Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, has thanked local residents for their help in a successful fight against Sadiq Khan’s bus plans for Upminster and Cranham.
The Mayor of London put forward a proposal last year to completely cut the 347 route, withdrawing bus services between Clay Tye Road and Ockendon Road.
On hearing the plan, Mrs Lopez wrote to residents along the route to ask them to set out why the 347 is so important to them. Mrs Lopez then used residents’ fantastic feedback to make the case to the Mayor in her consultation response and to express concerns about the overall reductions proposed to other services. Meanwhile, she backed plans for an extended 497 to merge with existing routes in Upminster while calling for it to run more often. GLA Member, Cllr Keith Prince AM, then worked in City Hall to oppose the Mayor’s plan.
Transport for London has now confirmed that it will continue to operate the route - but under review. Their reply reads:
Route 346 – will be restructured to operate between Upminster Park Estate, Waycross Road, and Dagnam Park Square via Upminster and Harold Hill. We will not now install bus driver facilities at Waycross Road. In response to feedback, the restructured route will operate at a higher frequency than that consulted upon and a new Sunday service will be introduced. The route will therefore operate every 20 minutes Monday-Sunday daytimes and evenings
Route 347 – will continue to operate under review
Route 497 – will be replaced in its entirety by the extended route 346, as described above’
Mrs Lopez is now asking the Mayor to confirm the 347’s future to make sure the good news is not simply a stay of execution. The Upminster MP remains concerned that residents on St. Mary’s Lane (east of Front Lane) and Clay Tye Road still face the possibility that their access to bus services will be removed entirely. For residents in the Cathedral Estate, this could mean that they are forced to walk 600 metres and via an unlit alleyway to access local buses.
TfL have listened to the community’s feedback that the proposed frequency of services on the revised 346 route was not adequate. TfL now state that the service will operate every 20 minutes, into the evening and with a Sunday service.
Commenting, Julia Lopez MP said:
‘Sadiq Khan’s earlier proposals to amend bus routes in Harold Wood and Upminster simply did not reflect a good deal for residents and I am glad that TfL have listened to the feedback given by me, Keith and residents on the frequency of services on the soon to be combined 346/497 route.
However, I am concerned that the Mayor and TfL have still not recognised that, in 2024, it is completely unacceptable to remove Londoners’ access to bus services so I ask them to remove any doubt over the 347’s future. The total removal of access to bus services would serve only to isolate residents or to condemn them further to the pernicious ULEZ expansion. I will continue to oppose this proposal until it is completely withdrawn.’
