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Similar accident
• IN November last year you carried an article about a No 24 bus ripping its roof off under the low railway bridge in Prince of Wales Road (‘I thought it was a bomb’ – bus driver’s wrong turn, November 8).
On that occasion the bus was running out of service and nobody was hurt. But last week you reported that there was an identical accident to a No 24 bus that was carrying passengers (Passengers escape death as crash rips roof off bus, February 14).
It was on diversion because of the fire at Camden Lock and six people were injured, one man with serious head injuries.
How is it possible that such a dangerous and potentially fatal accident could occur twice in a short space of time?
Does nobody at Transport for London take any responsibility for learning from past errors?
Were the signs at the bridge reassessed after last November’s smash to see if they were adequate?
Was the danger of the bridge highlighted to drivers who were diverted because of the fire? Apparently not.
Last November the 24 service was operated by Metroline.
Last week the operator was London General.
Perhaps the continual changes in bus operators as routes are retendered by TfL has a safety impact as well as a financial one.
Are records of accidents and danger spots passed from one operator to another when the contracts are renegotiated or does each new operator have to start from square one with no accident history to guide them?
I hope the injured passengers, who after the first accident should never have had to be exposed to this very avoidable risk, are able to pursue claims against TfL and London General.
SUE PRICKETT
Leighton Road, NW5
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