road assessment report before road became a bus route
Request ID: FOI-0393-2122 Date published: 11 June 2021
You asked
I am asking, using the FOI Act, whether suitable testing or calculations were undertaken with regards to road and vehicle weight. A single decker bus weighs between 11 and 14 tonnes and this trundling or speeding up the road 60 times a day is going to have a detrimental effect on the road surface and substructure especially a Victorian era side road which is effectively what we are. Its just a matter of time before the road collapses again with potentially disastrous results.
Please save me the time and send me the report you must have done to assess the continuous vehicle weight on the substructure of Salisbury Road so we can assess the findings.
We answered
TfL Ref 0393-2021/22
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 26 May2021 asking for information about the assessment of Salisbury Road in relation to the 384 bus route.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Unfortunately, we do not hold the information you requested asTfL doesn’t undertake tests or calculations in relation to bus weight in relation to the line of route these vehicles take. Our responsibility is to operate in accordance with the highway restrictions in place (set by the respective highways authorities) and to try to offer as comprehensive a service across the capital as we can to enable Londoners to travel where they want to go. If a new bus is going to operate, we do risk assess this with the bus operatorin relation to operational safety and invite borough officers to attend. However, this is in relation to checking the bus can safety navigate these corridors and understanding the type of operational hazards the bus might encounter along the way and looking at how best to minimise these. It’s not in relation to the vehicle’s weight for the reasons above. We also continually engage with boroughs over wider transport plans and formally consult with the public when we make significant changes to services.
If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
