Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, met Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, Seb Dance, on Friday 7 February, to push for improvements to Havering’s public transport network – including more frequent buses and accessible toilets.
Success for the 499 Bus Route: Mrs Lopez’s recent campaign to increase capacity on the 499 bus route has been successful, with an additional double-decker bus now set to run during school pick-up and drop-off times on the popular Harold Hill route.
Bus Capacity Review: Julia requested that Transport for London (TfL) share the results of their capacity survey on the 193, 174, and 496 bus routes to ensure services are meeting demand.
She also asked TfL to assess capacity on the 346 bus route, following a fresh campaign from a pupil at Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School earlier this week.
Station Facilities & Security: Mrs Lopez once again pressed TfL on the lack of toilet access at Hornchurch and Upminster Bridge stations, asking them to tackle the anti-social behaviour that has led to frequent closures.
She also urged TfL to keep ticket barriers closed and work more effectively with British Transport Police to prevent criminals from using the Tube network to enter the area to shoplift and to reduce anti-social behaviour at stations. Finally, she asked for step-free access to the Hornchurch platforms.
Lack of Investment in Outer London: Julia also raised concerns about the Mayor of London’s failure to invest properly in outer London boroughs, leaving Havering’s public transport underfunded compared to inner London despite changing population demographics.
Following the meeting, Julia said:
"Residents across Hornchurch and Upminster rightly expect reliable and safe public transport, and want a better service from the Mayor of London.
“It’s great that our campaign on the 499 bus route has been listened to but there is still more work to do on other Havering bus routes.
“I still worry that toilet access at District Line stations is being restricted because of nuisance behaviour. I’m pushing TfL to grip the issue so people can have use of the toilets there. The Mayor says he wants better toilets across the transport network with an £8m investment so it’s only right that Havering gets included."
