Complaints of bus overcrowding after Greenwich school opening
Residents in Charlton are complaining of packed buses heading towards north Greenwich station since St Mary Magdalene school opened last November.
The school will eventually total over 1,600 pupils ranging from nursery age to a sixth form alongside 200 staff. Currently around 400 students have moved to the site but even that seems enough to place pressure on local buses.
Charlton residents have asked the local authority what planning was undertaken and what measures will be taken. The council responded in early January by saying:
“We are in the process of releasing s106 funding to TfL towards the increase bus capacity on the peninsula. Officers will be working with TfL to determine the most effective way to address capacity issues on routes in the area, particularly those affecting the school.
As a more immediate response to the issues TfL officers reviewing what capacity enhancements can be made to route 422 which is the main bus serving the school. We should be able to report back to you in the next month on outcome of this review.”
Why Section 106 income was not released earlier is a mystery – especially with numerous cuts to buses serving the peninsula. The latest was the 486 in late February.
More students are due to move to the school in coming months and years. Have you noticed increased pressure on local buses?
I can’t board local buses most mornings; the 108 to Stratford is unusable past Lewisham before 9am and the 422 to North Greenwich dies a slow death once it passes the old Greenwich Library I’d walk from the Standard to the Dome but I’m old and the route isn’t particularly safe nor pollution free. I’ve been off this week so have no idea how things have devolved
These buses have been packed since long before the school opened.
They all get stuck at “pinch points” on the way to North Greenwich station.
Check out all of the markers on the map at the junction of Trafalgar Road / Woolwich Road / Blackwall Lane on this Greenwich Town Centre Proposals map:
https://greenwichtowncentremap.commonplace.is/comments
Echo the sentiments – new develipments are being built but no-one is thinking of the infrastructure. Getting from Blackheath Standard to North Greenwich is a nightmare every day and it has been like this for as long as I remember. Yet someone thinks that adding a shop like Ikea or a big school is a great idea without thinking about the impact on traffic. Living in this area has become really difficult … I’ve made complaints to the council before but it’s all falling on deaf ears. Unacceptable! Does anyone have any ideas on how to help fight this problem?
I changed my job due to the stress of getting to and from NGS via the Standard on a daily basis. I wrote our local MP and TFL regarding redirecting the 132 bus via the Standard instead of via the congested A2. They said it was impractical. There is no joined up thinking 🤔
The frequency on route 422 was cut back by TFL about 14 months ago. So perhaps the Monday to Friday frequency on route 422 should be increased again back to every 8 minutes. To make route more frequent with extra capacity over the route.
There is also a proposal for a new bus route which would serve North Greenwich Station, Greenwich Peninsula, Charlton Retail Parks, Charlton Station, Blackheath Royal Standard and Kidbrooke Village. My friends and I would also like to see this brand new bus route also extended from Kidbrooke Village to Woolwich to serve KIdbrooke Rochester Way, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Woolwich Town Centre for Woolwich Arsenal DLR Station and new Elizabeth Line Station. We hope this new bus route would also serve the new St. Mary Magdalene School for to help support route 422.
As there been any update from TFL on the issues of the overcrowding on route 422? With more pupils attending the school and yet more pupils due to be transferred to the new St. Mary Magdalene School on the Greenwich Peninsula.
Route 422 needs a frequency increase or another bus route also needs to serve the school. Possibly new route 335 via Blackheath Royal Standard or route 180 when the route is re-routed to North Greenwich Station. This new school teaches pupils from all over the Borough of Greenwich so does need to be better served by public transport.