Welcome to the Dulwich Bus Campaign!
The Dulwich Bus Campaign was started by a group of local residents over six months ago to press for improved bus services in the Dulwich area. In that time we have:
Lobbied for a better service from the P4, the only bus currently serving Dulwich Village;
Argued for changes to an existing route, or the introduction of a completely new route, in order to add to the bus services available to local residents;
Met with the TfL Director of Bus Service Planning and other TfL officials;
Met with our MP Helen Hayes, local Councillors, and our London Assembly Representative Marina Ahmad;
Gathered support for our campaign with an on-line petition, now signed by over 1500 residents.
Our exchanges with TfL show that they are doing their best with tight resources. They have ruled out a new route on cost grounds, and are understandably cautious about altering an existing route, as this always adversely affects some passengers while benefitting others. Our current focus is:Continuing to press for a better P4 service. TfL say it suffers from elderly less reliable buses but is still providing a good service. We think it could be better.Proposing that the current 315 service be extended into Dulwich Village to terminate at Dulwich Picture Gallery. TfL say they are not convinced that there is a business case for this. We are challenging this.Arguing for greater connectivity between the new Superloop on the South Circular, and the P4, to improve ease of access from one to the other.
Re-routing an existing service
(See map below)
Following our meeting in Dulwich with TfL’s Director of Public Transport Service Planning and TfL’s Bus Network Transport Planner, we asked that they look into further possible extensions to a current route that doesn’t compromise the existing service.An extension of the 315 bus was suggested which would divert from near the end of the route in West Norwood at Robson Road ➜ go down Robson Road ➜ Rosendale Road ➜ Thurlow Park Road ➜ past West Dulwich Station and Dulwich College ➜ College Road ➜ The Dulwich Picture Gallery ➜ turn around at the Village roundabout.The extension would enable passengers from West Norwood/West Dulwich and Dulwich Village to reach several new destinations and of course be hugely popular with visitors to the Dulwich Picture Gallery and its major exhibitions as well as Bell House and Dulwich Park and Rosendale Road which is not at present served by any bus route. TfL have recently pushed back on this extension saying whilst it has the potential to generate some additional demand, it does not have a good business case. The Campaign is asking TfL to reconsider, possibly with a trial and are working with Marina Ahmad our Southwark and Lambeth London Assembly Member to investigate this idea further.We believe that this is a part of the solution to the area’s inadequate bus services. We have pointed out that local government policy to limit car use and encourage use of alternative means of travel has a corollary, namely improved public transport. In spite of the LTNs and limitations on parking, there has been no such improvement in the area since 2020.
The problem as we see it:
The P4 is the only bus serving Dulwich Village and it is the fourth worst bus service in Southwark.
You can’t go from West Dulwich to Dulwich Village by public transport.
The Dulwich area has several train stations, but no service linking the neighbourhoods with each other. Similarly, there is no single bus service linking the neighbourhoods.
There is no step free access at West Dulwich and North Dulwich Stations.
We believe there has been a reduction on the frequency of the P4 and the 201 this year
Who are affected?
Residents, but particularly those who are elderly, are wheelchair users, have a disability and young families with buggies. In Dulwich 39% of residents are families with young children, 15% are over 65 and 11% have a disability.
Businesses and shops: footfall is down for the Dulwich Village businesses and there are currently 5 empty shops. The Dulwich Estate wants Dulwich Village to be “a destination”, but car parking is restricted and access by public transport is very limited.
Schools: we have approximately 15,000 school children being educated in Dulwich each school day. Private coach services bring pupils from all across London but parking for the coaches during the school day is a problem.
Sports Clubs: there are several in Dulwich attracting adults and children from the wider area.
Dulwich Picture Gallery and Bell House both rely on visitors coming from outside the Dulwich area.
Parks, particularly Dulwich Park where there is no free parking.
Why does the P4 need improving?
The P4 is the only local bus serving the centre of Dulwich Village. The P4 is a poor service: it’s the fourth most delayed bus in Southwark and the fourth worst for long delays of 10-20 minutes. This past year the P4 has failed to meet TfL’s own minimum standards for delays 70% of the time. It has worsened over the last year. In a recent Reddit survey attracting over 400 comments, the P4 was voted the Worst bus in London. Yet the P4 bus is the only link Dulwich residents have to a station with a lift: Brixton underground station which is not local. Users can wait 15-20 minutes for the P4 bus. It then takes 20-25 minutes to take them to Brixton. That is 35-40 minutes just to reach a step free access underground station. We are continuing to press TfL regarding the poor P4 service level and we understand TfL are meeting with the route operator Go-Ahead.
Supporters
Our petition has gathered over 1500 signatures, and we have support from:
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Friends of Dulwich Park
Dulwich Village Traders Association
West Dulwich Action Group
Dulwich Village Residents' Association
Burbage Road Residents' Association
Station to Station - West Norwood & Tulse Hill BID
Who we are
This is a grassroots, non-party political initiative. We are a small group of four local residents who seek to improve public transport connections between Dulwich Village, West Dulwich and the wider South London area.You can reach us at [email protected].
Sign the petition
Do you support our campaign for a bus service which connects all the communities in the area within broader Dulwich, to cover Dulwich Village, Herne Hill, West Dulwich and East Dulwich?
We need your help to convince TfL!
Your data will not be shared with anyone and will not be shown publicly. We will only contact you if we have updates about this campaign.