Riding London’s newest bus route: the 335 from Kidbrooke to Greenwich

Today I did what I’ve been meaning to all week long; head to Kidbrooke then jump on the 335 and ride the whole five mile route to the o2 in Greenwich.

And to do so I would use London’s newest bus route, the glorious 335.

Well, glorious in that I was the only one up top for a while. No annoying fellow passengers. No need to have Spotify turned up (though I did anyway). We left Kidbrooke with a very light load.

Before anyone starts on about the route being a waste of time it was 1) late morning which is always quiet and 2) the first week. Even the most busy current forms of transport were dead initially. I recall taking the new London Overground from New Cross around 2010. Barely a soul on it. Fast forward and it needed extending to four carriages, then five and people still can’t board it.

Kidbrooke’s sprouting blocks have seen a fair bit of progress since I was last here having a wander six weeks ago.

Since then the final tower facing a new square beside the new Kidbrooke station has risen a good few floors. The new station building is also moving towards completion and opening in 2020.

Upon leaving Kidbrooke we hit some traffic at midday near the A2 junction. Last week I pondered how this area will cope with 30 per cent more traffic heading to it once Silvertown Tunnel opens. A flyover coming?

This pinchpoint over the railway sees the bus lane disappear along with a cycle lane.

Past here we head alongside a new Aldi supermarket. It opens early in 2020 and promises to be a lifeline for Kidbrooke Village residents currently lacking options beyond a small Sainsbury’s.

The 335 had two possible routes when in consultation. One down the A2 and another slower route alongside via Blackheath Standard that could call at more stops. The latter was chosen.

It’s all very pleasant in the autumn light with barely any other vehicles to speak of. The bus may be eight years old but it’s a hybrid with the engine cutting out each time we stop. Many don’t board; still unaware of this new route it would seem.

With very light traffic we moved along but not particularly quickly. And there’s the rub; if this bus is supposed to entice many to head to North Greenwich to take the tube to reach major areas of employment then I’m not sure how many of Kidbrooke’s forthcoming residents will do it.

They could jump on a train two minutes from their door and head towards central London or wait for a bus (with real time information much more flaky than trains), ride it for half an hour (or more at peak times) then head to the incredibly busy North Greenwich Jubilee Line station.

For those who are only heading to a destination served by Southeastern such as Victoria, London Bridge, the City or West End (plus others via Thameslink if changing at London Bridge) it’s not too enticing. Nor is it compared to a train to Lewisham then a DLR to Canary Wharf.

We passed through Blackheath Standard. You know you’re away from the neglected east of the borough here and some of the worst estates. Some care actually goes into public spaces.

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Anyway, we reach Sun in the Sands. Another place that will see far more traffic if Silvertown goes ahead according to TfL.

The chosen route avoiding the A2 seems a bit of a perk when looking at traffic trying to exit:

Now we’re at one of the bleakest parts not only in Greenwich but all of London. The A2 flyover.

At peak times traffic jams here can add a fair bit of time, and again it’ll only get worse according to TfL’s figures negating benefits of taking buses through this area.

The public transport spiel of Silvertown Tunnel backers falls apart if bus routes are meeting even more congestion at junctions post completion. And with the traffic uplift they will.

Then it’s on past Ikea, others retail barns and onto the final stretch.

What this bus will do is benefit those working on the Peninsula or shops in Charlton.

Though it should be noted the 335 doesn’t serve Bugsbys Way. It was an option on the consultation but dropped.

The route is an odd one really. It’s neither an express which may tempt people from Kidbrooke to north Greenwich nor an all-stopper that could go via Charlton. It already stops at enough places to not be central-London commuter friendly so why not just be a completely local meandering route?

After the retail stores we head onto the no-longer-a-pilot-busway. A standard dual carriageway it is. We pass the new St Mary Magdalene school which will reach over 1,600 pupils in coming years. A sixth form is imminent.

Around here are more Greenwich Millennium (ha!) Village (double ha!) blocks.

And finally just before we terminate at North Greenwich bus station we pass the Design District. It’s come a long way since August when I last covered progress.

They’ll be a market, artist studios, gallery space and restaurants when it opens next year.

Finally we park up and jump off at Greenwich bus station. A tad more sedate at midday than rush hour.

Not that it has much life left. A showpiece design by world-renowned Santiago Calatrava may have been scrapped in August but something will eventually see the bulldozers move in.

After half a dozen people get off the 335 parks up using stand space helpfully freed up by chipping away at the frequency of many other routes that serve North Greenwich.

It probably means no net increase in buses serving this area but is a decent link to Kidbrooke’s 5,200 (and counting) homes.

A Southeastern rail killer though that’ll see commuters switch in spades? Nah. That line needs extra capacity, and soon.

Network Rail’s plan for just four additional carriages and a five per cent capacity boost by 2024 on the Bexleyheath, Kidbrooke line is not enough.

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