Ealing Bus Route Changes Raised in Parliament
Special event hosted by the Ealing Central and Acton MP
Bus route changes in Ealing have been discussed in Parliament.
The Ealing and Acton MP, Rupa Huq, hosted TravelWatch and TFL at Parliament along with 70 constituents.
Fellow Ealing MP Steve Pound and the Brentford representative Ruth Cadbury also attended. Mr Pound raised the loss of “his precious E1” saying the advent of Crossrail is being used as an excuse to cut bus services, which he argued would still be needed.
The 440 bus was the main point of discussion with many constituents extremely angry about its altered route. The 440 is the only bus that stops outside ASDA and the Central Middlesex Hospital, with many elderly individuals now unable to travel easily to these locations.
Geoff Hobbs from TFL said the changes to the 440 route would make it a more “useful, direct and faster service”, however, Dr Huq raised concerns that non-paying users’ needs are not being taken into account well enough.
Mr Hobbs said the changes are made for a reason and believes TFL tries to ensure the needs of individuals’ are met and with the intention of making travel more accessible.
A student from the constituency pointed out the shortage of bus shelters and said for young people and the elderly it's an issue that should be addressed.
TFL stated that the cooperation of boroughs is often a large barrier to improvements such as increasing bus stop shelters and it was noted that it was a shame no one from the council attended.
One constituent stated that although the event was well organised: “What was most striking, and depressing, about [the event] was TfL’s capacity to listen, then ignore. I fear that when they make a decision on our transport services, bus or Tube, they’re obliged to go through a costly consultation exercise then carry on regardless.”
Rupa Huq MP, said, “It was a fantastic opportunity to get constituents, MPs and TFL together to air out these concerns. Buses are integral to Ealing and my main priority is to ensure that my constituents don’t lose out because of the changes to the bus system”
Geoff Hobbs, Director of Public Transport Service Planning at TfL, said: “The way people travel in London is changing, so it is right that we reassess the network to reflect this. It was very useful for us to hear the views of the local constituents and residents on these changes, and we always encourage as much feedback as possible when making any changes to our bus network.”
17 December 2018