The route of a proposed new bus network built to help people living in outer London cope with the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has been published by Sadiq Khan.
In tweets on Tuesday, the Mayor of London said the ‘Superloop’ “will make it easier for Londoners to get around the capital and help build a better, greener London for everyone”.
The “game-changing” scheme would bring “over four million kilometres of express bus services to outer London,” he added.
The network of 10 limited-stop express bus routes will connect “outer London town centres, railway stations, hospitals and transport hubs, faster,” Mr Khan said in a statement.
It will “provide quicker journey times” and will be introduced in stages, using existing services, such as the X140 and X26 that serve Heathrow alongside proposed new orbital routes linking town centres such as Harrow and North Finchley, and North Finchley with Walthamstow.
It is part of the mayor’s £6m investment in outer London bus services alongside the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone to the Greater London boundary.
However, few of the new services will be in place by the time the ULEZ is due to expand on 29 August, according to the Evening Standard.
Arnos Grove and Walthamstow to the north, Bexleyheath in the east and Kingston and Bromley in the capital’s south, are among the other destinations.
Alex Williams, chief customer and strategy officer at Transport For London (TfL), described ‘Superloop’ as “the jewel in the crown in our plans to strengthen alternatives to the private car ahead of the ULEZ expanding”.
It is, he said, a “game changer for outer London”.
Read more:
ULEZ slashes air pollution by 46%
Could the Met be broken up?
Ben Curtis, from the Campaign for Better Transport, called it “another welcome step from TfL”.
His fellow environmental campaigner, Oliver Lord, of the Clean Cities Campaign, said in order for schemes like the ULEZ “to work for everyone, city leaders need to invest in public transport so that services are attractive, available and affordable”.
It was, he added, “great to see the mayor setting this example”.
But the Conservatives accused the scheme of being mutton dressed as lamb.
Assembly Member Nick Rogers, City Hall Conservatives’ transport spokesperson called it a “superflop”, consisting of a “repackaging of existing routes and vague promises that will not be delivered before his ULEZ expansion hits Londoners.”
TfL is working with the relevant boroughs on initial proposals for this next section and will consult on the route in the coming months, the mayor said.
