Pensioners stranded by C11 bus closures

[capitalomnibus]

'We're stuck': TfL apologises after pensioners left without buses

Isolated elderly residents have criticised bus diversions that have left them struggling to get to doctors' appointments and collect prescriptions. Works by Thames Water in Adelaide Road have closed the C11 bus route between Belsize Park and Swiss Cottage in both directions until September 26.

www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/pensioners-feel-stranded-by-c11-bus-closures-8287198

[redbus]

I feel very sorry for the pensioners and think that between Camden Council, Thames Water and TfL have let the locals down very badly. There are a number of questions / possibilities that should have been considered and an option chosen so service could still be provided :-

• Does the road really need to be fully closed, or is there some way that the works could be scheduled so buses, potentially just buses can get by?
• Could at least the C11 be diverted down King Henry's Road? 
• Could there be a temporary minibus service at least during the day between Belsize Park, Chalk Farm and Swiss Cottage. This would provide a service over the area with no buses and deal with both the 31 and C11 diversions. A minibus could get down local alternative roads.
• Pay for taxis!

I fully accept that much of the above will cost money and TfL are so as to speak broke, but quite honestly TfL should not have to pay, it is Thames Water who should pay. They want to do the works so they should pay for the consequences of their works. Utilities for obvious reasons always want to do the works in a way which suits them without sufficient attention to the disruption caused and usually councils and TfL let them. It is high time they better considered the impact and consequences of their work and do more to mitigate the impact. 

[SILENCED]

Sept 1, 2021 15:46:44 GMT redbus said:

I feel very sorry for the pensioners and think that between Camden Council, Thames Water and TfL have let the locals down very badly. There are a number of questions / possibilities that should have been considered and an option chosen so service could still be provided :-

• Does the road really need to be fully closed, or is there some way that the works could be scheduled so buses, potentially just buses can get by?
• Could at least the C11 be diverted down King Henry's Road? 
• Could there be a temporary minibus service at least during the day between Belsize Park, Chalk Farm and Swiss Cottage. This would provide a service over the area with no buses and deal with both the 31 and C11 diversions. A minibus could get down local alternative roads.
• Pay for taxis!

I fully accept that much of the above will cost money and TfL are so as to speak broke, but quite honestly TfL should not have to pay, it is Thames Water who should pay. They want to do the works so they should pay for the consequences of their works. Utilities for obvious reasons always want to do the works in a way which suits them without sufficient attention to the disruption caused and usually councils and TfL let them. It is high time they better considered the impact and consequences of their work and do more to mitigate the impact. 

Ooohhh, someone championing water rate rises, which would be the end result.

[redbus]

Sept 1, 2021 15:51:27 GMT SILENCED said:

Sept 1, 2021 15:46:44 GMT redbus said:

I feel very sorry for the pensioners and think that between Camden Council, Thames Water and TfL have let the locals down very badly. There are a number of questions / possibilities that should have been considered and an option chosen so service could still be provided :-

• Does the road really need to be fully closed, or is there some way that the works could be scheduled so buses, potentially just buses can get by?
• Could at least the C11 be diverted down King Henry's Road? 
• Could there be a temporary minibus service at least during the day between Belsize Park, Chalk Farm and Swiss Cottage. This would provide a service over the area with no buses and deal with both the 31 and C11 diversions. A minibus could get down local alternative roads.
• Pay for taxis!

I fully accept that much of the above will cost money and TfL are so as to speak broke, but quite honestly TfL should not have to pay, it is Thames Water who should pay. They want to do the works so they should pay for the consequences of their works. Utilities for obvious reasons always want to do the works in a way which suits them without sufficient attention to the disruption caused and usually councils and TfL let them. It is high time they better considered the impact and consequences of their work and do more to mitigate the impact. 

Ooohhh, someone championing water rate rises, which would be the end result.

Possibly, but I suspect there are many savings possible given how many times the same stretch of road of road is dug up by the same utility.

[VWH1413]

Not just Adelaide Road. C11 has been disrupted and ruined by Thames Water and their works in Hampstead as an whole.

Last month it had an diversion from Brent Cross (IIRC via Pennine Drive), which meant NO links into Cricklewood via Claremont Road into Mill Lane (also remember 189 was on diversion, so bye-bye links into Claremont Road/Cricklewood Lane.). This was due to emergency works. Also poorly communicated as no signs of bus closures and where diversion taking place, baffling even as an local to the route. Probably wouldn't mind as much if all communicated properly.

[BE37054 (quoll662)]

Sept 1, 2021 15:46:44 GMT redbus said:

I feel very sorry for the pensioners and think that between Camden Council, Thames Water and TfL have let the locals down very badly. There are a number of questions / possibilities that should have been considered and an option chosen so service could still be provided :-

• Does the road really need to be fully closed, or is there some way that the works could be scheduled so buses, potentially just buses can get by?
• Could at least the C11 be diverted down King Henry's Road? 
• Could there be a temporary minibus service at least during the day between Belsize Park, Chalk Farm and Swiss Cottage. This would provide a service over the area with no buses and deal with both the 31 and C11 diversions. A minibus could get down local alternative roads.
• Pay for taxis!

I fully accept that much of the above will cost money and TfL are so as to speak broke, but quite honestly TfL should not have to pay, it is Thames Water who should pay. They want to do the works so they should pay for the consequences of their works. Utilities for obvious reasons always want to do the works in a way which suits them without sufficient attention to the disruption caused and usually councils and TfL let them. It is high time they better considered the impact and consequences of their work and do more to mitigate the impact. 

I agree. Roadworks always cause so many problems. So RRBS will be BRMBS! (bus replacement minibus service)

[ADH45258]

It seems that only a shorter stretch of Adelaide Road is closed, between Winchester Road and Primrose Hill Road. I don't see why one of the local parallel roads couldn't be used around that stretch, such as Eton Avenue, King Henrys Road or Elsworthy Road. The only issue might be low trees, preventing the 31, but shouldn't affect the C11's DEs. A few temporary stops could even be put up at each end of the diversion.

And with the 31, why does it need to take such a lengthly diversion, going up to Hampstead Station and back? The C11's current diversion route (via the 268 along Belsize Avenue) is cleared for DDs, as Rail Replacement buses use that routeing (covering the Overground's North London line).

There's plenty of other examples where a diversion route seems unnecessarily long. For example, in Cricklewood, a short section of road by the station had a long-term closure recently, affecting the 245/460/etc. Could DDs not fit along Westbere Road and Mill Lane, rather than going to Brent Cross and back?

Also in Watford, in the past there has often been flooding at Lower High Street, causing the 142/258 to take quite a long diversion via Stephenson Way, North Western Avenue and Aldenham Road. This could be reduced by instead diverting via Eastbury Road and Wiggenhall Road - there is a low bridge by Bushey Station, however Sullivan run some non-TFL school routes that pass underneath using DDs.

[greenboy]

Sept 2, 2021 17:05:18 GMT ADH45258 said:

It seems that only a shorter stretch of Adelaide Road is closed, between Winchester Road and Primrose Hill Road. I don't see why one of the local parallel roads couldn't be used around that stretch, such as Eton Avenue, King Henrys Road or Elsworthy Road. The only issue might be low trees, preventing the 31, but shouldn't affect the C11's DEs. A few temporary stops could even be put up at each end of the diversion.

And with the 31, why does it need to take such a lengthly diversion, going up to Hampstead Station and back? The C11's current diversion route (via the 268 along Belsize Avenue) is cleared for DDs, as Rail Replacement buses use that routeing (covering the Overground's North London line).

There's plenty of other examples where a diversion route seems unnecessarily long. For example, in Cricklewood, a short section of road by the station had a long-term closure recently, affecting the 245/460/etc. Could DDs not fit along Westbere Road and Mill Lane, rather than going to Brent Cross and back?

Also in Watford, in the past there has often been flooding at Lower High Street, causing the 142/258 to take quite a long diversion via Stephenson Way, North Western Avenue and Aldenham Road. This could be reduced by instead diverting via Eastbury Road and Wiggenhall Road - there is a low bridge by Bushey Station, however Sullivan run some non-TFL school routes that pass underneath using DDs.

The current situation is completely unacceptable and I can't see any obvious reason why the C11 can't be diverted by the routes you've suggested, maybe Eton Avenue eastbound and Elsworthy Road westbound and as you say the 31 via Belize Avenue? I think the bridge you referred to at Bushey is 14'3. But I have noticed a trend of buses being sent on long winded diversions whilst other traffic, often including coaches and lorries, are able to take a shorter route.