A network of 24 hour bus priority corridors are to be introduced in central London in a bid to halt the decline in bus usage and help deliver Mayor Sadiq Khan’s target for 80 per cent of journeys to be made by sustainable transport modes by 2041.
Bus ridership has fallen in recent years, with officials at Transport for London blaming slowing traffic speeds and pressure on household incomes for the decline.
Despite the Mayor’s fares freeze and introduction of the hopper fare which allows passengers to take multiple buses for a single fare, the number of bus journeys still fell by 1.6 per cent in 2018.
Concerns have been expressed by London Assembly members and passenger watchdog London TravelWatch that TfL and City Hall’s decision to axe and curtail some bus routes will worsen the decline.
A paper to be presented to TfL’s Programmes and Investment Committee next week sets out a number of measures designed to avoid this.
They include “developing a core network of reliable bus services in central London, through the provision of bus priority corridors,” reviewing bus lane hours in partnership with boroughs, and providing orbital links.
In addition, a “new, holistic” approach to road schemes will be adopted, including a requirement that the needs of bus passengers “must” be considered when drawing up new projects.
