DTp turns tough on LRT
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• The Government has set tough service targets for London Regional Transport, which has been ordered to tighten up on the frequency and reliability of routes, and to clean up its bus facilities.
The DTp wants to see 98% of scheduled distances attained within three years, giving a small leeway for staffing and mechanical problems.
It also wants high-frequency bus routes to run every seven minutes on average.
Buses must be cleaned inside and out at least once a day and bus stations daily, says the DTp. Information on services at bus stops and shelters must always be kept up to date.
While welcoming the improvements, Nick Lester, planning and transport officer for the Association of London Authorities, says they do not go far enough. "What London Transport has done in the past is cut schedules to improve service on the remaining schedule. A short-term measure which would transform London's transport system is to introduce considerably more buses and considerably more bus priority."
The proposed measures, which must be implemented by the end of 1992 come in response to LRT's bus service record for the first three quarters of 1989, which revealed that 18% of buses ran up to 15 minutes late, with 12% running later than 15 minutes or not running at all. "This showed no improvement on the previous year's standard."