Consultation on proposed changes to bus routes EL1 and 387 Response to the main issues raised August 2013 TfL response to the main issues raised This document summarises TfL’s responses to the main issues raised. Responses to this consultation are contained in a separate document. Both are available on the TfL website. Set out below, are the main points put to us during the consultation and our response to these. Our proposals Barking Riverside is a proposed 150 hectare mixed-use development site situated at Barking Reach with planning permission for 10, 800 homes, a district centre, secondary school, and two local centres (including the Rivergate Centre). The expected completion date for the entire development is 2033. Once completed the first two phases of the development will consist of 3,300 homes, the Rivergate local centre (with a primary school), health and nursery provision, and a secondary school. New East London Transit routes EL1 and EL2 were introduced in February 2010 (which included the withdrawal of route 369 and the shortening of related route 179). A recent refresh of plans for bus services in the area has been undertaken with new data becoming available and the requirement to take into account the redevelopment of Thames View Estate and the resultant loss of the EL1 bus stand at Bastable Avenue. Route EL1 currently runs between Ilford Broadway and Thames View Estate 24 hours a day. We proposed to extend it to Barking Riverside (Mallards Road) via Renwick Road, Thames Road, Marine Drive and Galleons Drive. Frequencies would remain unchanged. Route 387 currently runs between Little Heath, Haw Bush and Barking Riverside, Mallards Road. Two morning peak journeys on Mondays to Fridays are extended to Creekmouth, and two evening peak journeys start there. As usage is very low on these journeys we have proposed to withdraw them. The rest of the service will run as it does now. Main issues raised and TfL's response Route 387 The withdrawal of the two journeys that are extended to the industrial area at Creekmouth in the morning and the two journeys that depart from there in the evening will have a negative impact on businesses and employers located in this area. Patronage on these two journeys is on average 1 passenger per bus on each of these journeys, which is very low. Therefore the impact on businesses should be negligible. What will customers who do use these extended journeys do if they are withdrawn? What are the alternatives? The small number of passengers who currently use the 387 journeys can use the closest stops on route 387 which are on Long Reach Road, within 1km walk of the furthest industrial units in Creekmouth. There is little cost involved in the extended journeys to and from Creekmouth so why not just keep them for those who do use them? The saving associated with withdrawing these journeys outweighs the disadvantage to the few existing passengers. The time taken to make the journeys reduces the time allowed at the end of the route for late running buses to start their next journey on time, which can affect overall reliability of the route. It is therefore worthwhile, according to our criteria, to withdraw them. Withdrawing the journeys also simplifies the network in the Barking Riverside area. Why don’t you run this extended service on Sundays when it would be able to serve Dagenham Market? We can take this suggestion in to consideration once we establish the potential bus demand from the Sunday Market. In general, the 387 is not a reliable service and is often overcrowded. TfL should be looking at capacity and frequency on this service. Route 387 operates sufficient capacity to meet demand throughout the day and withdrawing these journeys would have no impact on the normal route’s capacity, but may improve reliability. Route EL1 It does not take long for buses travelling from the current terminus in the Thames View area to become overcrowded. New houses are also being built in the area which means there will soon be even more potential passengers. If the route is extended and we lose the current terminus buses are going to be unbearably overcrowded or even too full to board by the time they reach the Thames View area. Why are the frequencies of the EL1 not being reviewed as part of this proposal? There is severe overcrowding on this route which is not just confined to peak times. Discussions about the frequencies should be part of the consultation. Route 387, EL1 and EL2 frequency has been reviewed as part of this scheme and there is sufficient capacity for demand, even with the extra demand generated from the extension. Frequencies will be monitored closely once the extension happens to ensure sufficient capacity is provided. The Consultation in General The consultation for the proposed changes to routes 387 and EL1 was flawed because of a lack of information and because it was not publicised properly. We were targeting bus users and as such A4 notices publicising the consultation were displayed in approximately 108 bus stops throughout the routes where space allowed. The notice itself contained: • a summary of the proposals with a map • a link to the online consultation with details of the proposals • an email address and telephone number if further information was required .