SE23 Forum

Bus Route 194 once ran an extended leg from Lower Sydenham Bell Green to Forest Hill. In recent years this leg of the route has been discontinued.

With the introduction of the increased frequency of TfL Overground services at Forest Hill Station it may be argued that this leg of the former 194 Route should be restored to match the increased frequency of the combined train services at Forest Hill.

Routes 181, 352, 450 and 202 (just one stop away) have effectively created a transport hub at Sainsbury's at Bell Green and a restored 194 service could improve access to these services. The restoration would also provide interlinks with the 75 route.

Whilst Route 356 does provide a link from Forest Hill to Bell Green it might be possibly be the case that Route 356 is one of the least efficient services on the TfL bus network with a 20 minute interval service that has hardly proved to be reliable. The re-introduction of the 194 leg could be seen to have significant advantages by augmenting the service frequency to match the frequency the of Overground service.

Commuters who could be made aware of the improved link to the Bell Green hub would almost certainly make use of it.

Like many issues associated with the former Gas Works site at Bell Green, no one representative body feels it owns or champiuons any particular issue at this site.

This proposal may may have some merit.

If the 194 was reinstated to Forest Hill, one option would be to divert the 356 via Mayow Road, providing more direct links to Forest Hill School, and a link from the Mayow Road area to Forest Hill station.

I think both of these suggestions are excellent ideas. The 356 is hardly reliable, but may benefit from the Mayow Road "short cut".

There used to be two buses running on Mayow Road - the 75 and a single-decker which had a number something like 352. If I was feeling lazy I could get it to and from FH station. I moved away in 2004, came back (to the same house) in 2007 and it was gone.

The problem with using Forest Hill as a terminus is where you turn the bus around. I guess it could come up Westbourne Drive, use the Bus Stands and then return down Perry Vale. Can the buses make the left turn out of Westbourne Drive and off the South Circular onto Waldram Place, or are the corners too sharp?

I suspect that the service was shortened as it required less buses and therefore cost less to run and Bell Green is a much easier turn round point.

Before the route was shortened the buses stabled in marked bays at the South Circular end of Westbourne Drive and presumably this practice could be restored

There have been junction alterations on the South Circular - so it would be worth checking if the turn back into Waldram Place is still feasible.

This is a great idea - the lack of service between FH and Lower Sydenham has always struck me as a strange oversight given the flow of people. Getting to the pool down there on public transport has always been a pain.

I see another May 2012 thread refers to TfL highways work being carried out imminently in the vicinity of Waldram Place.

Can a marker just be laid down so that no works are carried out that reduce the potential for the restoration of the 194 service.

It'd be cheaper to pay for an additional two buses on the current 356 bringing the frequency to every 15 minutes than extend the 194 bus.

The bus service really should be 15 mins daytime, 20 evenings and Sundays.