Please provide all available information since January 2019 concerning the consideration of, or discussions or decisions relating to, the actual or potential diversion of buses along Ritherdon Road SW17 including reports, papers, notes, meeting minutes and agendas and correspondence (and including but not limited to communications with Wandsworth Borough Council). Please also provide details of the legal exemption or exception or any temporary or emergency powers on which TFL has relied while diverting buses along Ritherdon Road (which is subject to No Public Service Vehicle and 7.5 tonne weight restrictions).

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TfL Ref 0895-2021

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 25 August 2020 asking for information about the diversion of buses along Ritherdon Road SW17.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm that we hold the information you require.  You asked for:

Please provide all available information since January 2019 concerning the consideration of, or discussions or decisions relating to, the actual or potential diversion of buses along Ritherdon Road SW17 including reports, papers, notes, meeting minutes and agendas and correspondence (and including but not limited to communications with Wandsworth Borough Council).

Please also provide details of the legal exemption or exception or any temporary or emergency powers on which TFL has relied while diverting buses along Ritherdon Road (which is subject to No Public Service Vehicle and 7.5 tonne weight restrictions).

The scheme you are referring to is a Streetspace initiative which stems from a TfL traffic order to ban right turns to all vehicles including buses – which put them on diversion, in this case down Ritherdon Road, SW17.

New and upgraded cycle lanes – as well as additional pedestrian space - are being delivered across London as part of TfL’s Streetspace plans to respond to the current public health emergency and support the safe restart of London’s economy by introducing temporary walking and cycling measures across London.

Please find attached the information you requested as follows:

• An extensive email discussion between TfL and LB Wandsworth  including an (incomplete) bus stop suspension request form.
• An email discussion and supporting information in documents within TfL including Traffic Management plans from LB Wandsworth. These emails contain a link from to guidance for the London Streetspace Programme published on the TfL website included here for ease: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/streetspace-for-london - this contains several guidance documents about the programme in general, but not specific information on either Bedford Hill or Ritherdon Road.
• In an email of 18 May 2020 at 13.15  from LB Wandsworth to TfL, it was confirmed that Public Service Vehicle (i.e. “bus”) restrictions would not be upheld by LB Wandsworth as the Highway and Traffic Authority for Ritherdon Road, allowing the bus service to be delivered via that corridor instead of part of Bedford Hill. This includes an email attachment (titled “Southfields and Bedford Hill”) of no objection from LB Wandsworth’s Traffic Manager which TfL also received. A restriction for Public Service Vehicles buses is signed at the junction of A24 Balham High Road with Ritherdon Road, and similarly at B242 Bedford Hill with Ritherdon Road – both sets of signs can be seen on Google Streetview.
• A copy of the TMAN submission from LB Wandsworth to TfL dated 18 May 2020.
• An assessment of a bid for Streestspace funding for Bedford Hill from LB Wandsworth that was held and not awarded funding to date; LB Wandsworth subsequently progressed the scheme using their other sources of funding.
• The TMAN Decision Notice reference N2003548 (TMAN is a submission under the Traffic Management Act (2004).

Please note that in accordance with TfL’s obligations under Data Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions which would make the processing ‘fair’.

The impact of current circumstances on TfL’s resources means we are not able to answer FOI requests readily and we ask that you please do not make a request to us at present.

Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the current situation.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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