|
|
 |
| |
The 29 bus has caused concern for councillors |
‘Help us tackle the 29 bus’
Documents reveal how Town Hall pleaded for action on route
PRIVATE letters and emails sent by Camden’s community safety chiefs to Transport for London (TfL) have revealed the extent of their frustration with the N29 bus.
The correspondence, released to the New Journal following a Freedom of Information Act request, exposes regular attempts by Camden to alert TfL to the problems on the route.
The Town Hall’s most recent letter, dated April 8 this year, urged TfL to consider a plan to start a number of N29 buses at Camden Town, instead of the stop near Trafalgar Square they usually set out from.
Alan Butcher, from Camden’s culture and environment department, said: “Evidence is largely anecdotal (though there is no denying that Camden Town is a hotspot for crime and anti-social behaviour), but independent bus occupancy surveys of night bus use commissioned by Camden in 2006, clearly showed that several N29 buses departed stops in Camden High Street and Camden Road with passengers unable to board.”
He added: “A possible solution which Camden officers have discussed informally with London Buses is that consideration should be given to the possibility of starting a proportion of N29 buses at Camden Town.”
The New Journal has revealed the dissatisfaction regular users of the bus have faced for more than a year, detailing the concerns of residents, passengers and politicians about the safety on the bus, which has a notorious reputation for anti-social behaviour.
Lib Dem councillor Ben Rawlings, who has been an outspoken critic of the service and its daytime equivalent, the 29, went further.
In a separate letter, Cllr Rawlings called on all TfL chiefs to take passengers’ concerns more seriously, offering to chaperone them on the bus so they could see problems first-hand.
TfL have denied the 29 and the N29 have safety issues.
They claim that because it is one of London’s busiest routes an increase in crime and driver incident reports – when the driver pushes his in-cab button calling for police assistance – should be expected.
An undated document from TfL sent to Camden, titled The route 29 Camden, lays out their defence of the 29’s safety record.
It read: “In total there were 660 driver incident reports for the 29/N29 during 2006/7 – this equates to fewer than two for every 24-hour period on one of London’s busiest bus routes, nearly 17m passengers. The level of driver incident reports is just 2.6 per cent above averge.” |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
