lane require two routes - I base this observation on traffic hold-ups and the small boarding numbers at the 10 or so intermittent stops from Scotch Common to Castlebar Road (I hope that is not a controversial opinion because I do not want to have a debate about it!).
Ben Owen ● 253d17 Comments ● 231d