Consultation on possible changes to the bus network around Stratford and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Consultation Report

June 2013

Contents

Section 1 Introduction 2 The consultation 3 Responses from members of the public 4 Responses from statutory bodies and other stakeholders

Appendices

A Copy of the consultation booklet and questionnaire

B Booklet distribution area

C List of stakeholders consulted

1 Introduction

Transport for London (TfL) recently consulted stakeholders and the public on proposed changes to the bus network in and around the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The consultation took place from 19 December 2012 to 22 February 2013.

This report explains the background to the scheme and consultation and summarises the responses.

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is undergoing a transformation. This transformation is taking place during 2013/14 and will pave the way for future development as part of the legacy from the London 2012 Games.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be a new area of east London for communities to grow and develop. There will be new neighbourhoods including homes, schools, nurseries, a library, health centres and other community facilities.

The Park will also help generate thousands of new jobs in a new commercial district and other locations across the Park. Additionally, sporting venues from the Olympic Games will provide leisure facilities for the whole community.

During the transformation phase, the Olympic Stadium, Orbit and Aquatics Centre will be converted as part of the legacy from the Games. The conversion of the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and the Main Press Centre (MPC) for new use will also take place at this stage.

These proposals complement the transformation stage. As the Park continues to develop in line with the legacy plans, we will ensure that the bus network continues to support travel in and around the area.

We have carefully considered the views of the public and stakeholders and this report summarises this.

2 The consultation

The consultation was designed to enable TfL to better understand the views of the residents, businesses, bus users and stakeholders in and around the area of Stratford and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The potential outcomes of the consultation are:

• We decide the consultation raises no issues that should prevent us from proceeding with the scheme as originally planned. • We modify the scheme in response to issues raised in consultation • We abandon the scheme as a result of issues raised in the consultation.

2.1 Consultation objectives

The objectives of the consultation were:

• To give stakeholders and the public easily-understandable information about the proposals and allow them to respond • To understand the level of support or opposition for the change • To understand any issues that might affect the proposal of which we were not previously aware • To understand concerns and objections • To allow respondents to make suggestions.

2.2 Who we consulted

The public consultation intended to seek the views of people who live near to the proposed route, current users of the service and other potential users. We also consulted stakeholders including the affected Councils, traffic police, London TravelWatch, Members of Parliament, Assembly Members and local interest groups. A list of the stakeholders we consulted is shown in Appendix C and a summary of their responses is given in Section 4.

2.3 Consultation material, distribution and publicity

A consultation booklet including maps and with a questionnaire detailing current routeing and the proposed re-routeing for each route was produced. This was directly distributed to around 1,000 affected households and businesses. A copy of the booklet, including maps and questionnaire is shown in Appendix A. A map of the distribution area can be found in Appendix B. The consultation material was also emailed and posted to stakeholders, a list can be found in Appendix C and a summary of their responses is given in Section 4.

We asked eleven specific questions and gave a free text response box so people could provide feedback.

People were invited to respond to the consultation by replying to the questionnaire attached to the booklet provided and returning it using our freepost address, by emailing [email protected], by accessing the online consultation and answering the questionnaire through the TfL website.

The consultation was advertised via a press release, as an article in the Metro (free London paper), and the booklet was made available at Customer Information points at Westfield Shopping Centre.

The same information was also accessible on the TfL website where people could respond using the online questionnaire form, by email or by using the methods listed above. Braille, audio and large font versions of the consultation material were available, as was a translation service to other languages.

2.4 Meetings and site visits

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority requested a meeting with TfL to discuss the proposals in more detail and how the proposed changes would affect bus services around the legacy venues of the VeloPark and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. This took place on Monday 4 March 2013 with several members of staff from TfL.

Stakeholders from London Boroughs of Newham and Hackney, LLDC (London Legacy Development Corporation), Stratford Renaissance Partnership, Qatari Diar Delancy, Triathlon, and NHS also requested a meeting with TfL to further discuss their responses to consultation. These stakeholders were invited to Palestra to talk about common issues raised by themselves and members of the public through the consultation period. This meeting took place on Wednesday 10 April 2013.

3 Responses from members of the public

We received a total of 448 public responses. There were 422 responses via the website, 22 responses via the questionnaire sent out, and 4 email responses.

Number of replies

400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Website Questionnaire Email Total Number of replies 422 22 4 448

3.1 Public consultation results

There were 11 specific questions asked either on the questionnaire on via the online consultation tool. Each question related to a proposed change to a specific route. It is important to understand that not all of the respondents answered all of the questions.

Q1. What do you think of the proposal for Route 97 to be rerouted through East Village?

Proposal for route 97 to be rerouted through East Village

200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 174 21 22 204 27 448

Q2. What do you think of the proposal for Route 308 to be rerouted through East Village?

Proposal for route 308 to be rerouted through East Village

200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 196 33 18 176 25 448

Q3. What do you think of the proposal for Route 308 to be extended to Lea Bridge Roundabout?

Proposal for route 308 to be extended to Lea Bridge Roundabout 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 195 20 26 173 34 448

Q4. What do you think of the proposal for Route 339 to be rerouted via the Aquatics Centre, Orbit and the Olympic Stadium?

Proposal for route 339 to be rerouted via the Aquatics Centre, Orbit and Olympic Stadium 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 197 9 19 185 38 448

Q5. What do you think of the proposal for Route 339 to be extended to Whipps Cross?

Proposal for route 339 to be extended to Whipps Cross

200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 180 21 32 179 36 448

Q6. What do you think of the proposal for Route 388 to be rerouted through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to Stratford City bus station?

Proposal for route 388 to be rerouted through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to Stratford City bus station 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 240 12 29 138 29 448

Q7. What do you think of the proposal for Route D8 to be rerouted via the Aquatics Centre, Orbit and the Olympic Stadium?

Proposal for route D8 to be rerouted via the Aquatics Centre, Orbit and Olympic Stadium 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 195 11 28 181 33 448

Q8. What do you think of the proposal for Route D8 to be extended to Stratford International station?

Proposal for route D8 to be extended to Stratford International station 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 219 6 18 161 44 448

Q9. What do you think of the proposal for Route 205 night journeys only to be extended through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to Leyton, Downsell Road?

Proposal for route 205 night journeys only to be extended through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to Leyton, Downsell Road 200

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120

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0 No Not Support Oppose Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 201 15 25 176 31 448

Q10. What do you think of the proposal for changes to the first and last stop on route 26 and 30 at Hackney Wick?

Proposal for changes to first and last stop for routes 26 and 30 at Hackney Wick 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 No Not Support Oppose Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 164 34 42 175 33 448

Q11. What do you think of the proposal for Route 241 to be extended through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to East Wick?

Proposal for route 241 to be extended through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to East Wick 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Not Support Oppose Not sure No opinion Total answered Number of replies 164 14 18 209 43 448

Q3. Do you have any other comments or suggestions relating to this proposal?

The table below summarises the comments and suggestions made by people responding to the consultation.

Comments Total 108 - Extend to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park/Additional services from SE London. 32 308 - Frequency increase / double deck 19 205 - Extend day service to Stratford/Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 14 26/30 - Extend to Stratford 12 308 - Loss of service from Hackney/Homerton to Leyton 11 205 - Extend night service to Leyton, Bakers Arms 9 339 - Frequency increase / double deck 7 276 - Reroute back through Carpenters Road, as pre Olympics route 6 241 - Frequency increase / double deck 5 308 - Extend to Clapton Pond 5 308 - Oppose changes 5 339 - Extension to Whipps Cross unnecessary 5 339 - Terminate at Leytonstone 5 388 - Frequency increase 5 97/308 - Loss of services along Leyton Road 5 26/30 - Little point in proposed changes or opposed to changes 5 339 - Extend to Leyton, Bakers Arms 4 339 - Oppose changes or re-routeing 4 D8 - Frequency increase / double deck 4 General frequency increases in the area needed 4 26/30/388 - Important to Hackney Wick residents, hope changes do not change reliability 4 205 - Extend day service to Leyton and/or shorten at other end of the route in London 3 236 - Reroute to Stratford via Eastway Bridge 3 339 - Extend to Walthamstow 3 339 - Extending to Whipps Cross will make the route more unreliable 3 388 - Cycling concerns over Eastway bridge 3 97 - Good as long as journey times are not extended 3 97 - Journey time to Stratford extended 3 97 - Oppose changes 3 More routes to be extended to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 3 No bus route from Ilford to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 3 Other route changes; 308 run to Nightingale Estate, 425 to Homerton Hosp, 394 to Clapton Park 3 Upgrade infrastructure at Stratford City 3 129 - Extend to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 2 205 - Increase frequency 2 205 - Reliability concerns over current weekend and night frequency due to overcrowding 2

Comments (continued) Total 26/30 - Extend to Leyton High Road 2 26/30 - Frequency increase 2 26/30/388 - Create common stop for all 2 308 - Oppose extension to Lea Bridge Roundabout 2 339 - Extend to Whipps Cross using alternative unserved roads 2 339 - Terminate at Stratford International station 2 26/30/388 - Capacity issues with extension of route 388 to Stratford and being unable to board 3 388 - Extend to Embankment 2 388 - Extend to Stratford International station 2 388 - Reroute via Roman Road and not Mare Street 2 97 - Increase in traffic in the area may affect reliability 2 Add new routes instead of changing existing ones 2 Can a bus serve Wick Lane? 2 Make all buses Hybrids that serve Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 2 Night buses - More needed for area 2 Westfield - Congestion issue 2 Will reduce service on Chobham Road/Major Road 2 108 - Increase frequency 1 158 - Reroute via Oliver Road and then Temple Mills Lane to Stratford 1 205 - Extend night service to Hainault and curtail N8 at Leyton 1 205 - Oppose extension 1 238 - Extend into northern end of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 1 241 - Extend to Dalston Junction 1 241 - Reroute via Stratford International station instead of Westfield Ave 1 241 - Unnecessary proposal 1 242 - Extend to Stratford via proposed 388 route 1 25 - Should serve Stratford & Stratford International stations 1 26 - Extend to Leyton, Asda 1 26/30 - General reliability issues with route performance 1 30 - Oppose changes 1 308 - Extend to Tottenham 1 308 - Extend to Whipps Cross via Wanstead (not 339) 1 308 - Buses to run later in the evening 1 308 - Route is unreliable at busy times 1 308 - Reroute through Hackney Wick 1 330 - Extend this route through Stratford City 1 339 - Relocate stands at both ends 1 339 - Withdraw from double run at Fish Island, extend 323 instead 1 388 - Extend to Stratford Bus Stn 1 388 - Give it a night service 1 388 - Keep link to Hackney Wick station with the rerouteing 1 388 - Oppose extension if service gets double deck vehicles due to privacy concerns 1

Comments (continued) Total 488 - Reroute at Wansbeck Road to better serve Hackney Wick (388 related) 1 58 - Increase frequency if taking away the 308 1 8 - Extend to Maryland 1 8 - Extend to Stratford City 1 86 - Reroute through East Village 1 97 - Extend to Stratford Bus Stn 1 97 - Increase frequency even more 1 97 - Routeing needs to be more direct to Stratford through Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 1 Add another stop on Leyton Road after Angel Lane bridge 1 Better links for Fish Island 1 Carpenters Road needs a bus stop 1 Circular route within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 1 D3 - Extend to Stratford City 1 D7 - Extend via Hackney Wick to Stratford 1 D8 - Extend to Leyton Asda 1 D8 - Extend to Whipps Cross 1 D8 - Oppose changes 1 D8 - Reinstate around the Grove and Broadway instead 1 D8 – Would the extension mean reliability would be compromised 1 D8 - Use stop at Stratford Centre bus stop E again 1 Have a bus depot at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 1 Issues with bus garage in Fairfield Road 1 Leave buses alone 1 Leytonstone - Increase services to serve here 1 Make Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as car free as possible 1 N26 - Changes required 1 N26 - Extend/reroute to Stratford 1 Need a night bus from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park towards Walthamstow 1 Need route between Leyton Stn and Stratford High St 1 New bus interchange at Whipps X? 1 New direct route from Chingford to Stratford? 1 New route from Stratford City to Walthamstow, Crooked Billet 1 Other routes - Not stopping on diversion routeing 1 Trains - Introduce Chingford to Stratford line 1 Trains - Open Lea Bridge station again 1 Unsure on road layout near Orbit 1 W14 - Extend to Stratford City 1 W16 - Extend to Leyton, Asda 1 W19 - Frequency increase 1 Westfield - Bus capacity issues 1 Will the new routes be advertised? 1

4 Responses from statutory bodies and other stakeholders

A total of 16 stakeholder responses were received. Below is a summary of the key points and issues raised.

East Thames Group and London & Continental Railways

• Concerns about the proposal to re-route buses away from the Leyton Road corridor for future residents of Chobham Farm. • Can additional bus stops be provided on Leyton Road. iCity (From Deloitte on behalf of iCity)

• Fully support the proposals for route 388 and 241. • Keen to discuss suitable bus stop and stand locations adjacent to iCity

Islington Transport Aware

• Support proposals for 308, 388 and N205. Have suggested extending 205 day service to Stratford.

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

• Concerns regarding lack of direct service to the VeloPark. • Would like to know why the W16 proposal was not taken forward? • Welcomes the proposals for 241, 339 and 388, would like to know bus stop locations for 339 and 388.

London Borough of Hackney

• Supports proposals for 97, 339, 388, D8 and N205. • Supports 308 scheme but suggest re-routeing 308 via Lea Interchange and Northern Loop Road to better serve the northern end of the park, VeloPark and the Media Centre. • Suggests other routes (30 or 236) could be extended to the Media Centre and/or Stratford. • Supports extension of route 241 to Media Centre, but suggests further extension to Dalston Junction.

London Borough of Newham

• Supports the frequency increases on 97 and 308 and proposals for 339, 388 and 241. • Have grave concerns about lack of direct access to the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health & Wellbeing Centre on Liberty Bridge Road by any of the proposals. • Concerns regarding the loss of services along Leyton Road with the loss of routes 97 and 308 for Newham residents. • Welcomed the extension of N205 to give East Village a night service, but have concerns over the routeing due to one bridge being too low for double deck vehicles. Also questioned if the current frequency would be sufficient. • Suggests extending 26/30 to Stratford International station or East Village. • Would like to know how s106 money has been allocated.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

• Replied that they had no comments to make about the proposals.

London Borough of Waltham Forest

• Commented that providing additional space to terminate route 339 at Whipps Cross Roundabout may prove difficult, but are in discussions with Whipps Cross Hospital to explore other options.

London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) x2

• Broadly supports the proposals for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. • Route 308 will not be able to be re-routed down Temple Mills Lane until late 2013 and suggested that it could routed down Honour Lea Avenue to better serve the VeloPark and East Village. • Route 339, Carpenters Road/Montfichet Road link will not be available until Spring 2014 and suggests that it be routed over E28 bridge which links Carpenters Road with Waterden Road and Westfield Avenue to be able to serve Stratford City. • Route 339, dependent upon Eastway bridge being available for two-way operation, Suggestion of routeing 308 down Waterden Road until it is open. • Routes D8 and N205 cannot happen until at least Spring 2014 when the Carpenters Road/Montfichet Road link has been completed. • Supports the extension of route 241 to the Media Centre. • Concern regarding serving South West of the site • Better understanding of the funding allocations • How do the schemes compare with previous documents.

London TravelWatch

• Requested an extension of route 26 to Leyton, Asda. • Suggested that route W15 be re-routed over Eastway Bridge to provide a better interchange with other services.

Qatari Diar Delancy

• Concerned re lack of provision on Honour Lea Avenue. • Concerned over lack of provision and suggests diverting route 108 and increasing the N205 frequency • Concern over insufficient bus stops • Concern over the impact of diverting route 97 and 308 off the Leyton Road corridor

Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health & Wellbeing Centre (NHS)

• Disappointed that early proposals had one route servicing Liberty Bridge Road with stops outside the centre. Concerned that patients would have too far to walk to access the centre. • Suggested various alternatives for route 97, 308 and 339 to be re-routed away from Celebration Avenue to serve Liberty Bridge Road. • Suggestions made for other routes not in the proposal to be extended to serve the Centre.

• Commented that the Health Centre will not just serve the new East Village and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, but also local outlying areas too.

STIG (Stratford Transport Implementation Group)

• Commented that all the proposals are reliant on the new road infrastructure being in place and that interim changes may be required.

Stratford Renaissance Partnership

• Suggested extending routes 26, 30 and 308 to serve the wider Olympic Park. • Concerned over the removal of route 97 in Leyton Road as new developments are planned. • Asked that route 241 be bought forward as the IBC will be in use from Summer 2013. • Concerns over the suitability of single decks on route 308 for capacity reasons. • Suggested route N205 be further extended to Crownfield Road to provide interchange with N8. • Commented on lack of night services connecting Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to the wider area, suggests diverting 108. • Concerned that the Health Centre and VeloPark are not directly served by the proposals.

Triathlon Homes

• Would like confirmation and a better idea of when routes will re-routed through the Park. • Suggested that one of the proposed routes for Celebration Avenue be re-routed to serve Liberty Bridge Road and the Health Centre. • Concerned that the frequency of route N205 will not meet demand. • Asked if there is any scope for a route to serve Olympic Park Avenue Honour Lea Avenue? • Will there be any additional services for when events are taking place at the VeloPark?

Appendix A – Copy of the consultation booklet

Copy of the consultation questionnaire

Appendix B – Consultation booklet distribution area

Appendix C – List of stakeholders consulted

Elected Members Diane Abbot MP Hackney North and Stoke Newington Rushanara Ali MP Bethnal Green & Bow Lyn Brown MP West Ham Karen Buck MP Westminster North Jeremy Corbyn MP Islington North Stella Creasy MP Walthamstow John Cryer MP Leyton & Wanstead Iain Duncan Smith MP Chingford and Woodford Green Mark Field MP Cities of London and Westminster Jim Fitzpatrick MP Poplar & Limehouse Mike Gapes MP Ilford South Meg Hillier MP Hackney South and Shoreditch Kate Hoey MP Vauxhall Tessa Jowell MP Dulwich and West Norwood Lee Scott MP Ilford North Emily Thornberry MP Islington South and Finsbury Stephen Timms MP East Ham Chuka Umunna MP Streatham Caroline Pidgeon AM Greater London Authority Darren Johnson AM Greater London Authority Gareth Bacon AM Greater London Authority Jenny Jones AM Greater London Authority Murad Qureshi AM Greater London Authority Nicky Gavron AM Greater London Authority Andrew Boff AM Greater London Authority Victoria Borwick AM Greater London Authority Tom Copley AM Greater London Authority Stephen Knight AM Greater London Authority Fiona Twycross AM Greater London Authority Valerie Shawcross AM Greater London Authority John Biggs AM Greater London Authority Jennette Arnold AM Greater London Authority Cllr Steven Morgan London Borough of Lambeth

Local Authorities City of London London Borough of Hackney London Borough of Islington London Borough of Lambeth London Borough of Newham London Borough of Redbridge London Borough of Tower Hamlets London Borough of Waltham Forest London Borough of Westminster Hertfordshire County Council

Key Stakeholders iCity Islington Transport Aware Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) Lend Lease London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) London TravelWatch OPTEMS Qatari Diar Delancy STIG (Stratford Transport Implementation Group) Stratford Renaissance Partnership Triathlon Homes Westfield

Police & Health Authorities Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust City & Hackney Primary Care Trust Hackney (and City) LINk Hackney Safer Transport Team Homerton Hospital Islington LINk Islington Primary Care Trust Islington Safer Transport Team King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Lambeth LINk Lambeth Primary Care Trust Lambeth Safer Transport Team Marylebone Association Metropolitan Police Metropolitan Police – Community Police Newham LINk Newham Primary Care Trust Newham Safer Transport Team NHS London Strategic Health Authority Redbridge Hamlets LINk Redbridge Primary Care Trust Redbridge Safer Transport Team Tower Hamlets LINk Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust Tower Hamlets Safer Transport Team Waltham Forest LINk Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust Waltham Forest Safer Transport Team West London Mental Health NHS Trust Westminster LINk Westminster Primary Care Trust Westminster Safer Transport Team

Other Stakeholders AA Motoring Trust AA Public Affairs Age Concern London Age UK Asian Peoples Disabilities Alliance Association of British Drivers Association of Car Fleet Operators BBC British Motorcyclists Federation BT Campaign for Better Transport Canary Wharf Management Ltd City of London Access Group City of London – Transport Planner (Schools) Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Department for Transport Disability Alliance Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee East Thames Group and London & Continental Railways EDF Energy Eurostar Group Freight Transport Association Greater London Authority Greater London Forum for the Elderly Green Flag Group Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Heart of London Business Alliance Joint Committee on Mobility of Blind and Partially Sighted People (JCMBPS) Joint Mobility Unit Living Streets London Ambulance Service NHS Trust London Borough of Hackney - School Travel Advisor London Borough of Islington - School Travel Advisor London Borough of Lambeth - Sustainable Transport Co-Ordinator London Borough of Newham - School Travel Advisor London Borough of Redbridge - School Travel Advisor London Borough of Tower Hamlets - School Travel Advisor London Borough of Waltham Forest - School Travel Advisor London Councils London Cycling Campaign (Hackney) London Cycling Campaign (Islington) London Cycling Campaign (Lambeth) London Cycling Campaign (Newham) London Cycling Campaign (Redbridge) London Cycling Campaign (Tower Hamlets) London Cycling Campaign (Waltham Forest) London Cycling Campaign (Westminster) London Older People’s Strategy Group London Underground MIND

Motorcycle Action Group Motorcycle Industry Association National Children’s Bureau National Health Service National Grid New West End Company North London Strategic Alliance Port of London Authority RADAR London Access Forum RNIB RNID Road Haulage Association Royal Mail Sense Sixty Plus South Leytonstone Area Development Association (SLADA) Stroke Association Thames Water The British Dyslexia Association