STRONG SUPPORT REVEALED FOR CROSS RIVER TRAM
Cross River Tram – Sunday 16th September 2007

The results of the consultation for the Cross River Tram were revealed this week by Transport for London – and they showed that there is strong support from all boroughs that the tram would travel in: Camden, Westminster, Lambeth and Southwark.

The consultation was undertaken by independent researchers IPSOS MORI and sought the views of over 5,000 local residents and businesses on various options for the 16.5km route.

Consultation Results:
Section 1: Euston to Waterloo (no route choice)
77% in favour and 11% against the route option
12% gave immediate support for the tram on the route with 3% saying tram was not necessary
Section 2: Euston to King’s Cross
Route 1: via Mornington Crescent and Crowndale Road, Route 2: via Somerstown
55% support route 2, 35% route 1, 9% had no preference and 1% gave both routes equal preference
Section 3: Euston to Camden Town
Route 1: both northbound and southbound trams along Camden High Street, Route 2: northbound trams along Camden High Street, southbound along Bayham Street
65% in favour of route 1, 25% wanted route 2 whilst 10% had no preference
Section 4: Waterloo to Oval/Brixton
Waterloo-Oval: Route 1: via Waterloo Road, Elephant & Castle and Kennington Park Road, Route 2: via Kennington Road
52% prefer route 1, 36% were in favour of route 2, 11% had no preference and 1% gave both routes equal first choice
Oval-Brixton: Route 1: via Clapham Road and Stockwell Road, Route 2: via Brixton Road
47% in favour of route 2, 34% route 1, 18% no preference and 1% both routes the same
Brixton Town Centre: Route 1: via Brixton Road and Effra Road, looping around St Michael’s Church onto Brixton Hill, Route 2: via Canterbury Crescent to terminate in Pope’s Road
53% wanted route 1, 27% had no preference whilst 19% supported route 2
Section 5: Waterloo to Peckham
Waterloo-Peckham: Route 1: via Burgess Park and Chandler Way, Route 2: via Wells Way and Southampton Way
51% preferred Route 1, 37% preferred route 2 and 11% had no preference
Peckham Town Centre: Route 1: via Peckham Square, Route 2: via Peckham Hill Street
51% in favour of route 2, 26% want route 1 and 22% had no preference
Peckham Town Centre Terminus: Route 1: via Clayton Road and terminating opposite Peckham Rye rail station, Route 2: via Cerise Road and terminating close to the cinema
44% prefer route 2, 32% prefer route 1 and 23% were with no preference

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said: “The Cross River Tram would provide an important public transport link to provide a fast and reliable transport link from rapidly developing residential areas such as Elephant & Castle and King`s Cross, to around one million jobs in central London."

Luke Albanese, Project Director for Cross River Tram, added: “This report will help us to develop our proposals. A decision on a recommended preferred route will follow a technical assessment of all the different options."

A decision will now be made on a preferred route following a technical review and – the as always key point – an assessment of whether funding will be available. This review will look at potential passenger numbers, improvements in journey times, a review of depot and staged implementation options, traffic and environmental impacts and views on route options expressed by the public and stakeholders.

* The full consultation report is available on the TfL website here.

Last November the mock-up of a proposed Cross River Tram was on display to the public on the South Bank by Waterloo. Here we see the exterior of how the tram may look if introduced.
Photo: David Bosher

Source: Transport for London