A campaign for better connectivity between West Dulwich, Dulwich Village and Herne Hill.
We need change
The problem today
The Dulwich area has several train stations in its periphery, but very poor service going through its core, linking its neighbourhoods with each other.
You can't go from West Dulwich to Dulwich Village by public transport
There's no step-free access station in the Dulwich area, and those that are beyond aren't easy to access by bus
The only bus is the P4 which is the 3rd worst bus service in Southwark, consistently delayed and slow.
The solution is simple:1. We need to re-route bus 201 so that it goes through Dulwich Village and connects it with the hubs of Streatham Hill, Tulse Hill, West Dulwich, North Dulwich and Herne Hill.2. We need to improve the quality of service on route P4 so that it can be relied upon
Why re-route the 201?
The 201 bus currently operates every 12 minutes or so from Morden, Mitcham, Streatham, Tulse Hill and reaches Croxted Road via the South Circular.It then turns left and runs with very few passengers to Herne Hill (duplicating the 3 route) and parks up adjacent to Brockwell Park in Dulwich Road.Our proposal would see it continuing along the South Circular to serve Dulwich College then left into College Road (following the P4 route) to serve Bell House, Dulwich Park and Dulwich Picture Gallery, then through the Village, serving the schools, on to North Dulwich station then left into Half Moon Lane, shadowing the 37, left under the Herne Hill railway bridge and right into Dulwich Road.
The current 201 route:
The proposed 201 route:
Why is it a good solution?
This would connect Dulwich Village to Herne Hill station (which has lifts), as well as Streatham Hill, Tulse Hill, West Dulwich and North Dulwich.
Being connected with Herne Hill would make a big difference as it is the closest step-free access station to Dulwich. No new bus lines needs to be created, just a re-routing of an existing one
New new bus stations need to be created, as the ones already used by the P4 and 37 can be used for this service
Only 1 extra bus per hour would be required to maintain the 12 minute cadence on the proposed, slightly longer route
The bus depot used by the 201 (Arriva) has plenty of spare capacity
It would not be a loss to residents of Croxted Rd: they are already connected to Herne Hill by bus route 3 and the 201 bus runs almost empty between West Dulwich and Herne Hill.
Why does the P4 need improving?
Dulwich Village is only served by a single bus line today: the P4.The problem is that the P4 is a very poor service. It's the 3rd worst bus line in Southwark for delays1 and also the third worst for likelihood of being delayed 10-20 minutes1.This past year, the P4 has failed to meet TfL's own minimum standards for delays 70% of the time2. Its performance is much worse than the previous year: for delays, for failing minimum standards and for lack of mileage run. In a recent Reddit survey attracting over 400 comments, the P4 was voted Worst bus in London3.Yet the P4 bus is the only link Dulwich residents have to a station with a lift: Brixton (tube station only). Users need to wait 15-20 minutes for a P4 bus, which then takes 20-25 minutes to take them to Brixton: that's 35 to 45 minutes just to reach one step-free access train station.
Who is affected?
The poor public transport links through Dulwich is painful for residents of Dulwich Village, because 39% of them are families with children4, 15% are over 655 and 11% have a disability5.We also know that Dulwich Village has the highest fertility rate in the whole of Southwark (double the average), so there's an abundance of babies in prams.A significant number of residents of Dulwich Village need on step-free access to use the train and underground system which gives them access to wider London, but the only way they can do so is by taking the P4 which means waiting 15-20 minutes, then travelling another 20-25 minutes to Brixton. So altogether 35-45 minutes to reach Brixton and its step-free access to the tube!This poor level of access also means that Dulwich Village's attractions are out of reach of many Londoners and visitors: the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Dulwich Park, Bell House, Belair Park and so on. This is a loss of amenity for Londoners but also for visitors, affecting the business of local shops.TfL knows this, in fact in their own studies, they rate Dulwich Village's Public Transport Accessibility Level as Poor to Very Poor (scores of 1 and 2)
Pictured below: TfL's Public Transport Accessibility Level map
Supporters
Friends of Dulwich Park
Dulwich Residents Association
Who we are
This is a grassroots initiative. We are a small group of 4 Dulwich residents without any party affiliation, who seek to improve the connections between Dulwich Village and the wider London.You can reach us at [email protected]
Show your support
Ask TfL to re-route the 201
Ask TfL to improve the P4
Improve public transport for everyone in the Dulwich area