Forum Topic

TFL oppose extending bus routes when Ealing Hospital shuts

What additional hospital bus routes do we need (when the Ealing Hospital services are reduced)?There is a TFL appendix which will be discussed at a Town Hall meeting open to the public on  Tuesday 11 February at 6.00 p.m. in the Queens Hall. .Council say This is likely to be a very sensitive and important issue for many residents. Typical of the relevant department, nothing is shown on the front page of the Council website, nor anywhere in the Gazette.TFL sayThe Travel Analysis shows that about an estimated 2,260 would travel from Central Middlesex Hospital and 41,280 would travel from Ealing Hospital to West Middlesex Hospital annually – a total of 43,540 patients per year or about 174 per weekday, which equates to 350 daily trips assuming 2-way journeys.To extend say the E8 or E2 service to West Middlesex Hospital (cost £550-£700K) they sayFor one of these extensions to meet our current threshold for implementation it would require at least 1,250 additional trips per weekday.In other words for the numerically challenged much, much more than 350 trips per day.They conclude Given the current provision of bus services and the predicted number of trips to West Middlesex Hospital, the existing network is adequate to cater for additional demand to the hospital. (W.Mid).Also no other routes will be extended.So the country save billions on hospital reorganisation and TFL gets away scot free on account of their ridiculously high criteria for new bus routes, for which the authorities will make no special exception.TFL must be laughing their socks off as this meeting will be poorly attended due to the projected underground strike which starts this Tuesday at 9.00p.m. Full reference herehttp://ealing.cmis.uk.com/Ealing/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=zPFiS1JI2KpKuSSW7hRrl7vr5g67%2bz8PrjD4kKa08b68mXASJOJ3pw%3d%3d&rUzwRPf%2bZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3d%3d=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2fLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3d%3d&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&kCx1AnS9%2fpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2bAJvYtyA%3d%3d=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&FgPlIEJYlotS%2bYGoBi5olA%3d%3d=NHdURQburHA%3d&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3d

George Knox ● 4376d1 Comments

This is quite typical of TfL who are saturated with a mindset of obstinance and low intelligence.They have extended route 235 to somewhere called "North Brentford Quarter".In fact it is Ealing Road/ Great West Road and it is Great West Quarter.North Brentford ia as one would expect, North of the A4.However with the 65  constantly affected from severe overcrowding and massive delays mainly from poor road and roadworks management by ....TfL.They have missed a major opportunity. The 235 could have been extended in peaks to Bond Street, Ealing where it can turn and park. Near enough for the station and would have been a major relief for the 65 over it's most crowded section as well as link Brentford and Isleworth and south west suburbs for the first time.The 235 runs almost empty to NBQ but has a reasonable loading in the opposite direction.  But the passenger figures are way lower than the claims TfL are estimating for the hospital services.Their costings are never questioned or examined.Bus drivers and operating staff now have some of the worst pay and conditions of any service job. Incomparable with the conditions when it was purely London Transport.Yet private bus operators make lucrative profits and are hot property on the corporate portfolio market.A lot of money is made by a few. TfL are rather like local authorities who seem to always pay way above the odds and yet get a third rate service - Ealing's refuse contract is an example of a poorly negotiated deal.TfL do fare a bit better, but bus quality is down. Poor seating and specifications, poor driving standards, high fares and most to allow TfL to indulge in 'green' technology. Much of which has been very unsuccesful.For example an old type Routemaster with a euro 2 engine returns a far higher MPG than a hybrid bus. So much so that it is highly embarrassing to TFL and the bus industry. The cost in fuel saving alone far exceeds the cost of a conductor.The batteries for hybrids have a 1 year warranty cost an astronomic figure and are made in China and leave a huge carbon footprint and other envirionmentally damaging chemicals. They make even 1060s diesels look far greener by comparison. It's just the damage is elsewhere on the planet.Politicians and the taxpaying public need to start asking questions and looking behind the huge PR machine that blocks the truth and makes organisations like TfL hide behind the truth and too many with in enjoying a rather comfortable gravy train.

Anthony Waller ● 4376d