In one of the more bizarre stories we have reported for quite some time a former councillor has set up a campaign group against extending London Tramlink to Bromley – even though the plans aren’t really on the table! Rod Reed has created TramStop to campaign against a line which would link Bromley to Tramlink at Beckenham Junction with his main gripe apparently being that a significant sum of money has recently been spent on improving Beckenham Junction railway station forecourt and this would have to be ripped up to pave the way for the trams.
It seems that Mr Reed has recently written to Bromley Council for their views on extending Tramlink to the town and as they said they would have no objections he has launched his campaign. It should be remembered that the recent draft business plan from Transport for London made no mention of any specific Tramlink extension although plans continue to be looked at. It is believed if – and it remains a rather big if at the moment – any extension was developed further it would most likely see Crystal Palace join the network so the chances of Bromley joining Tramlink anytime soon seem pretty remote.
This doesn’t seem to have deterred Mr Reed from setting up his campaign though and he believes he has “quite a fight” to prevent Tramlink from reaching Bromley. We at British Trams Online wish that he did have “quite a fight” on his hands as at least that would mean that TfL were developing extensions of Tramlink!
Bromley Council would support any plans to extend Tramlink but according to their local
implementation plan this would not happen before the period between 2022 and 2030 – and it would all be dependent on funding and support from TfL neither of which are currently forthcoming.
Well it is a slow news season I guess…
Accoring to the new Modern Railways, Boris is wanting to extend the DLR from lewisham to Bromley North and take over the branch line to a link to Tramlink would be very useful.
Jamie
How easy it is to get publicity if one starts a scare. Those who do positive things to improve transport are always the butt of the ‘anti’ campaigners whom the media love to publicize. It seems that the tram plans in Cambridge in 1991 were scrapped because of a scare about overhead wires in the ‘univesity city’. So they have guided buses now instead.
Nigel Pennick’s reference to guided buses in Cambridge is quite apt for me at the moment. Over the Christmas holidays I went to Cambridge to have a ride on the guided bus, and though the journey through the countryside north of Cambridge is nice, it did leave me stumped as to the point of guided busways! Surely the route could be just as well served by a normal bus on a reserved bus lane? I do not know if British Trams Online may wish to extend in to the realms of guided buses, but it may be something worth considering? Yes, ok the site is not about buses but as a guided system as are trams?