611 bus route could be axed as TfL looks to extend 112 route
The 611 bus stop at East Finchley Cemetery. Picture: Adrian Zorzut - Credit: Archant
Transport chiefs could axe the 611 bus route between Stonebridge Park station and East Finchley Cemetery.
A bus stop in a layby on the North Circular. Bus users will need to walk there if they normally get the 611 in Regent's Park Road or East Road. Picture: Adrian Zorzut - Credit: Archant
TfL's plans, which would replace the bus with an expanded 112 route for most but not all of the journey, are open to public comments until October 28.
The 112 will bypass Regent's Park Road in Finchley and East Road, leaving those who now get the 611 there to walk some 450 yards to laybys off the North Circular.
The 611 is mostly used by secondary school students heading to Bishop Douglas School in Hamilton Road and runs twice daily to take pupils to and from school. Fewer than 8 per cent of users are 65 or over.
One Bishop Douglas student who catches the bus from Brent Cross, Filip Kosik, 17, said: "It seems like a pain but personally I don't mind walking."
Under the changes being proposed, the 112 will be expanded to run from Ealing Broadway to North Finchley bus station via Henly's Corner, doubling the route that originally stopped near Brent Cross Shopping Centre.
The extension comes as TfL expects new developments in Stonebridge Park, Harrow Road, and Brent Cross to double passenger numbers, which have already increased by 50 per cent in the last five years.
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It says the new route will connect travellers from Ealing to Brent Cross and North Finchley with a faster and more direct service and help alleviate the already busy 232 service with a bus leaving every 10 minutes.
TfL has said only one school trip per day will be disturbed and that funding from the axed 611 service will be funnelled towards extending the 112.
The stops along the North Circular will have shelters and can be accessed by steps or a ramp, and via a controlled pedestrian crossing.
The proposal is part of the Mayor's Transport Strategy (MTS) to see 80pc of trips in London made by sustainable transport by 2026 and to reduce traffic on the North Circular.
You can comment by emailing consultations@tfl.gov.uk or writing to Freepost TfL Consultations (no other details are needed on the envelope).
