please empty your brain below
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Until yesterday I was the driver of the last bus under the bridge on Stroud Green Road. I drove the last Stroud Green 236 (LS230 T36). Three days out of forty two years ago: [photo]
In those days, there was also a bus stop at the bridge, which served the station. This hasn't been replaced. 11 June 1982: [photo]
Steve | Homepage | 02.09.24 - 6:37 a.m. | #
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What DG said about spider maps. If you need to use a bus in an unfamiliar locale, spider maps are (were?) invaluable.
Marc | 02.09.24 - 7:07 a.m. | #
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Sorry to hear that this route is already threetened with change in a year's time.
Roger | 02.09.24 - 7:59 a.m. | #
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As a former resident of N19 the 210 was my main bus to get the tube so this interests me a lot.
I can see why waiting at Finsbury Park as an Orthodox Jew would not be very pleasant.
The not stopping at Finsbury Park is quite an issue. The ease of telling who didn’t know the area that they could get on any bus on Stroud Green Road to get down to Finsbury Park was useful! Feels it needs a stop under the bridge even if alighting only.
David | 02.09.24 - 8:12 a.m. | #
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Reminds me of the challenges the local radio station in Reading had - it was named after it's frequency - 210 metres - and when split it's AM & FM frequency became Two-One-Oh FM while the AM station became Classic Gold. So it made no sense, which was compounded some years later when the FM station was renamed 2-Ten FM, which made even less sense. I forget why I'm telling this dull story now.
Dan | 02.09.24 - 9:29 a.m. | #
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it's awful to hear anti-semitism made this necessary. i do see orthodox Jewish people very often at Finsbury Park at all times, for example waiting for, and on, the 106 to the southern end of Stamford Hill. Ditto other bus routes around N4/N16.
The under-bridge you mention, and it's sibling around the corner, are truly horrible. I'm amazed so little has been done to make them more pleasant to use on foot.
Peter T | 02.09.24 - 9:30 a.m. | #
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In the current political climate, I can see the rationale for trialling this bus, though have rarely seen any orthodox Jews on the existing 210.
Before LT/TfL got rid of suffixes, this would have been a 210A which would have made the route more obvious.
Mikey C | 02.09.24 - 9:56 a.m. | #
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As if to confirm that the under-bridge is truly horrible, a pigeon shat on my arm yesterday while l was walking through.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 02.09.24 - 10:06 a.m. | #
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Because of the Sabbath I suspect the bus will tend to have a unusual set of ridership stats. I'm musing on the generalities of this, as it is not as straightforward a consideration as it appears at first glance.
I would expect to see a little peak in the last hour before sundown on Fridays (which may be before the scheduled end of service at some times in the year), then a dip during Saturday daytime compared to Friday/Sunday, followed by another little peak in the first hour after sundown on Saturdays (through to end of service, if service hasn't already ended).
I can appreciate for operational and communications simplicity TfL would maintain the same frequencies during the sabbath period (and I expect that e.g. 210 already shows a similar pattern).
MilesT | 02.09.24 - 10:06 a.m. | #
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Hats off to TfL for walking the talk. That cheered me up after yesterdays election results here. "A civilization is measured by how it treats its weakest members." (apparently not said by Ghandi)
keith the Kraut | 02.09.24 - 11:09 a.m. | #
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My brains internal geography tells me that Golders Green - Finsbury Park is largely a North to South journey. The map proves its actually West to East.
I guess a product of the tube map not being that geographically accurate
Matt | 02.09.24 - 11:11 a.m. | #
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A two-night sojourn last year in Golders Green gave me a makeshift and temporary flavour to that bus area.
An old-style telegraph pole with cross-bar, and a lovely but neglected fingerpost sign nearby added to the impression.
I wonder if this part of London falls between two stools - neither swanky nor deprived enough to be deemed worthy of a facelift.
cau1khead | 02.09.24 - 11:20 a.m. | #
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Before it closed in 2022 the HSBC branch at Golders Green was open six days a week, closed Saturday and open Sunday. When it did close the last day was a Thursday.
You were lucky with your pigeon at Finsbury Park as I once saw one do a Norweigan Blue impersonation, straight from the girders into a ladies shopping bag.
Alan Simpkins | 02.09.24 - 11:34 a.m. | #
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I grew up in Stroud Green in the 1950s and the road under the low bridge at Finsbury Park Station was always avoided as there was a Gents' toilet halfway along which always smelt and had a group of men hanging around outside. Very scary for all pedestrians who passed.
Sara | 02.09.24 - 11:52 a.m. | #
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Roger French mentions in his post how the timetable is rather poorly synced with the 210 leaving just before in both directions... I guess the question is if the customer-base willing to wait up to 19 minutes for the next bus rather than hop on the next 210 is big enough -- and presumably not wanting Finsbury Park given how the 210 gets a better stop there.
The new route would probably make more sense synced with changes to other existing routes, something that would be tricky to do with a trial period given the tendering system as that would mean a lot of re-negotiation (then potentially more re-negotiating contracts after the trial period is up and more changes potentially need to be made).
matthieu1221 | 02.09.24 - 12:39 p.m. | #
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I wholeheartedly applaud your rant. With one reservation - to your last point, from my experience, nobody anywhere in TfL gives a damn about the passenger wayfinding experience, anywhere on the network. This extends to maps, timetables, live and transient information. Such a shame.
Strabismus | 02.09.24 - 12:40 p.m. | #
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Sad to see that this bus is needed because some people are idiots, but does anyone know why the 210 wasn't just converted to single decker, given a bit of a frequency increase and extended (even if just between 7am and 7pm) as per Sadiq's pledge in the "promised" link?
From DG's excellent article I'm guessing it's because of the problems serving Finsbury Park he mentioned but from looking at the route maps I'd have thought a couple of bus stops after the bridge could be put in.
Jay | 02.09.24 - 12:51 p.m. | #
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Completely useless information, but every bus in London (and much of the country) is tracked. And all the data's published. Which means you can actually see if the bus with the very old adverts has been out of service of not.
Assuming you were on the vehicle you photographed - which looks to be YX68 UMM - it's been in regular service since at least December 2023.
[YX68 UMM]
For whatever reason, the 310's tracking data doesn't start until Monday 2nd - all the journeys on Sunday appear to be a fantasy! [310]
Andrew Bowden | Homepage | 02.09.24 - 1:02 p.m. | #
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Golders Green buses are so frustrating it’s unreal! Impossible to tell which stop you need (or where it is) and as a result just missing the one I want is a common occurrence. Hopefully someone important enough at TfL will hear your rant.
Nick | 02.09.24 - 2:33 p.m. | #
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If TfL are now providing a service for a minority in the the community who feel threatened I hope they will be doing the same for other minorities in the community who feel threatened as well.
Tones | 02.09.24 - 2:49 p.m. | #
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As Mikey C notes, numbering it the 210A would have made things clearer. I seem to remember that the demise of suffixes was Ken Livingstone's idea as he thought we were too stupid to understand them; perhaps it's time for a review. This one would be similar enough to give a big clue, unlike other routes that share long common sections but have unrelated numbers.
dg writes: not since 2006
Andrew S | 02.09.24 - 2:56 p.m. | #
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The Mayor's been out on the 310 today.
See also: TfL press release.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 02.09.24 - 3:05 p.m. | #
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The 210 used to be a single decker, didn’t it? Probably quite some time ago now (I last made regular use of FPbus station in ooh 2006.
A few years before that I had to go from Crouch Hill to Stamford Hill on the reg, and this would have made for better journeys.
dg writes: until 2008
Wide Lea Red | 02.09.24 - 5:28 p.m. | #
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TfL deciding to put in new style spider maps, whilst ditching many of the old ones, was definitely short-sighted.
I wonder how effective the 310 will be in reducing antisemitism, obviously I hope it will be quite good at that but I also suspect a bus route running underneath a bridge won't fully solve any issues.
And to those arguing it doesn't truly go anywhere new, it does add to the 210 whilst also providing said link. At the end of the day, any investment in bus routes can only be a good thing and it wouldn't have to be a Superloop for it to be worth it. Now comes the real test - passenger numbers...and considering the places served, it should pass that test.
All Over 2a | Homepage | 02.09.24 - 6:09 p.m. | #
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Just reading this at 18.49 and Sadiq has appeared on my TV screen riding this very route.
Anyoldname | 02.09.24 - 6:50 p.m. | #
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Although there isn't a paper map at Golders Green station, TfL's website says that the 310 goes from stop GJ and Google maps also has the same information.
Steve Rochford | 02.09.24 - 8:39 p.m. | #
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I googled 'tfl bus 310'. The second result wast TfL's bus route page which said it starts from stop GJ. Quick and easy!
Dubidubno | 02.09.24 - 10:19 p.m. | #
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If you have to get your phone out to deduce where a bus departs, this at a busy bus station, then wayfaring signage has failed.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 02.09.24 - 10:23 p.m. | #
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Something I feel is important to remember is that, although the route does shadow existing routes, all of these routes have been cut in frequency in the last decade. Route 210 had 7.5 buses per hour a decade ago but now has 6, and routes 253/254 only offer a combined 15 buses per hour now, down from a whopping 22 until 2017. So the route is essentially bringing back lost capacity (and slightly bettering it on the 210 section)
Isaac | 02.09.24 - 11:10 p.m. | #
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I don't understand why they didn't run via the Nags Head instead of Stroud Green, they would be quicker, serve Finsbury Park properly without any new bus stops, no longer have to wander around the back streets of Archway, and also give a new link between Upper Holloway and Finsbury Park. And they could use double deckers if needed.
Basil Jet | 03.09.24 - 6:22 a.m. | #
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Very true Basil Jet, especially considering Holloway Road has one less bus now that the 271 is no more
Isaac | 03.09.24 - 8:47 a.m. | #
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If the purpose of the 310 is to convey people from Golders Green to Stamford Hill then it makes perfect sense to have the 310 depart just after a 210. Otherwise you have a double-decker load of people for the 210 board a single-decker 310 and the people who actually need to use the 310 won't be able to get on it.
So I'm going to assume the 'poor timetable planning' is actually very very deliberate.
Arctic Troll | 03.09.24 - 11:14 a.m. | #
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If Khan is reacting to anti-Semitism in the Finsbury Park area, he is addressing the symptom and not the cause.
Also, are the lack of stops in the immediate Finsbury Park area deliberate to deter locals from boarding?
dg writes: no
anon | 03.09.24 - 12:28 p.m. | #
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The 310 uses the same stop in Golders Green as the 210, so locals would probably guess that GJ was the correct stop anyway.
Mikey C | 03.09.24 - 7:54 p.m. | #
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