The Number 170 Bus Returns
Part of its route through Wandsworth had disappeared
The above image, sourced by the Council, from June 2008 shows the current height restriction dates back to at least then
Travel chiefs at Transport for London have restored the missing 170 bus service through Lombard Road by reverting to older vehicles which can pass safely under the railway bridge.
Local people were up in arms after TfL withdrew the service just before Christmas without prior warning.
A section of the South-bound route disappeared after TfL replaced the old single deckers with new models that could not fit safely underneath the railway bridge by Lombard Wharf.
TfL claimed that the bridge's current 3m/10ft clearance had been lowered, which Wandsworth Council disputed and presented evidence such as the image above which shows the height had not been altered since at least 2008.
790 locals signed a petition in just a few days and following pressure from the Council, TfL reinstated buses that can fit under the bridge. Services on the 170 resumed on Monday (January 15th) morning.
Wandsworth’s transport spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said, “This was a completely farcical situation that was entirely of TfL’s own making.
“It seems they went ahead and ordered new buses for this route without checking if they could actually fit under the railway bridge.
"We will of course continue to offer our support to TfL to find an engineering solution so that the modern buses that should be on this route can be introduced as quickly as possible."
January 18, 2018