[ Post New Message | Post Reply to this One | Send Private Email to Cathy | Help ]

Congestion Charging

from Cathy (cathvypreece@aol.com)

Charge turns bus into a smooth operator

By Ben Hunt

Financial Times

Published: February 17 2003 11:27 | Last Updated: February 17 2003 11:27

A rare occurrence on Monday morning: the 344 Clapham Junction to Liverpool Street bus turned up when the timetable said it would.

The bus arrived at the Imperial War Museum about 6 minutes after the previous bus had departed, delighting and surprising the one passenger in the queue.

About four minutes later it left the new congestion charge zone for about 15 seconds at Elephant & Castle before breezing back into it and on to Southwark Bridge roads at speeds most customers were not aware the bus was capable of.

And nine minutes after departure the bus stopped outside the Financial Times, and the passenger, having travelled for two miles, was early for work.

Nine minutes would represent a good journey time at the weekend or in the middle of the day, and so for a Monday morning rush hour, when the journey takes closer to 15 minutes ordinarily, it is a bit of a result.

The Connex-managed service, which links south-west London with the city via traffic black spots like Vauxhall Cross and Elephant & Castle, is erratic at best during rush hour.

The haphazard timetable, often disrupted by too much traffic or by too few staff and buses, makes judging departure times something of a gamble.

It is not unknown to wait half an hour for a bus, only for three to turn up at once - one cliche anchored in experience - and at other times the buses run smoothly and take just a few minutes to make their short journey from Kennington to the south edge of the City.

A week ago a late-running, packed bus ran into 20 minutes of traffic jams around the Elephant, having already been held up by the seemingly endless roadworks at Vauxhall.

But with London's roads half-emptied by half-term - and perhaps by the deterrent of a £5 charge to enter the zone - the service ran smoothly, stopping only for traffic lights and to pick up passengers.

Only the bitterly cold weather served as a reminder that this was not August when London's traffic is at its lowest and best.

(posted 7710 days ago)

[ Previous | Next ]