Paul Corfield wrote:
On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 15:42:42 +1030, (Aidan Stanger)
wrote:
The B14 seems to be London's least reliable bus service. Passengers
often don't know whether the bus that turns up is 5 minutes early or 25
minutes late!
Every time there's a change of operator, the service gets worse. When
Crystals originally got the route, the passengers groaned (as Crystals
had once operated the precursor route unreliably) but it got worse when
TGM took it over, and even worse when they lost it!
In each case the company sold out. Crystals sold out to TGM. TGM sold
out to Metrobus. I'm not aware anyone lost the route due to poor
performance.
I didn't claim they lost it due to poor performance. I thought that TGM
lost it because the 5 years were up - I hadn't realised Metrobus had
bought the company!
(snip)
And now they want to make the service less convenient. Kimberley Drive
(Sidcup) is a long steep hill that many of the local old people (of
which there are many) can no longer climb. Therefore they rely on the
bus to get to Albany Park station or to the doctor's surgery. The B14 in
that area is on a loop, with part of Bexley Lane used twice - presumably
because of difficulty turning right onto it from Longmead Drive.
However, now the operators don't want to turn left onto it from Longmead
Drive either. It has been announced that they intend to make the B14 go
down Kimberley Drive on both northbound and southbound journeys,
depriving pensioners of the only sensible way to get to the top of the
hill!
I don't know the area but this is what the official route change
document says
"Operation retained by Metrobus (Orpington - MB) when new quality
incentive contract commences using existing low floor single deck
vehicles. Re-routed towards Bexleyheath from Crittalls Corner via Cray
Road and Watery Lane to Frognal Place (instead of operating via Sidcup
By Pass (A20), Frognal Corner, Chislehurst Road and Frognal Avenue).
Also Albany Park/Royal Park loop reversed - therefore buses towards
Orpington will operate from Foots Cray Lane via Longmead Drive,
Kimberley Drive, Maylands Drive and Royal Road to Bexley Road
(section of Bexley Lane between Longmead Drive and Royal Road will no
longer by served by buses towards Orpington).
I suspect this confirms what you have said.
Yes it does.
I've since heard that the plan to use Watery Lane has been abandoned due
to doubts over whether buses can fit down a road that narrow (even
though they seem to manage OK on the R2 and R5). This must mean that
someone is capable of reversing the changes. Any idea who?
--
Aidan Stanger
http://www.bettercrossrail.co.uk