Andrew Dismore

Night time economy [1]

Question No: 2017/3289

Andrew Dismore

50,000 people visit Camden Town each Friday and Saturday evening. This is equivalent to the crowd at a Premier League football match. Camden Town have a dedicated Police team of 6 officers on duty as well as the usual SNT team.

At a “category A” football match with 50,000 fans in London there would typically be 150 police officers.  There would also be 200 stewards. Football crowds are usually easier to police.  The majority of fans are home fans who   know what the best routes are and what the police will worry about.  They follow the same routes every 2 weeks or so.  Many night time  economy customers come only once every 3-6 months and are going to different places  and  don’t have such an understanding of how to move around the area. Given this much lower policing ratio, is it any surprise that the streets of Camden Town (and other areas of London affected by night time economy crowds) see the level of incidents and anti-social behaviour that they do?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to MQ 2017/4040.

 

Night time economy [1]

Question No: 2017/3683

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No: 2017/3289:

50,000 people visit Camden Town each Friday and Saturday evening. This is equivalent to the crowd at a Premier League football match. Camden Town have a dedicated Police team of 6 officers on duty as well as the usual SNT team.

At a “category A” football match with 50,000 fans in London there would typically be 150 police officers.  There would also be 200 stewards. Football crowds are usually easier to police.  The majority of fans are home fans who   know what the best routes are and what the police will worry about.  They follow the same routes every 2 weeks or so.  Many night time  economy customers come only once every 3-6 months and are going to different places  and  don’t have such an understanding of how to move around the area. Given this much lower policing ratio, is it any surprise that the streets of Camden Town (and other areas of London affected by night time economy crowds) see the level of incidents and anti-social behaviour that they do?

Your response being:

‘Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.’

Will you now provide a substantive reply?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to MQ 2017/4040.

 

Bus stop FJ in Swiss Cottage

Question No: 2017/3700

Andrew Dismore

Bus Stop FJ has been temporarily sited outside Mullion Court, 112 Finchley Road. Residents of Mullion Court have now been informed that the bus stop will retained in this location permanently, with no consultation and  against the wishes of the residents.  Will you endeavour to reinstall the bus stop at the original location, or at least not outside 112 Finchley Road?

Written response from the Mayor

Following a site meeting with the residents of Mullion Court on 26 September, TfL amended the proposed design of bus stop FJ. The bus cage was moved two metres further south of 110/112 Finchley Road as a result of this meeting.

 

TfL has agreed with local residents to relocate the associated bus flag to the front of the bus cage by the end of October.

 

CS11 and the Regent’s Park Estate [1]

Question No: 2017/4014

Andrew Dismore

Can you confirm that TfL’s modelling for CS11 takes into account the massively increased impact of HS2 traffic on Albany Street and if so what proposals are there to ensure that this will not result in traffic displacing into residential areas already heavily impacted by HS2 works, such as Regent’s Park Estate?

Written response from the Mayor

I am aware of the level of concern among residents about the construction of HS2. HS2 Ltd will be expected to adhere with the roadworks permit conditions and approvals procedures that TfL has in place to manage complex works affecting London’s roads. HS2 are also required to take account of existing schemes such as CS11.

 

When consulting on proposals for CS11 in February 2016, modelling outputs did not include the impact of HS2 construction because the information required from HS2 was not available. However, TfL will work to ensure that both sets of works are managed as effectively as possible to minimise disruption to all using the area, including residents on Albany Street.

 

303 and 305 bus route merger

Question No: 2017/4540

Andrew Dismore

TfL are consulting on merging the 303 and 305 bus routes. The proposed bus route will now travel down areas of high congestion, which will reduce the reliability of the service. Will you reconsider these cuts?

Written response from the Mayor 

TfL is currently consulting on proposed changes to bus routes in this area. The proposed changes to routes 303 and 305 are dependent upon implementation of a bus lane at Capitol Way to protect buses from congestion. The full proposal can be found on the TfL consultation website at: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/routes-125-303-

 

A full response to the consultation will be available after the consultation has closed.

 

Nine Elms Bridge

Question No: 2017/4542

Andrew Dismore

What is the latest in plans for a pedestrian bridge at Nine Elms? Are you still opposed to the concept?

Written response from the Mayor 

I am aware of concerns about this proposal being raised by some local people, particularly those living close to the proposed bridge on the northern side of the river. I support the provision of new walking and cycling bridges, including this proposal, if it can be made to work locally.

 

This scheme is being developed by the London Borough of Wandsworth and the Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership, who recently conducted public engagement that aimed to understand local concerns and support the development of a number of alternative bridge locations. I hope that this leads to a proposal coming forward which can be supported by the councils and communities on both sides of the river. I have asked TfL to provide technical support to this process.

 

Baker Street

Question No: 2017/4543

Andrew Dismore

What is the cost of making Baker Street two-way? Who is meeting the cost?

Written response from the Mayor 

The Baker Street two-way scheme is expected to cost approximately £15 million.

 

Westminster City Council is responsible for cost management and delivery, and has secured approximately a third of the funding from local landowners and the Business Improvement District.

 

TfL is contributing £9.5m in total.

 

 

CS 11 [1]

Question No: 2017/4545

Andrew Dismore

Local residents are extremely concerned about TfL’s seemingly incomplete and piecemeal implementation plans for the cycle superhighway, with TfL intending to start work this year on the Swiss Cottage section only. Swiss Cottage alone is not a cycle superhighway. It is part of what was consulted on but residents consider does not represent enough of what was consulted on to be a valid project in isolation. Is this wise?

Written response from the Mayor 

There has been no decision to complete the construction of the Swiss Cottage section only, and it remains my intention to deliver the whole of Cycle Superhighway 11 from Swiss Cottage to the West End.

 

As TfL is not the highway authority for the Regent’s Park section of the route, work is ongoing to agree the way forward with the relevant highway authorities – The Crown Estate Paving Commission, The Royal Parks, Westminster City Council and Camden Council. It is my intention to announce a decision on this as soon as possible.

 

 

CS 11 [2]

Question No: 2017/4546

Andrew Dismore

TfL are starting their work on CS11 before they have Camden’s agreement to contribute their stretch of Avenue Road as they still have not satisfied Camden’s long-outstanding information requests, and before they have an agreement on the park gates and in the knowledge that Westminster have a moratorium on further cycle superhighways on their streets.  Is this wise?

Written response from the Mayor 

Construction has not yet commenced on Cycle Superhighway 11 and no start date has been confirmed. It remains my intention to deliver all of Cycle Superhighway 11.

 

As TfL is not the highway authority for the section of the route south of Swiss Cottage, work is ongoing to agree the way forward with the relevant highway authorities – The Crown Estate Paving Commission, The Royal Parks, Westminster City Council and Camden Council. It is my intention to announce a decision on this as soon as possible.

 

 

CS 11 [3]

Question No: 2017/4547

Andrew Dismore

Residents consider it to be bad governance and contrary to the spirit of the CS11 consultation, subsequent stakeholder engagement and the timetable TfL set out when they announced their decision. with TfL risking  completing  just the Swiss Cottage element, drawing in cyclists with the promise of a safe cycle route from Swiss Cottage to the West End while able only to deliver a tiny fraction of it.  Is this neither good for the cyclists nor the surrounding communities?

Written response from the Mayor

There has been no decision to complete the construction of the Swiss Cottage section only, and it remains my intention to deliver all of Cycle Superhighway 11.

 

TfL has been doing further work on the proposals for the Regent’s Park section, along with the relevant highway authorities – The Crown Estate Paving Commission, The Royal Parks, Westminster City Council and Camden Council – before deciding on a way forward for this section of the route.  It is my intention to announce a decision on this as soon as possible.

 

 

CS 11 [5]

Question No: 2017/4549

Andrew Dismore

Will you reconsider going ahead with the Swiss Cottage CS11 plan until TfL can confirm that they have a complete route agreed that is consistent with their consultation?

Written response from the Mayor 

There has been no decision to complete the construction of the Swiss Cottage section only, and it remains my intention to deliver the whole of Cycle Superhighway 11. TfL has been doing further work on the proposals for Regent’s Park with the relevant highway authorities – The Crown Estate Paving Commission, The Royal Parks, Westminster City Council and Camden Council – to agree the way forward for the complete route. It is my intention to announce a decision on this as soon as possible.

 

Stirling corner

Question No: 2017/4552

Andrew Dismore

Will you provide an update on progress towards improving pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities at Stirling Corner?

Written response from the Mayor 

As mentioned in my response to MQ 2017/2921, traffic modelling for the crossing is underway. The outcome is due in January 2018, after which a public consultation is planned.

 

 

Mill Hill circus

Question No: 2017/4553

Andrew Dismore

Will you provide an update on progress towards improving Mill Hill Circus?

Written response from the Mayor 

TfL is concluding agreements with the London Borough of Barnet on a section of land required for the design of the junction. The concept design and modelling are scheduled to be completed in early 2018.

 

 

Tube noise

Question No: 2017/4554

Andrew Dismore

Do you consider TfL’s response to complaints about tube noise to be adequate?

Written response from the Mayor 

I am meeting you and a number of affected Londoners at the end of this month to discuss the issue of Tube noise. I am keen to hear for myself about their experiences and how they feel TfL has responded to their concerns. When I was elected Mayor, I felt that TfL could and should be doing more to address noise concerns. I have continued to stress how high a priority I place on this. I believe TfL has done a good job so far, but there are certainly improvements that can be made.

 

I am aware that TfL’s noise experts have met with you, a number of other Assembly Members, and residents, and they are available to listen to your concerns. TfL’s priority in this area is to establish a clear timeframe for resolution, where possible, and to keep those affected regularly updated on progress. In line with its wider customer service commitments, TfL continually monitors its customer service staffing levels and provides additional staff training when required to ensure regular contact is maintained.

 

Alongside its wider track replacement and joint removal programmes, TfL engineers have replaced more than 2km of rail with harder steel that is more impervious to wear and removed or improved the condition of a number of individual rail joints specifically to reduce noise. Combined with the installation of over 4.5km of shock-absorbent track fixings across all five of its Night Tube lines, this has led to nearly a third of its complaints being resolved. Where complex issues remain, TfL is evaluating the potential benefits of targeted noise barriers and speed restrictions.

 

There is more for TfL to do in these areas and this remains a very high priority.

 

 

bus route 13 [1]

Question No: 2017/4555

Andrew Dismore

Despite promises of improvement the new route 13 (replacing the old route 82) continues to generate many complaints about poor reliability and frequency as well as a poor design of the buses. When will this service which operated perfectly adequately as the old route 13 and 82 before TfL messed about with it reach a reasonable standard of service?

Written response from the Mayor

TfL is aware of reliability issues on route 13. Changes were introduced on 12 August which led to an improvement in reliability, but the route continues to underperform on its minimum performance standard. TfL is working with the operator to ensure an improvement in the reliability of this route.

 

 

Buses on Finchley Road

Question No: 2017/4558

Andrew Dismore

The Lindfield and Langland Neighbourhood Association have raised with me their deep frustration and disappointment at the level of bus service in the Finchley Road since the changes last April.  The service is a shadow of what it was before these changes.  Their key issues are as follows:

       Overall there are fewer buses going up and down Finchley Road

       Buses are so crowded, especially on rainy days and in the rush hours, that it is difficult to get on a bus, resulting waiting a long time before being able to get on a bus

       Buses come in bunches

       There is no relation between the published timetables and the intervals at which buses actually travel

       The information given before the change of service this last April was misleading, and bears no relationship to the number of buses that actually go up and down Finchley Road.

What can and will you do about these complaints?

Written response from the Mayor 

Capacity was increased on route 113, the other main route serving this area, on 1 April 2017. Buses now operate every 7-8 minutes during the day from Monday to Saturday, with two additional southbound journeys in the morning peak and two additional northbound journeys in the afternoon peak. Reliability has also improved and the route now regularly exceeds its minimum performance standard.

 

TfL will continue to monitor routes in this area to ensure capacity continues to match passenger demand.

 

 

Junction of Edgware Road A5, Kingsbury Road and Rookery Way

Question No: 2017/4562

Andrew Dismore

The junction of Edgware Road A5, Kingsbury Road and Rookery Way, Colindale is a major intersection for two very busy roads and consequently is busy both day and night. However, it does not have an all red phase to accommodate the many pedestrians who also use this junction to reach local bus stops and schools. There have been accidents involving pedestrians, some of whom have required the air ambulance service. Primary school children groups try to cross the road with adults having to stand in the middle of the road to stop the traffic to allow the children to cross.  Will you work with the two councils involved to see what can be done to make this junction safer for pedestrians?

Written response from the Mayor 

I have asked TfL to engage with both the London Borough of Brent and the London Borough of Barnet to assess whether improvements could be made to the junction at this location.