Decisions

The Committee considered whether to withdraw a report of the Director of the Built Environment concerning the City’s objective in respect of buses and the City Corporation’s response to the GLA’s investigations into bus services in London. However, the Committee wished to proceed to discuss the report in respect of the City’s response to the GLA.

The Assistant Director of Transportation advised that, on reflection, the City Corporation’s draft response would benefit from further clarification and refinement. He therefore sought approval to the final wording being delegated to the Town Clerk to agree in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman. It was suggested that all Members of the Committee should also be given the opportunity to comment on the revised response.

The Committee proceeded to discuss the draft in more detail. Amongst other things the following comments were made:-

·         several Members were of the view that, in order to secure improvements to bus timetables and better planned routes, the response needed to be more robust and radical. It needed to encourage TfL to do the same in terms of its thinking;

·         outside peak hours a large numbers of buses were under-utilised. Therefore the frequency of buses during that period needed to be reduced. It was noted that this would also have a beneficial impact on costs and congestion. Caution should nevertheless be taken to ensure that it did not appear as though buses were not being used;

·         reference should be made to the introduction of the London Hopper as it would present TfL with the opportunity to explore and possibly rationalise certain bus routes;

·         it was important to provide analytical evidence in support of the City Corporation’s assertions. TfL should therefore be encouraged to share any relevant data it currently held.

RESOLVED – that the report be noted and that the final wording of the City Corporation’s response to the GLA’s call for evidence on bus services in London be delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, subject to all Members of the Committee being given the opportunity to comment on the revised draft.