'I travelled the entire London bus Superloop and some parts were more super than others'
| Published date | 13 April 2024 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
In 2025, once the Silvertown tunnel opens, the SL4 will start running between Grove Park and Canary Wharf. I started my quest naively thinking that it would take me a maximum of five hours to travel from North Finchley and all the way back again.
It took slightly longer than planned -10 hours. An ebullient version of myself began at 11am, with a significantly more downtrodden reporter crossing the finishing line at around 9pm.
I am well aware that my plight consisted of sitting down on a sequence of buses, but one can have too much of a good thing. As daylight faded, so did my enthusiasm.
SL1 -North Finchley to Walthamstow
The journey from North Finchley to Walthamstow Central felt lightning fast. Along the way, a relatively small amount of passengers -this was often the case -and I passed a handy connection with Arnos Grove Tube station, as well as a pleasant view of a pond, ducks, and aged gates and walls at Pymmes Park.
A personal highlight was a high viewpoint on the A406 next to the William Girling Reservoir. Worth bearing in mind are cautions on this route -including cycle lanes near a couple of stops and the slip road at Eley Trading Estate.
Three people got off at Walthamstow Market -a handy stop just before the area's bus station, the SL1's terminus.
SL2 -Walthamstow to North Woolwich
After disembarking, it wasn't long before an SL2 bus turned up.
I went to the top deck, where Mike Hartshorn, 77, who lives in Walthamstow and works for a courier company, his partner, Lorraine Johnson, 75, and Ken Williams, 88, who worked at Marks and Spencer’s for many years, also sat. Mr Hartshorn was using a Superloop service for only the second ever time.
Asked what he thought of the scheme, Mr Hartshorn said: "It's not bad, quick. With fewer stops, I suppose it’s quite a good idea -one of the few good ideas he’s [Sadiq Khan] had." Ms Johnson said: "We're getting it to Greenwich, we normally by train. I can't see anything wrong on them at the moment."
Mr Williams said that he has used the SL7 from West Croydon to Heathrow Airport just the once, and it took 'a good hour'. He added that an SL3 service he was on recently stopped for 20 to 25 minutes. He...
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