SAVE CLAPHAM OLD TOWN - The Arguments

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THE ARGUMENTS

You've probably heard some of the arguments from the small amount of residents that seem so vehemently against us having the large public space that the vast majority of residents and businesses want.

So we thought we would take them all one by one, and address the issues so everyone can make their own mind up.

Argument 1
We need live bus stands in the Old Town Square.
No we don't. The numbers (shown here) tell us that this is the last thing the square needs. Why do we need large amounts of space being used up by bus stands, platforms, shelters, sign, advertising and commercial lighting, when it is only used by a tiny minority of the local population? In the busiest times of the day the average users per bus was 2.66. That's 1.6 users getting on and 1.06 users getting off. There were only slightly more passengers than drivers. On a weekday over the busiest 9 hours of the day, 159 buses came into or left the square EMPTY.

Argument 2
The two extra bus stops will be put under residential homes leading to extra noise.
Let's split this into the two specific bus stops concerned:

Bus stop next to Starbucks
The stop next to Starbucks will be a drop-off only stop. There will be no bus shelter, just a sign post indicating that it is a drop-off point. So there will be no one waiting for buses at all, just people getting off the buses and dispersing. Over the busiest 9 hours in a weekday it was found that 173 passengers got off a bus in the day time. That's an average of 19 people per hour. When you include all the other hours in the day (which are far less busy) the average would easily come down to about 12-15 an hour - not enough, in our opinion to create a lot of noise.
The buses themselves are all being converted by TfL to hybrid buses over the next few years (TfL have told us this themselves and you can see more here - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/2019.aspx). Basically this means that the buses have stop/start electric systems which only change to the diesel engines when they have got to a certain speed. Therefore, when they are pulling in they will be silent and when they are pulling away they will be silent too. So, in a couple of years time, the argument that more bus noise will be created here will be no longer valid.

So the residents living above Starbucks and Birksens have two choices.
A – Live next to a bus station (live bus stands, platforms, shelters, signs, advertising & commercial lighting) and have no drop-off point outside Starbucks.
B – Live next to a large public space (trees, public space & planting), 4 dead bus stands further down the square (partially hidden by the trees) and have a drop-off point outside Starbucks.

Bus stop next to Sainsburys
The stop next to Sainsburys will be a pick-up only stop. There will be a bus shelter, a sign and space for people to stand waiting for the buses. Over the busiest 9 hours in a weekday it was found that only 261 passengers got on a bus in the day time. That's an average of 29 people per hour, or 1.6 people getting on per bus. It's not a lot by anyone's standards, especially when these figures are for the busiest times of the day. And when you think that there will be NO noise from traffic either, because there won't be any as the road will be access-only and mainly pedestrianised, then surely this is not such a big issue. Also when you take into account that the most people who got onto a single bus was 12 (in the morning peak hours) and that there are no main schools in the area, then the noise from people waiting for buses will not be great (see 24 hour bus service below).
The buses themselves are all being converted by TfL to hybrid buses over the next few years (TfL have told us this themselves and you can see more here - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/2019.aspx). Basically this means that the buses have stop/start electric systems which only change to the diesel engines when they have got to a certain speed. Therefore, when they are pulling in they will be silent and when they are pulling away they will be silent too. So, in a couple of years time, the argument that more bus noise will be created here will be no longer valid.

So the residents living above and opposite Sainsburys have two choices.
A – Live next to a bus station (live bus stands, platforms, shelters, signs, advertising & commercial lighting), have the traffic exactly as it is now (ie. two lane one way busy street) and have no pick-up bus stop outside Sainsburys.
B – Live next to a large public space (trees, public space & planting), have hardly any traffic (apart from local access and the two bus routes) and have a pick-up bus stop outside Sainsburys.

Argument 3
The two extra bus stops will service a bus route that runs 24 hours a day (the N88 route).
We can't argue with this at all as it is a valid point. Although the N88 is hardly used during the week but mainly during the weekend (in the Old Town, not the route itself) then most of the time this wouldn't be too much of a problem, especially when the hybrid buses come into service (see above). It is during the weekends with people coming from the two bars on Wandsworth Road that seems to be the problem here. We know that Lambeth Council is drastically cutting down on the licences of these venues so the footfall will be greatly reduced over the coming months.
Our solution regarding the N88 night bus is quite simple. It really isn't needed in the actual square so surely it makes more sense to put it as far away as possible from local residents. The logical place for it to stand would be outside the George West House (business offices) or at the end of the Pavement, where the 322 and 249 would already stand (but are not needed at night). The latter makes more sense because the buses would be the furthest away from any residents thus reducing any noise levels for all concerned. The stands here are approximately 50 yards at least away from Trinity Close and the Polygon. We will be campaigning to Lambeth Council and TfL to have this added to the scheme as it makes sense to do this.

Argument 4
The two extra bus stops will create more pollution.
The buses coming into the square and leaving the square will be reduced so where does this argument come from? Currently the 417/88/322 routes come into the square. The Regeneration plan puts the 322 out of the square (because it is not as used as the other two routes) which would lead to less pollution. Surely by dispersing the buses throughout the square, the square will be less polluted than it is under a plan to have a live bus station in the middle?
Also with the new hybrid buses coming into service (see above) this will not be a problem because they will run electrically to approx 20mph and there will be a 20mph speed limit in the square, which would mean no extra pollution whatsoever.

Argument 5
The pavements will not be wide enough for the two extra bus stops.
On the Starbucks side there is no problem as the pavement will be perfectly wide enough. On the Sainsburys side, all the surveyors and planners concerned are perfectly happy that it works. There seems to be this rumour going round that there is no room for a bus and a fire engine. There isn't. This is because the fire engines will not be going up here as they will be using the road. They do not want to tear up a mainly pedestrianised road and they never will do unless they have to. How do we know? Because of the Fire Service said so. So can we just leave it to the experts please!!

Argument 6
The Regeneration Project will reduce the amount of parking available.
No it won't. Lambeth have a Parking Neutral Policy and fully intend to make sure that there is MORE parking available when the project is finished. At a recent Design Reference group meeting it was determined that there were currently 112 parking spaces in the affected area. After the project there will be 130. So an increase of 18 parking spaces which is achieved by using the space more intelligently.

ARE THERE ANY MORE??
THESE ARE THE ARGUMENTS THAT OPPONENTS TO THE PROJECT (A TINY NUMBER OF RESIDENTS BACKED BY KATE HOEY MP) CONSTANTLY BRING UP. WE THINK THAT THESE ARGUMENTS ARE NOWHERE NEAR STRONG ENOUGH TO STOP THE PROJECT - WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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