A new bus trundled down Brixton Hill yesterday – the white single-deck 545, running from Brixton to Camberwell.
Gas works on Coldharbour Lane have meant that the 45, 35 and 345 buses have been diverted through Herne Hill, leaving residents in the Coldharbour Lane area – especially older people – unable to access services or shops in either Brixton or Camberwell. The double-decker buses could not use a diversion route in Loughborough Junction itself because of low bridges. In the past week, 700 people have signed a petition calling for restored bus services to the Coldharbour Lane area.
It’s great to see community action having such a direct and immediate impact. Val Shawcross, London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark, presented the petition to the London Assembly this morning, but in fact she had already been in talks with TfL as a result of the complaints and they implemented the new shuttle service yesterday.
The bus is free of charge and will run five times an hour until the gas works are completed, provisionally in early March.
