Neil Garratt: London bus timetables "no longer legally achievable" following 20mph speed limit

Bus drivers feel pressured to meet timetables that are “no longer legally achievable” following new 20mph speed limits, according to London Assembly member Neil Garratt.

The Conservative politician for Croydon and Sutton called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to review bus timetables to cut down on slips, trips and falls caused by aggressive driving this morning during Mayor’s Question Time.

Transport for London (TfL) introduced 20mph speed limits in central London in March 2020 and are now lowering the speed limits on another 140km of roads by May 2024 as part of the Mayor’s Vision Zero policy which aims to see no one killed or seriously injured on London roads by 2041.

Mr Garratt said: “A typical component of a healthy street is a 20mph speed limit … TfL don’t automatically adjust the bus timetable when that happens.”

“What bus drivers tell me is that puts undue pressure on them to try to hit a timetable that’s no longer legally achievable because of the new lower speed limits.

“That isn’t a recipe for a healthy street, is it?” he added.

Mr Garratt argued bus drivers try to save time by speeding and pulling into and away from stops aggressively, putting passengers and their own licences at risk.

Mr Khan said he did not believe 20mph speed limits affected bus journey times because of more bus lanes introduced in the city as part of the bus priority programme.

The programme will see 25km of new bus lanes created by 31 March 2025 to make journey times 10pc quicker than in 2015.

TfL also published trial results on their website showing bus running times were more influenced by factors such as road works in the vicinity rather than lower speed limits.

Mr Garratt said: “There needs to be a routine review.

“Every time there’s major speed limit changes or even maybe junction and timing changes on a bus route, there needs to be a realistic assessment of how long that takes.”