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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 13 September 2007

It’s up to Mayor Ken to sort out the 393 debacle

• RECENTLY there has been much correspondence regarding the 393 bus along Leighton Road.
Some of it favours the bus and the majority of it strongly opposes it for valid reasons. Transport for London decided to run the bus along Leighton Road on a two month trial period, which will soon be ending, and the final decision to keep it or not rests with Ken Livingstone.
Here are some extremely serious points regarding the bus which I sincerely hope Mr Livingstone takes into consideration when arriving at his verdict.
Residents of Leighton Road were opposed to the bus because of such reasons as the road being too narrow to accommodate buses, the obstacle course for drivers to get a bus around, making the turn at the junction of Leighton Road and Kentish Town Road and possibly a serious accident occurring when the emergency services race up Leighton Road on the wrong side of the road and a bus could be turning into Leighton Road from Torriano Avenue about to face an oncoming emergency vehicle.
Two weeks ago a 393 bus was travelling up Leighton Road towards Torriano Avenue. A car was legally parked but was overhanging a parking bay and was close to the traffic island. The driver of the 393 could not get his bus past the parked car and an incident then occurred. The bus was holding up traffic behind it and drivers decided to go on the wrong side of the road to continue travelling. They were going towards traffic coming down the road. Another 393 which was travelling up the road followed and also went up on the wrong side of the road carrying passengers at the time. A police car pulled up and the officers had to direct the stuck bus back diagonally across Leighton Road until it was able to resume its journey and this too went up on the wrong side of the road carrying passengers.
This potentially very dangerous situation should never have occurred and it strengthens the argument regarding the narrow road and the obstacle course. I spoke to one of the attending police officers about this situation and he said that the road was too narrow for a bus route.
Leighton Road has a 20mph speed limit and this is not being adhered to by the drivers of the 393 bus.
In fact, there have been and will continue to be many times when the bus hurtles past our windows, causing them to shake and rattle because the bus is exceeding the speed limit.
The bus carries very few passengers at times ranging in numbers from nought to 10. Residents have been told the bus is convenient for them to shop at Morrisons in Chalk Farm but having done some research on this, I can state that passengers are being dropped off in Chalk Farm Road and have to walk up a steep incline to get to Morrisons.
Some people I have spoken to are disabled, walking with the aid of a stick and are now saying that they are not going to use the 393 because it is not doing what it was intended to do and they are better off using the 27 bus which goes right into Morrisons.
So, in conclusion, what use is the 393 bus to residents of Leighton Road? I have lived in this road for 34 years. There has never been a bus route along this road, nor has there been a request for one. We are all adequately served by transport in Camden Road, Brecknock Road and Kentish Town Road. I sincerely hope that Mr Livingstone seriously considers all these points. Would he really want a fatal accident on his conscience? Is it worth it for the sake of an unnecessary bus route?
BRENDA HUMPHREYS
Leighton Road resident

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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