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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
New bus route work praised by experts
August 27, 2009 9:31 AM
• RICHMOND Council's campaign of getting on a bus to get fit has been praised by the Institute of Civil Engineers, with a commendation paying tribute to the work involved in changing the route of the 490 service.
Route 490 used to run between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Manor Circus, Richmond. It has been diverted at Richmond Circus via the A316 (Twickenham Road) to terminate at the Pools on the Park leisure centre. At the same time route H37, which runs between Hounslow and Richmond Station, will be extended to terminate at Manor Circus.
The work has been recognised with a highly commended award in the 'projects under £5 million' category in the institute's annual Thames Valley awards - the scheme was the only one in London to be recognised.
Councillor David Trigg, Richmond Council's Cabinet Member for Traffic, Transport and Parking, said: "We have worked closely with Transport for London on these bus service changes and I am delighted that Pools on the Park leisure centre will now be accessible by public transport.
"The improved links mean people living along the route through Richmond upon Thames and further afield can now get to Pools on the Park easily, giving them an extra incentive to keep fit and make use of these great swimming facilities which the Council provides."
Pools on the Park has around 4,000 visitors a day, yet the nearest bus stop was up to 15 minutes away. A significant amount of negotiation was required to make the change - while the Council wanted to ensure the conservation area was not affected, TFL had to ensure buses could operate safely. The result is a bus service every 10 minutes during the day, which has also alleviated congestion in Richmond town centre.
"The judges said: "Attention to detail and extensive liaison with all stakeholders ensured the solution met the requirements of all involved." They highlighted the environmental challenges which had to be overcome as part of the scheme and praised the level of communication with all customers.
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