In February, London Assembly Member Cllr Emma Best AM raised a motion calling on Transport for London to restore London Buses between Chingford and Waltham Abbey by extending routes 215 and/or 379 to at least Waltham Abbey Town Centre.
The motion was agreed unanimously, with 11 votes in favour and no votes against, with cross-party support from the Conservatives, Greens, and Liberal Democrats. In addition to the passing of this motion, our petition was submitted to the Mayor of London on behalf of the Mayor of Waltham Abbey (Cllr Shane Yerrell), alongside another petition led by Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP and Cllr Sazimet Palta-Imre in Chingford.
Andy Lord, the Commissioner of Transport for London, has responded to the London Assembly's motion in a letter, dated 11th March, to Andrew Boff AM, the Chair of the London Assembly. This can be accessed via the link below:
https://www.london.gov.uk/motions/bus-links-between-waltham-abbey-and-chingford
We are extremely disappointed with this response to this motion from the Commissioner of Transport for London.
Lord inaccurately describes the historic provision of public transport between Chingford and Waltham Abbey. The commercially-operated 505 route continued to run between Chingford and Waltham Abbey, albeit a beyond unacceptable Saturday-only service, operated by ‘Trusty Bus’ following Arriva’s withdrawal in 2015. The route was then withdrawn entirely in 2021 after new bus regulations were imposed by Transport for London, leaving no public transport service whatsoever between Chingford and Waltham Abbey. The current 505 route is an entirely different route (previously known as the ‘86’), run by another commercial operator at an abysmally low frequency. He fails to mention that, for many decades, there was a frequent service throughout the week between Chingford and Waltham Abbey, from early mornings to late nights – these were London bus routes.
Despite the London Assembly calling on Transport for London to extend “route 215, route 379, or both, to at least Waltham Abbey Town Centre”, Lord only discusses a potential extension of the 215 each way to Waltham Abbey, with no mention of route 379, and no mention of an extension of either route to anywhere further than Waltham Abbey Town Centre (e.g. Waltham Cross Bus Station, which is operated by TfL).
TfL believes passenger usage of a three mile extension of the 215 each way to Waltham Abbey “would be relatively low”, citing the “low population density between Lea Valley Campsite and Waltham Abbey”, passing “within 400 metres of just 3,200 additional residents”. Along this “low population density” section of Sewardstone Road are key places of employment, including the care homes at Ashbrook Court and 1 Sewardstone Close, who have endorsed this petition, and whose staff, residents and families are desperate to see London Buses along this stretch restored, as well as leisure facilities and other local businesses, including pubs, restaurants and a hotel. The total lack of public transport, in stark contrast to the frequent London bus service historically provided, is harming local people and businesses on either side of the Greater London Authority boundary alike.
London Buses route 465 (Kingston to Dorking) includes vast rural sections, covering the villages of Westhumble, Mickleham, and Malden Rushett, with population densities comparable to that of the 1.6 mile rural stretch between Lee Valley Campsite and Gunpowder Park. The low population density along this section of Sewardstone Road does not negate the urgent need for frequent, reliable public transport between Chingford and Waltham Abbey.
The TfL Commissioner finalises his letter by inaccurately describing the available public transport options, stating “We understand the concerns raised by residents that travel between Chingford and Waltham Abbey requires an interchange for example between route 313 and route 279 or a train, but I hope that this information assures you and that our bus network planning is both logical and effective”.
Route 279 has not served Waltham Abbey since 1996 – it terminates at Waltham Cross Bus Station. Travelling from Chingford to Waltham Abbey by bus requires an interchange at Ponders End from route 313 to route 279, and then a further interchange at Waltham Cross to a commercial, non-TfL bus, taking approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. There is no train station in Waltham Abbey – the nearest station is Waltham Cross. Travelling from Chingford to Waltham Abbey by train would involve at least two trains and a bus, not just “a train”. By car, it takes just 10 minutes.
Despite adjoining the Greater London Authority area and expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone, there is no longer a single bus serving Waltham Abbey that enters it. Waltham Abbey is a commuter town without a tube or train station – buses are the only means of public transport available. Once an integral part of the London bus network, Waltham Abbey now finds itself isolated from neighbouring areas, and disconnected from the wider TfL network.
We will not stop pushing for the restoration of London Buses to Waltham Abbey. Our petition, alongside the petition led by Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, is still awaiting a response from the Mayor of London.
View our petition at https://www.change.org/BringBackTFLWalthamAbbey.