Consultation on possible changes to buses due to the removal of Aldgate Gyratory
Consultation Report June 2014
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Consultation on possible changes to buses due to the removal of Aldgate Gyratory Consultation Report
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Contents
1 Introduction ...... 2 2 The consultation ...... 2 3 Responses from members of the public ...... 4 4 Responses from statutory bodies and other stakeholders ...... 13
Appendices Appendix A – Copy of the consultation booklet and stakeholder letter ...... 14 Appendix B – Booklet distribution area ...... 22 Appendix C – List of stakeholders consulted ...... 24
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1 Introduction We consulted stakeholders and the public about proposals affecting the bus network in the Aldgate area. The consultation was open from 24 February to 4 April 2014.
The City of London proposed to remove the gyratory system around Aldgate. After their consultation closed they decided to implement their proposals from the summer of 2014.
The scheme will see the southern section of Houndsditch between Duke’s Place and Minories pedestrianised. St Botolph Street, Minories and Aldgate High Street will become two-way. Mansell Street, the rest of Houndsditch and Duke’s Place will remain one-way. As a result of these changes it will be necessary to make changes to the bus network including changes to stopping arrangements.
Routes 15/N15, 25, 40, 42, 67, 78, 100, 115, 135, 205/N205, 254, N253, N550 and N551 currently operate using the gyratory. Our proposals take into account the changes that will be made as a result of the removal of the gyratory.
As the road network changes to accommodate the necessary works the bus routes will be subject to temporary changes. Implementation of the final scheme will not take place until 2017 when the works have been completed by the City of London.
We have considered the views of the public and stakeholders and this document summarises responses to the consultation.
2 The consultation The consultation was designed to enable us to better understand the views of local residents, businesses and stakeholders with regards to the proposal.
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 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
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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 We produced a booklet outlining the proposal which was distributed to around 1,500 households and businesses in and around the Aldgate area.
The booklet contained information about why we had developed the proposals and information informing people of the proposed routeings and bus stops of effected routes.
A copy of the consultation material is shown in Appendix A and a map of the distribution area can be found in Appendix B.
People were invited to respond to the consultation using a variety of methods. They could respond via the reply slip from the booklet using the freepost address, by emailing [email protected] and by accessing the online consultation where they could let us know their views.
The booklet questionnaire asked six questions; What is your name? What is your email address? What is your organisation? How did you hear about this consultation? What is your postcode? Do you have any comments regarding the proposals for changes to the bus network around Aldgate?
Braille, audio and large font versions of the consultation material were available, as was a translation service to other languages if requested.
The online questionnaire asked 12 specific questions relating to the proposals (see paragraph 3.1 for specific questions). Eleven of the questions asked people if they supported, opposed, had no opinion or were not sure of the proposals. The remaining question gave people the opportunity to give us any other comments they have on the proposal.
There was also a letter sent out to stakeholders outlining the proposal. This can be found in Appendix A.
The consultation was also advertised via an email campaign which uses Oyster card data to target customers who have registered as users of chosen routes.
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3 Responses from members of the public
We received a total of 211 public responses. There were 209 responses via the website, one via email, and one via the return of the consultation booklet.
Response type 220
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0 Website Email Booklet Total Number of replies 209 1 1 211 % of total 99 0.5 0.5 100
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3.1 Public consultation results
Q1. What do you think of our proposal for routes 15 and N15?
What do you think of our proposal for routes 15 and N15? 100
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0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 25 71 13 91 11 211 % of total 11.8 33.6 6.2 43.1 5.2 100
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Q2. What do you think of our proposal for route 25?
What do you think of our proposal for route 25? 100
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0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 25 71 13 91 11 211 % of total 11.8 33.6 6.2 43.1 5.2 100
Q3. What do you think of our proposal for route 40?
What do you think of our proposal for route 40? 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 18 47 14 119 13 211 % of total 8.5 22.3 6.6 56.4 6.2 100
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Q4. What do you think of our proposal for routes 42, 78 and 100?
What do you think of our proposal for routes 42, 78 and 100? 100
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0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 19 67 16 93 16 211 % of total 9.0 31.8 7.6 44.1 7.6 100
Q5. What do you think of our proposal for routes 67?
What do you think of our proposal for routes 67? 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 11 40 9 135 16 211 % of total 5.2 19.0 4.3 64.0 7.6 100
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Q6. What do you think of our proposal for routes 115?
What do you think of our proposal for routes 115? 110
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0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 21 52 9 108 21 211 % of total 10.0 24.6 4.3 51.2 10.0 100
Q7. What do you think of our proposal for routes 135?
What do you think of our proposal for routes 135? 110
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0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 25 54 13 104 15 211 % of total 11.8 25.6 6.2 49.3 7.1 100
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Q8. What do you think of our proposal for routes 205/N205?
What do you think of our proposal for routes 205/N205? 90
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0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 22 84 10 80 15 211 % of total 10.4 39.8 4.7 37.9 7.1 100
Q9. What do you think of our proposal for routes 254 and N253?
What do you think of our proposal for routes 254 and N253? 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 15 47 7 126 16 211 % of total 7.1 22.3 3.3 59.7 7.6 100
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Q10. What do you think of our proposal for routes N550?
What do you think of our proposal for routes N550? 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 8 44 13 131 15 211 % of total 3.8 20.9 6.2 62.1 7.1 100
Q11. What do you think of our proposal for routes N551?
What do you think of our proposal for routes N551? 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 No Not Oppose Support Not sure Total opinion answered Number of replies 8 36 11 140 16 211 % of total 3.8 17.1 5.2 66.4 7.6 100
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Q12. Do you have any comments regarding the proposals for changes to the bus network around Aldgate?
The table below summarises the comments and suggestions made by people responding to the consultation.
Comments and suggestions Number of times raised 15, 115 & 135 - Do not remove from Commercial Road 11 Consultation material not clear enough 9 Like the pedestrian square 8 Traffic will gridlock in Aldgate due to the changes 7 Do not change the stopping arrangements we like the stops as they are 6 I do not like the new stopping arrangements 5 Removal of gyratory will improve access and interchange for public transport 4 Cycling facilities need improving at Aldgate 3 Dislike the pedestrian square 3 Please can we have more buses at peak times 2 Please increase the frequency on route 25 2 Route 40 should stop at stop M too 2 Routes 254 and N253 should start at Aldgate bus station 2 The bus stops at Aldgate bus station should be left alone 2 The new two-way working at St Botolph Street might cause traffic delays 2 These are minimal changes 2 This will improve traffic flow around Aldgate 2 What will journey times be like with the changes? 2 Will traffic management cope with traffic flow? 2 When will Alie Street re-open so that I can access route 40 without having to walk a considerable distance? 1 135 - I like the direct route through Aldgate 1 15 - There are capacity issues around the Tower of London due to an increase in tourist accommodation 1 15 - Please extend to Oxford Circus 1 15 - Run via Mansell Street northbound instead of Aldgate bus station 1 205 - Please keep it on its diversion at Bishopsgate 1 205 - This should still run through Aldgate 1 25 - I need the link to St Bartholomew’s Hospital to remain 1 254 - Please convert to the new routemaster 1 40 - Please look at the capacity on this route 1 40 - Extend to Whitechapel station to stand in Cavell Street instead 1 40 - Please increase the frequency 1 42 & 78 - Could these routes run southbound down Mansell Street 1 42 & 78 - These buses are regularly turned short at Shoreditch 1 42 - Please look at the capacity on this route 1
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Comments and suggestions Number of times raised 42 - Please increase the frequency 1 How will access to/from Fenchurch Street from route 40 be impacted by these proposals? 1 Can the new stops at Aldgate have Countdown signs installed? 1 Coaches - Can some services start at Aldgate instead of Victoria so we do not have to cross London to start coach journeys 1 There is currently an easy exchange for route 40 with other routes, do not change it. 1 Ensure pedestrian provision is adequate at the station and at junctions 1 N550 & N551 - Ensure these are kept more direct than N15 1 New proposal will make junction of Whitechapel Road and Commercial Road worse with traffic 1 Oppose extra movement in Aldgate bus station 1 RV1 & 15H - Extend to Aldgate 1 Southbound buses should stop at Stop R, i.e. routes 42, 78 and 100 1 Will the new two-way roads be wide enough 1 The new layout will make it easier to board buses 1
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4 Responses from statutory bodies and other stakeholders
A total of three stakeholder responses were received. A summary of their responses are below.
London Boroughs There was no formal response from the City of London or Tower Hamlets. However throughout the highway planning process and subsequent traffic modelling options for bus routeings and stopping patterns have been discussed and developed jointly.
Alliance of British Drivers Felt that they were unable to comment as the City of London had not published details of their proposals for the gyratory or consulted on them.
Friends of Capital Transport Campaign They responded that the removal of the gyratory will vastly improve access to bus stops and bus interchange. They supported the changes proposed for routes 15/N15, 25, 42/78/100, 67, 135, 205/N205, 254/N253, N550 and N551.
St Helen’s Church - Bishopsgate They did not support the proposals regarding the bus routes. They mentioned that it will squeeze more traffic through less space. They mentioned that the previous changes that took out the one-way system around Commercial Road, Aldgate High Street area has only worsened the traffic flow and the proposed changes will create a bigger bottle neck with traffic than there currently is and complicate the flow of the whole area.
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Appendix A – Copy of the consultation booklet and stakeholder letter
Copy of booklet
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Copy of the stakeholder letter sent out.
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Appendix B – Booklet distribution area
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Appendix C – List of stakeholders consulted
London TravelWatch
Elected Members Andrew Boff AM Andrew Dismore AM Caroline Pidgeon AM Darren Johnson AM Fiona Twycross Gareth Bacon AM Jennette Arnold AM Jenny Jones AM John Biggs AM Kit Malthouse AM Murad Qureshi AM Nicky Gavron AM Roger Evans AM Stephen Knight AM Tom Copley AM Valerie Shawcross AM Victoria Borwick AM Angela Watkinson MP Hornchurch & Upminster Chuka Umunna MP Streatham David Lammy MP Tottenham Diane Abbot MP Hackney North and Stoke Newington Emily Thornberry MP Islington South and Finsbury Frank Dobson MP Holborn and St Pancras Glenda M Jackson MP Hampstead & Kilburn Harriet Harman MP Camberwell and Peckham Jeremy Corbyn MP Islington North Jim Fitzpatrick MP Poplar & Limehouse John Cryer MP Leyton & Wanstead Jon Cruddas MP Dagenham & Rainham Karen Buck MP Westminster North Kate Hoey MP Vauxhall Lee Scott MP Ilford North Lyn Brown MP West Ham Lynne Featherstone MP Hornsey and Wood Green Margaret Hodge MP Barking Mark Field MP Cities of London and Westminster Meg Hillier MP Hackney South and Shoreditch Mike Gapes MP Ilford South Rushanara Ali MP Bethnal Green & Bow Simon Hughes MP Bermondsey & Old Southwark Stephen Timms MP East Ham Tessa Jowell MP Dulwich and West Norwood Cllr Helal Abbas Spitalfields & Banglatown Ward Cllr Fozol Miah Spitalfields & Banglatown Ward Cllr Gulam Robbani Spitalfields & Banglatown Ward 24
Cllr Shahed Ali Whitechapel Ward Cllr Abdul Asad Whitechapel Ward Cllr Aminur Khan Whitechapel Ward Alderman Peter Hewitt Aldgate Ward Sylvia Moys Aldgate Ward Member Dhruv Patel Aldgate Ward Member Alderman Sir Michael Bear Portsoken Ward Delis Regis Portsoken Ward Member Roger Chadwick Tower Ward Member James Tumbridge Tower Ward Member Douglas Barrow Aldgate Ward Member Hugh Morris Aldgate Ward Member David Thompson Aldgate Ward Member John Fletcher Portsoken Ward Member Henry Jones Portsoken Ward Member Alderman Paul Judge Tower Ward Marianne Federicks Tower Ward Member Gerald Pulman Tower Ward Member
Local Authorities City of London London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Police & Health Authorities Metropolitan Police Tower Hamlets Safer Transport Team London Ambulance Service
Transport Groups AA Association of British Drivers (Alliance of British Drivers) Association of Car Fleet Operators British Motorcyclists Federation Freight Transport Association Green Flag Group Motorcycle Action Group Motorcycle Industry Association Road Haulage Association
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Local Interest Groups Bankside Residents' Forum Marylebone Association Neighbourcare St John's Wood & Maida Bayswater Residents Association Vale Paddington Residents Active Concern On Belgravia Residents Association Transport (PRACT) Belsize Park Residents' Association Pimlico FREDA Powerscroft Road Initiative for Better Bankside BID Neighbourhood Community & Environment Residents Society of Mayfair and St Brentwood Bus & Rails User' Association James's Bus Watch West Haringey Soho Society South East Bayswater Residents Clapham Transport Users Group Association South Leytonstone Area Development Dbrief Monthly Association (SLADA) St Helen’s Church Evolution Quarter Residents' Association
Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Association St John's Wood Society Streatham Vale Property Occupiers Friends of Capital Transport Campaign Association Harrowby and District Residents Stroud Green Residents Association Association Herne Hill Forum The Clapham Society Herne Hill Society Thorney Island Society Vauxhall Gardens Estate Tenants & Highgate Society Residents Association In & Around Covent Garden Virtual Norwood Forum Islington Transport Aware Wandsworth Community Transport Lambeth Traffic and Transport Working West Hampstead Amenity And Transport Group Living Streets Westminster Society
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Other Stakeholders Action on Hearing Loss (formerly RNID) London City Airport Age Concern London London Cycling Campaign London Fire and Emergency Planning Age UK Authority Asian Peoples Disabilities Alliance London Fire Brigades BBC London Older People's Strategy Group BT London Underground Campaign for Better Transport MIND Canary Wharf Management Ltd National Children's Bureau City of London Access Group National Grid Confederation of British Industry (CBI) New West End Company CTC, The national cycling charity North London Strategic Alliance DABD (UK) Port of London Authority Department for Transport RADAR London Access Forum Disability Alliance RNIB Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Royal Mail Committee EDF Energy Royal Parks Edmonton CLP Sense Eurostar Group Sixty Plus Greater London Forum for the Elderly South Bank Employers' Group Guide Dogs for the Blind Association South Bermondsey Partnership Heart of London Business Alliance Stroke Association In Holborn Sutton Centre for Voluntary Sector Joint Committee on Mobility of Blind and Thames Water Partially Sighted People (JCMBPS) Joint Mobility Unit The British Dyslexia Association Living Streets
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