Ludicrous number of bus routes in Oxford Street

Published: 10 December 2010

• THE letter you printed from Richard Dickinson, chief executive of the New West End Company, (Cut the number of buses, November 26) makes very interesting reading but is not strong enough. 

Also it only deals with Regent Street and Oxford Street whereas the problems exist in every London borough albeit in a different way. 

First, it is absolutely ludicrous to have 13 different bus routes running along Oxford Street. 

All buses could end their journeys at a ring around central London. 

The passengers would then transfer to feeder buses (use some of the bendy buses?) which would transport them to their final destinations. 

These plans would only apply to shopping hours and not to the rush hours.

However, it would mean quicker journeys for passengers since buses would no longer be stuck in solid lines of traffic when, more often than not, it would be quicker to walk. 

Transport for London is like a machine completely out of control. 

It needs to do a lot of fresh serious thinking and to introduce radical plans. 

Buses often carry fewer than 20 people so you could easily leave longer intervals between buses. 

TfL could easily save millions of pounds each year.

In addition the  quality of air would be considerably improved. 

Douglas Walters, Address supplied