Grove Park Gallivant (mini-blog 5)

Sometimes It's Best Not To Start!

It ought to be very easy, in a fully "regulated" environment, to work out where and when the buses go in London. Bearing in mind that TfL provide neither maps nor timetables, the task is bound to be difficult, Andy Burnham and the like, please note.

At Grove Park, it is hard to know where to start!

There are three variants of the town centre bus stop map on-line, none of them is dated. This one shows what would appear to be an icon for a bus station.

This replaces the bus symbol with a stop "M" ...

... and the third version has nothing in that little loop!

The new-ish SL4 is shown on TfL's current web site as terminating at Grove Park Bus Station

Meanwhile, on the only map index available is clear that route 136 and 181 serve stop M.

On Ian Armstrong's London Bus Routes web site is a map for the SL4 which shows a termination at what looks to be said bus station.

Closer perusal does indeed confirm the SL4 joins the 136 and the 181, plus a school service 624, WITHIN the bus station.

But it doesn't call it "bus station" because there is no room for the text. In fact this is an amended Mike Harris map.

Robert Munster's bus timetable for the SL4 makes no mention of a bus station despite the evidence on the TfL web site.

Many of the Munster timetables use Grove Park Station as a time point, some without a road name. A glance at any of the TfL maps shows that multiple stops might be defined as serving the station, so those simple words are no guide.

Obviously, Streetview is not the best source as its updating policy is something of a Google secret, but currently is does show a bus at a bus station bus stop ...

... and, from another angle, we can espy the delights of a TfL bus shelter as well.

That is where the single decker was parked in the previous shot. But everyone seems to agree that the SL4, which TfL assures us arrives at the bus station, definitely does not depart from the bus station. 

That would be a silly idea, wouldn't it?

TfL offers St Augustine's Church for where to get on.

Beyond the church is a bus stop pole and flag ...

... with no shelter.

But where, in the glorious community Of Grove Park, is St Augustines? fbb's diligent research reveals that is is a significant distance from the non-bus station, a good bit further from the railway station and even further from what might be defined as the town centre road junction!

It is 350 metres from the railway station which is pretty close to 400 yards, but not quite a quarter of a mile.

On the Tfl dotty street map (above) the bus station, a k a stop M, is the dot just above the GREEN "Anytime Fitness" pin.

For the record, and despite the possibly erroneous map, the terminating 136 and 181 no longer mention the bus station, even courtesy of TfL's web site!

It is Grove Park Station for arrival and departure.

But which stops? Now there's a question.

Given that there is some evidence that, like in nearby Lewisham ...

... the bus station is now a station for buses but not for passengers, fbb decided to try and plot routes to stops for the theoretical benefit of  passengers arriving by train and seeking an onward journey by bus.

It involved about six hours' work!

And you are right, fbb is just a sad old man. But here it is!

fbb suspects that the terminating 136 and 181 deposit their arrivals at stop C, then run "light" to the non-bus station to turn; returning for departure stop D as shown on the fbb presentation.

The SL4 unloads at stop A (or nearby) before enjoying the luxury of a restful few passenger-less minutes, again in the non-bus station before departung from stop N ar St Augustpine's Church.

fbb is considering sending a copy of his map to Andy Burnham so that he can  use it as a guide to better buses in Manchester and an example of how the fully regulated network works. But he would also need a copy of fbb's blogs to understand how easy it is to understand the buses at Grove Park.

But, as a real treat, fbb will bring you a full description of the excitement that is Grove Park Bus Station, delivered by the ever accurate (NOT) Fandom service.

It offers an up-to-date list of all routes serving the bus station ...

... plus  full list of all the bus stations in London with the great Grove Park highlighted.

Enjoy!

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