Digitalised image of what the arrival space outside East Croydon station would look like Pic: Croydon Council

More details have emerged about the plans for Croydon’s public space, at a recent community forum led by Tim Naylor, head of special planning for Croydon Council.

The High Streets Project is part of the ‘public realm’ regeneration program, meant to be completed by March 2015. It is  funded mainly by money pledged to the borough after the 2011 Riots and by Croydon Council’s growth fund. Two years after the disturbances, the spending plans have been roughly finalised.

Part of the map overview of where the regeneration plans are to take place Pic: Croydon Council

The council has consulted with residents associations and businesses on how the money should be spent, although local opinion is still divided.

The details revealed by Timothy Naylor gave an overall view of the plans, which aim to make Croydon a more appealing place to live and visit; Shop fronts will be re-designed, paving will be improved and transport connections will be upgraded.

Regarding changes in the high streets of London Road, Central Area, Old Town and South End, Naylor explained the intention to create a “village feel” exploiting the potential already present. This would be done by bringing attention to the heritage sites and extending footways to create spaces that encourage people “to spill out, using the high street as a social place.”

Another strand of the regeneration is linking the local transport routes, particularly around the borough’s train stations.

East Croydon has faced heavy criticism for being unable to cope with the high volume of commuters (routes run to the city, Gatwick airport and the South Coast). Under the plans a new entrance/exit point will be opened to help alleviate congestion and lifts are expected to make the station accessible for all from July.

TFL are also involved in the regeneration, relocating the tram stop on George Street and investing in improvements around East Croydon station, location for the most dangerous tram stop on the network.

The plans include moving the tram stop along George Street closer to Wellesley Road Pic: Croydon Council

The plans were well received by attendees, but some concerns were raised.   One local resident said that the plans failed to address the pedestrian route between West Croydon train station and the site of the future Westfield shopping centre. As it stands, people will have to use the underpass at the Croydon flyover on their journey from the station to the centre.

Security in the high street was another concern brought up by a local shop owner, who wanted to know what measures would be taken to ensure security for small shops during the building works. Mr. Naylor recognised that crime levels around the high street in Croydon have recently raised local concerns and he reassured the meeting that there would be close collaboration with the police.

Some of the local residents at the meeting expressed the hope that as a result of the project high street chains and amenities, which moved out of the high street following the riots, will come back. A longer-term objective of the ‘public realms’ project is to encourage small businesses to rent disused office space.

Croydon Council believe this will increase the appeal of the cityscape and create a more ‘commercial’ district, incorporating residential, business and arts -spaces.

The 343 Bus service. Pic: Sean Mullervy

At a public meeting in South East London last Thursday April 18 representatives from TFL and bus operators Abellio responded to complaints made by local residents about the 343 bus service- a key router service through Lewisham to Central London.

Residents said buses on the route, which runs between New Cross Gate and City Hall, are overcrowded, infrequent and slow.

Valerie Shawcross, London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark  urged TFL and Abellio to present a “to-do list” to the local residents gathered at the meeting.

“The population is growing particularly in London and very much in this area, but the bus service has remained static… and is bursting at the seams,” she said.

The terminus for the 343 is on Jerningham Road, a residential street opposite New Cross Gate station. One resident at the meeting said that it was an “inappropriate location for a bus stand and it should be moved”.

There were also complaints that the Southampton Way area of Peckham is served by no other bus, and residents in that area must make two separate journeys to get north of the river.

Harriet Harman, MP for Peckham and Camberwell,  joked that she recognised most of the meeting’s attendees from seeing them waiting at the bus stop. She asked TFL and Abellio to solve the problems along the 343 route, saying that “they need to put on more buses so people are not treated like cattle or made late”.

Peter Bradley, Head of Consultation and Engagement at TFL, said that they had looked at diverting services from other areas, but that such an action may just move the problem elsewhere. He committed to a review of the situation, and said he would listen again to residents when he returned in the autumn.

There were also complaints about some of the drivers on the route. One resident appeared distressed when alleging that a driver had refused to call the police after she had been the victim of crime on a 343 bus.

Frank Ayeni, Network Performance Manager at Abellio, said that the company would be reviewing their customer services along the route.

In contrast to the mood of the meeting, when ELL asked the opinion of passengers waiting for 343 buses in New Cross  the majority said they were positive about the service and drivers.

Pic: W. D Vanlue

Family and friends of  singer Shivon Watson, who died while cycling to work three years ago, were left feeling hurt after Hackney Council ordered them to remove a ‘ghost bike’ which commemorates her life.

The removal notice, which was attached to the bike memorial at the roundabout between Lauriston Road and Victoria Park Road last week, devastated the public and those close to the victim.

The notice read that the owners of the bicycle had seven days to unlock it from the railings.

Watson, 28, a successful musician and dedicated charity worker, was crushed between the railings and a tipper truck as they both attempted to turn left on the roundabout.

Her mother, Annette Darch, was dismayed to discover that someone had complained about the memorial. She said: “We heard rumours that it might be taken away when we went up for the anniversary (March 10) but everyone around there is so happy for it to stay.

“Just one person has complained apparently. They should not do it, and it would have been nice to have been consulted.”

Ghost bike memorials can be found all over the UK, they are respected not only by family and friends of the loved ones but by the cycling community who view them as a solemn reminder to drivers and the public about road safety and the vulnerability of cyclists.

Chris Park of the National Cycling Charity, said: “It must be terrible for family and friends who want to preserve the memory of her and to have that wiped out and possibly taken away.”

“The bikes serve to motivate people to campaign for better road safety and remind them of lives lost on the road. There should be a way of working with the family to have the ghost bike retained.”

The bike has still not been removed, despite the 7 day notice expiring at the end of last week.

Since receiving complaints against the removal, Hackney Council has issued a statement saying: “In practice we only seek to remove temporary memorials where we have received complaints, as in this case, or where memorials are not maintained or pose a risk to safety.  Although the seven-day notice period has expired, we will not remove the memorial until we have discussed this with the family.”

Damion Huxtable. Pic: British Transport Police

A man has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison following a violent machete attack at Catford Bridge Station last year.

Damien Huxtable, also known as Omar Brown, 31, from Bristol, was convicted at Blackfriars Crown Court following a 10 day trial.

The court heard about how Huxtable arrived at Catford Bridge rail station by bus on Thursday 23 August, before immediately becoming involved in a confrontation with a man he knew in front of the station.

The victim was sitting at the station entrance with his partner and two young children. Numerous members of the public were also present.

Witnesses recalled seeing Huxtable walk towards the man holding a machete with a foot-long blade. He then struck the man on the head, cutting his face and upper body.

As he committed the assault, Huxtable shouted: “I’m going to kill you boy.

“I’m going to cut your head off.”

Judge Daniel Worsley described the attack as “cold blooded” and told Huxtable that the evidence against him was “overwhelming.”

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Jane Hill of the British Transport Police said: “Violent incidents of this nature are rare on the rail network in this area, but we take them very seriously when they do occur, and we will do everything in our power to identify and prosecute those responsible.”

Pic: Busplanes

A Croydon coach company that takes disabled and special needs children to and from school, has had 60 percent of its operating licences revoked.

Olympic South Limited lost its passenger service vehicle (PSV) licences because of failures to keep proper maintenance records as well as issues with registering vehicles in the wrong class and not obtaining correct Ministry of Transport tests.

However, Croydon council has said that they will not be revoking the company’s £475,000 annual contract to operate one coach, two mini-buses and 23 taxi routes. Henry Bilinski, Olympic South director, said they continue to undertake school runs in the borough.

This issue is Olympic South’s latest controversy as the company had its £5.2 million contract revoked in 2011 .  The dispute sparked after Michael Lawrence, one of the key overseers of the procurement process, left his job as Sutton Council’s transport manager to take over as a director at the coach company.

A council spokesman said: “This firm only has two mini-buses on Croydon school routes and both of these have all the proper licenses. This is checked regularly and has also been reconfirmed following the recent news.

“The Council has several similar contracts with other firms and should we ever need to cover a route because of the unavailability of a vehicle this allows us to do so.”

However, some parents are worried for the safety of their children. Anna Blackman, a Croydon mother, said: “I’m not quite sure which coach firm takes my son to school, but if the firm lost 60 per cent of the operating licence – I would feel unsafe when they take my son. I prefer to take him myself.”

TfL  announced plans, on January 30, to extend tube hours on Fridays and Saturdays to 2am, following the success of extending opening hours during the Olympics. But the  Overground will not be part of the plan.

The extended hours will start with the Northern, Victoria and Jubilee lines in 2015.  The extension and maintenance work on the Northern line is scheduled to be complete in 2015.

Mark Shaffer, owner of White Rabbit, The Alibi, Birthdays and Macbeth, all in Hackney, spoke to Eastlondonlines about how he feels his businesses will be affected by the plans to extend the timetable- plans which have conspicuously failed to include East London.

“Night life has driven and accelerated regeneration in east London. But London has to reinvest some of the money earned by this sector back into the area’s infrastructure. “

“Any move to improve late night public transport in London should be applauded, but it needs to be focused on the areas where Londoners are going out. Dalston and Shoreditch are obvious choices for increased late night capacity.”

“The east London Overground could help solve a lot of issues if it ran later. By making it easier and safer for people to get home after a night out, there would be less problems on the streets. This should help the police and local residents.”

A spokesperson for the London Overground Rail Operation said: “The tube timetable extension is not fully planned nor is it imminent. Extending the hours on the underground would be easier as the trains run more frequently and there is more foot traffic in central london.  There has been more public outcry for the underground hours to be extended.”

The changes to the tube timetable will bring London into line with other international big cities;  New York City’s Metro system runs 24 hours and Paris has extended times on their Metro on weekends and holidays.

The transport unions  welcome the opportunity for more jobs, but fear that the extended hours will cut into vital maintenance time.  Negotiations regarding hours, pay and various changes will be held in the future.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “For the millions of Londoners, visitors, and businesses who rely on our Underground system every day, it is imperative for us to employ every feasible technique to run the best Tube operation possible.

“As we saw during the Olympics, a smooth and efficient transport system can make or break the success of our city, and we are building on the lessons we learnt during that triumphant period to cut delays.”

The extended hours are  supported in the London area and according to TfL the extra revenue would compensate for the extended timetable.

At the moment the last Victoria Line train leaves Oxford Circus at 12:40am and the last Northern line train leaves Leicester Square at 12:40am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Karlos of Syston/Flickr

In Hackney, 15.4 per cent of residents use a bicycle when travelling to work – the highest number in London. This compares to seven per cent of Tower Hamlets residents and 4.1 per cent of Lewisham residents cycling to work. Croydon has lowest rate out of the four ELL boroughs with 1.3 per cent of people choosing the bicycle over using the Overground.

The recently released figures, drawn from the 2011 Census by the Office of National Statistics, also reveal 12.8 per cent of people from Hackney drive, in stark comparison to Croydon where 40.9 per cent of people drive to work.

In a survey released in October 2012, carried out by British Cycling, 52 per cent of people said they were motivated to cycle as a result of the achievements of Team GB’s cyclists at the Olympics. In addition, 87 per cent of those who said they were inspired to cycle by the Games were also encouraging their children to get out on their bicycles.

According to Hackney Council, in some areas of the borough as many as 20 per cent of people cycle to their job. This is three and a half times higher than the average across the capital.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Hackney Council Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and the Councils cycling champion said: “It’s fantastic that more Hackney residents are cycling than ever. We will continue to make every effort to make cycling as safe and easy as possible in Hackney, encouraging drivers and cyclists to share the roads”

The council said the introduction of a 20mph speed limit on all residential roads cycle skills training in the borough’s schools and development of the pioneering Safer Urban Driving course for HGV drivers have added to more and more people cycling.

A spokesman for the London Cycling Campaign said providing opportunities for cycling could prove cost-effective for the government. Cyclists expressed their disappointment earlier this month at the 100 per cent price rise in the cost of hiring London’s “Boris bikes,” from £45 to £90 a year, but felt they are still saving money on driving.

The number of Hackney council employees cycling to work has doubled in six years, rising from 6 per cent in 2004 to 12 per cent in 2011. The council set itself the target of 20 per cent of Council staff frequently cycling to work by the end of 2013.

Trevor Parsons, coordinator of the London Cycling Campaign in Hackney said: “A factor was the council’s willingness to redesign junctions and one-way streets to include cycle lanes, and the ability to cycle in all council parks, such as London Fields. A key change was the removal of the ‘racetrack’ Shoreditch gyratory system, which was both a hazard and a danger to cyclists in the south of the borough.”

David Ryes, 24 said: “My mate got me and my girlfriend into it, he cycles with the Cycling Club Hackney. We live in Dalston and both work in Canary Wharf and use to get the Overground to work each day, now we both cycle to work for exercise.”

He added: “I spent about £255 a bit pricey but saved on gym membership and my girlfriend Jen hires her bike.”

Dennis Whittlers, 66, said: “My doctor advised my to get exercise as I suffer from high blood pressure. I hired a London bike and started cycling around Dalston. I feel much better after cycling and bring my grandchildren on Sundays cycling around Victoria Park.”

Delays at London Bridge. Pic: Ellie Slee

Yesterday saw widespread disruption on the transport network in Eastlondonlines boroughs as snow covered the capital. Below is our live-blog that was updated throughout the day:

After two days ripe for tobogganing, regular travel in the capital has been left struggling. There were multiple delays on the Tube this morning, with Chancery Lane station even closed due a lack of staff.

Eastlondonlines liveblogged the travel updates as rush hour got under way. Our reporters faced confusion and unannounced changes to their routes: you can read our full blog below.

If you would like to keep sending us your snow pictures, you can using the hashtag #snowELL.

18.10

No delays reported on the Overground this evening.

10.10

With rush hour theoretically coming to a close, we are also going to be drawing this travel blog to a close.

If you are unfortunate enough to be caught up in delayed train services, you can check live TfL updates here.

For any national rail service updates, you can check here.

London Bridge and the overground system seem to be particularly struggling, so do check if you plan to use either today.

Keep tweeting us your snow pictures at #snowELL and beware of the ice for the rest of today – it is probably going to be around for a while!

10.05

Our reporter Ellie Slee is at London Bridge and has confirmed that all trains from London Bridge to New Cross are delayed.

10.02

Apparently heading in the opposite direction to most commuters seems to be the trick:

On a train from London Bridge to New Cross, is nice and empty – getting out of central is a lot easier than getting in #snowELL

— Tomas Jivanda (@T_Jiv) January 21, 2013

9.55

Our reporter Laura Liszewski sends us this from London Bridge:

Major delays at London bridge. I will be late to say the least…

~ Laura Lszewski

9.45

TfL aren’t reporting any more bus alerts, though the overground remains suspended between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction and between Willesden Junction and Richmond.

9.38

The trains seem to have been hit the hardest by the snow, with both the overground and national services disrupted:

#snowELL trains are queuing pretty much from New Cross to get into London bridge

— Tomas Jivanda (@T_Jiv) January 21, 2013

9.32

Confusion seems to be reigning at New Cross Gate overground station:

#snowELL platform announcements at #NewCrossGate mostly wrong. Total chaos people have no idea what train is going where.

— Angela Phillips (@AngelaELL) January 21, 2013

9.29

Only primary and secondary roads are salted by the gritters, so any side roads are likely to remain icy for the day.

An interesting fact, however, is that TfL have 89,000 tonnes of grit stockpiled for these conditions and there is another 27,000 tonnes available from the Strategic Salt Reserve should supplies get low.

9.25

Sophie Robinson-Tillett is experiencing first hand the delays on the overground and sends us this picture of a snowy Stamford Hill:

Pic: Sophie Robinson-Tillett

9.19

One of our reporters is travelling in from Kent and has discovered that his train isn’t stopping where he expected this morning – a situation which is likely to be repeated across the network until the weather abates!

#snowELL driver just suddenly announced train is goin fast to London Bridge giving no chance to get off. I needed to change at Hither Green!

— Tomas Jivanda (@T_Jiv) January 21, 2013

9.13

Our reporter Sarah Howell is travelling from north London:

Heavy snow in Highgate but northern line running fine. #SnowELL

— Sarah Howell (@SarahHowell3) January 21, 2013

9.09

The overground is still part suspended and the Bakerloo and Metropolitan lines are both experiencing severe delays this morning.

#snowELL overground terminating NewCross gate due to problems on the line.

— Angela Phillips (@AngelaELL) January 21, 2013

9.03

Bad weather is affecting elsewhere on the rails, with all routes on Southeastern and Greater Anglia disrupted due to the weather.

First Capital Connect is also disrupted between King’s Cross and Cambridge due to a bridge strike at Baldock.

8.56

The Met Office have ice warnings in place for London roads all day today – you can view the latest warnings and weather forecast here.

8.50

Travel may be more difficult than usual today, but at least there are some novel sights to see along the way:

#snowELL cranwich rd n16 twitter.com/AngelaELL/stat…

— Angela Phillips (@AngelaELL) January 21, 2013

8.46

TfL are reporting that several bus routes in Hackney are experiencing diversions due to a breakdown:

Routes 73 106 393 are subject to diversion and delays in Brook Rd / Stoke Newington High St, due to road being blocked by a broken down bus.

— TfL Bus Alerts (@TfLBusAlerts) January 21, 2013

8.42

Southern are informing commuters that trains across their network may be delayed by up to 60 minutes this morning. If you are travelling by train, you can check status updates here.

8.36

Our reporter Alan Dymock is travelling from London Bridge this morning and says the situation seems little different from normal:

#snowELL mole people unaffected by weather. London Bridge still crawling with commuters, Jubilee line still heaving…

— Alan Dymock (@AlanDymock) January 21, 2013

8.30

Despite a valiant effort to keep the overground open and functioning during rush hour on Friday afternoon, TfL have been forced to suspend parts of the service this morning.

There is currently no overground service between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction, and between Willesden Junction and Richmond. The London Underground is accepting tickets for alternative routes.

There are also minor delays between Highbury and Islington and New Cross/West Croydon/Crystal Palace.

Pic: Tomas Jivanda

For another year running public transport will be free on New Years Eve, but there will be plenty of disruption for the rest of the festive season.

Eastlondonlines brings you a day-by-day breakdown of how to move around our boroughs this winterval.

December 24:

- Tubes will run a Saturday service until19:00. After that there will be a reduced service.

Last underground trains from Mile End will be:

District: Westbound – 23:42 Eastbound: 00.24

Hammersmith and City: Westbound – 00:00 Eastbound: 00.24

Central line: Westbound 23:32 –Eastbound: 23:57

- The Overground will run a Saturday service. Last trains will be at about 21.30.

- Croydon Tramlink: There will be a Saturday service with reduced services after 20.00.

- A modified service will run on DLR. It will finish at 23:30. Buses will replace trains between Canning Town and Beckton, and Tower Gateway and Bank.

- Buses: There will be a Saturday service stopping at midnight. No night buses will run.

- There will be a normal service on the Emirates Air Line.

December 25:

There will be no services at all, anywhere; apart from Barclay’s Cycle Hire.

December 26:

- Tube services will be severely limited as the train drivers union, ASLEF, is on strike.

- There will be no services on the East London Overground line.

- Croydon Tramlink will run a Sunday timetable with services running until 17:00.

- Buses will run on a Sunday timetable. 24 hour buses will start at 06:00.

- Buses will replace DLR trains between Tower Gateway, Bank and Canning Town and Beckton.

- The Emirates Air line will run a Saturday service.

December 27-29:

A Saturday service will run on all buses, trams, and DLR, underground and overground trains.

Buses will replace trains between Canning Town and Beckton, and Tower Gateway and Bank.

- The Emirates Air Line will run a full service.

December 30:

A Sunday service will run on all buses, trams, cable cars and DLR, underground and overground trains.

Buses will replace trains between Canning Town and Beckton, and Tower Gateway and Bank.

December 31:

Underground, Overground, DLR, buses and Tramlink services will be free of charge from 23:45 and 4:30.

- Underground, DLR and buses will operate throughout the night.

-  Croydon tramlink will run until 04:30.

- The Overground network will run a Saturday service until the usual last trains. However, trains between West Croydon and Highbury and Islington will run until 01:30.

- Buses will replace trains between Canning Town and Beckton, and Tower Gateway and Bank.

- The Emirates Air Line will run a Saturday service.

January 1:

- Overground trains will run a Saturday service.

- Underground trains will have a reduced service.

- Buses and Trams will run a Sunday service.

- Buses will replace trains between Canning Town and Beckton, and Tower Gateway and Bank.

- The Emirates Air Line will run a full service.

Barclays Cycle Hire scheme will be running throughout the festive season.

Pic: Andrew Woodyatt

After a four year battle with Transport for London, Rio Cinema in Dalston has finally got its name on the bus stop outside.

Enquiries made of TfL by the local news site, Loving Dalston, has led to the on board announcements and electronic signs being changed as well.

The cinema asked for the bus stops on both sides of Kingsland High Street to be officially named after the cinema in 2008, as travellers often refer to Rio Cinema as the name of the stop. In 2010 the head of surface transport communications and engagement, Beverly Hall told them the sign would be changed.

The response was delayed until after the Olympics and Paralympics were over this year.

Alex Munden, who writes a newsletter for the Rio, said in its December 14 edition: “In 2008 we began a campaign to persuade TfL to add Rio’s name to two adjacent bus stops. After four years the promised renaming had not taken place but in July this year we finally received an apology and an assurance from TfL that this would be done ‘once the Olympics were over’”.

Once the stop signs were changed, the on board announcement and electronic signs initially stayed the same. The campaign to further add these changes could have taken longer if pressure from the local site had not been applied.

Having the bus stops and announcement changed to name the cinema will hopefully give a boost to the business.