Transport for London (TfL) have refused calls from Councillors and residents to add Hayes and Coney Hall to the Superloop bus network which aims to increase connectivity in Outer London.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, announced plans for a new orbital bus network in early 2023 and consultations on the proposed routes have taken place throughout the year. The Bromley to Croydon section of the route was consulted on in the autumn.
During this consultation, your local Conservative Councillors for Hayes and Coney Hall Ward argued that instead of heading to Croydon via Hayes Lane and South Eden Park Road, the route should operate through Hayes from Westmoreland Road and serve Coney Hall before continuing on to Croydon via West Wickham. They argued that this would bring the route closer to the rural parts of the borough, which are hit hardest by ULEZ expansion.
Councillor Thomas Turrell has criticised the Superloop for only connecting the main town centres of Outer London and ignoring the more rural communities, such as Keston Village, Downe and Biggin Hill. He challenged TfL about this in October at Bromley Council’s Public Transport Liaison Group meeting.
However, in December TfL confirmed that it would stick with the current plans for the SL5 service which it plans to begin operating by spring 2024.
Councillor Turrell said:
“The Superloop is a huge, missed opportunity to better connect and better serve the more rural parts of Outer London instead of just connecting the main town centres which already have good transport links. The Mayor says he wants the Superloop to reduce car use but then ignores rural communities where people have no choice but to drive because of the lack of public transport alternatives. This is just further evidence that Sadiq Khan does not understand Outer London.
Alexa, Josh and I will continue to campaign for real improvements to public transport in Outer London, especially for our rural communities.”
