Tottenham Hale bus station

After months of campaigning the W4 will finally soon be back where it belongs: at Tottenham Hale station!

Together with local Labour councillors, Joanne invited Transport for London (TfL) to come to Tottenham Hale Station to see the difficulties local residents were facing when trying to board the W4.

In the summer, Transport for London decided to move the W4 bus stop from Tottenham Hale bus station 500m down the main road for safety reasons and to prevent overcrowding at the bus station. This proved highly unpopular amongst many of the residents in Tottenham, especially those living on the nearby Ferry Lane Estate, who rely on public transport and the W4 for their daily routine. The W4 no longer stopping at Tottenham Hale station made life difficult and more stressful for people, particularly the elderly and less mobile of the W4 users.

TfL have now confirmed that they would be moving the W4 back to its original location.

Joanne McCartney, London Assembly Member for Enfield and Haringey, said: ”I am delighted by this good news which will make life so much easier again for the W4 users in this area. I am thinking particularly of the less mobile of my constituents who rely on the W4 to get to work, for their shopping trips or to visit family & friends.”

“I am particularly pleased that our combined efforts made TfL realise how important it was to reinstall the W4 at its original bus stop at Tottenham station and to do so sooner rather than later.”

Sadiq Khan announces government reopening consultation

The government’s decision today (Wednesday) to reopen the third year of the funding settlement for the national bus concession has angered London Councils.

Under a three year package announced by government in 2008, London was set to receive around £58 million in 2010/2011 to help cover the cost of providing free off peak bus travel in the capital.

However, today Minister for Transport, Sadiq Khan announced that he was reopening the consultation on the final year of the settlement – which could result in London losing around half of this funding.

London Councils fears the capital is losing out because it has run a statutory concessionary fares scheme – the Freedom Pass – for over two decades.

If the government proposals are agreed London would be the biggest loser of any of the major cities across the country – with London boroughs losing on average just under £1 million each.

London Councils’ Chairman, Councillor Merrick Cockell, said: “The government’s decision at this late stage to alter the deal already agreed is absolutely stunning and will be met with anger across the capital.

“Boroughs have already budgeted for this funding and now London is facing having the amount of funding it was promised almost halved. Under this funding regime London is already disadvantaged, compared to other parts of England, and today’s decision could impact on the services boroughs provide.”

The government’s consultation on their proposed new levels of grant for the national bus concession runs until 30 December.

The Freedom Pass allows Londoners aged 60 and over plus eligible disabled residents to travel free on the capital’s buses, trains, London Underground, trams, and the Docklands Light Railway.

The government’s national concessionary fares scheme allows disabled people and those aged 60 and over to use their passes on any off peak bus journey in England. The council covering the place where the free bus journey begins is required to pay the cost of the journey.