![]() ![]() The Mayor is going to make a lot of fuss about the Superloop as the extended ULEZ approaches, ditto the next Mayoral election. And the isolated boomerang in the middle is the X239, a proposed service through the Silvertown Tunnel with a lunatic three mile express section in the middle, as previously discussed. The dashed line downwards from central London to Croydon is the X68, a peak hours commuter service that really shouldn't have been included except it starts with an X so it has. It does nothing loopy, it doesn't even start with an X, but has been added solely to give Superloop some stature when it launches. Meanwhile the spoke sticking out to the west is the 607, a zippy trek to Uxbridge introduced in 1990 long before any Mayor took charge of the network. As for the precise routing of the sections from Bexleyheath to Croydon and from Harrow to the Royal Docks, i.e two-thirds of the circuit, you'll have to wait and see. The Mayor intends to double the frequency of the X26, indeed that's the only practical action he intends to take any time soon, which'll mean a bus every 15 minutes rather than every 30. TfL hope to have the full loop in place by autumn 2024 but that's an aspiration, not a deadline, and so far they can't even confirm where the Superloop will go.įocusing on the main loop thus far it's only possible to ride limited stop buses from Croydon to Harrow, i.e. Of the missing five just one will have its consultation up and ready by May, best case scenario, and only then will "views be sought on future sections of the orbital network". Of the seven routes around the loop only two currently exist and the others haven't even reached the consultation stage. Most crucially they won't be ready soon, certainly not by August when the ULEZ expands or even this year. All are being bundled under the Superloop brand when two existing routes are plainly radial and are being included simply to get the name on the sides of buses a bit quicker. One won't link up with the rest so doesn't help create part of a useful network. One isn't a limited stop service, it's an express, and only runs in one direction for a few hours each day. ![]() ![]() They'll only link three major hospitals, which on a loop around London isn't great going. ![]() They might skip past the stop you actually need so won't speed your journey. They'll mainly benefit those living within a specific ring so those with transport issues elsewhere won't be helped. It's easy to be upbeat.īut they won't "circle the entire capital", they'll skip boroughs and there'll be a gap in the east. I'd happily have used one for a journey I was making yesterday if only it had been running. They'll open up new faster connections, both into the loop and out. They'll be additional services rather than replacements so should only be an improvement. They'll be clearly branded on the bus, in timetables and on maps with a multi-coloured roundel. They'll help bus users in the suburbs to get around faster, orbitally at least. They'll form a loop around outer London, in part to mitigate the introduction of the expanded ULEZ. Ten such bus routes are planned, four of which already exist. It's Superloop, supposedly "a network of limited-stop express bus routes that circle the entire capital - connecting outer London town centres, railway stations, hospitals and transport hubs, faster." It's going to be like the Overground but for buses, an orbital network with occasional spokes radiating out. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |