176 no longer going to Oxford Circus

[AnnieW]

Hello - my first post here ...

I got caught out yesterday on the way home as I didn't know the 176 only goes as far as Tottenham Court Road now - for the next few years it seems! Is connected with the closure of Andrew Borde Street for redevelopment of Tott Ct Rd station and putting in the Crossrail station etc. apparently ...

So just in case you didn't know too - the 176 now terminates in New Oxford St. - near Earnshaw Street going Northbound - and starts up again in St Giles High Street (off New Oxford St) on the way back Southbound.

Link to the diverted bus stops map from tfl: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tcr-bus-diversion-map.pdf

Hope you find this useful!

Annie

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Its good when someone goes out of their way to help Annie.

Thanks.

[AnnieW]

You're welcome Tony!

[Cassius]

Welcome Annie and thanks for the info!

[Michael Palaeologus]

Nice first post Annie. Many thanks and welcome to the throng.

[HonaloochieB]

Thanks for the info Annie, the repercussions of this infernal Crossrail excrescence continue to dog my footsteps, the Astoria is being demolished where I used to make my near annual trip to see Ian Hunter.

A plague on the houses of all involved.

Welcome, pull up a chair, set a spell.

[AnnieW]

Good to be here!

`and to HonalooochieB - here's hoping that the whole crossrail thang eventually proves to be positive more than excressence :)-D

[PeckhamRose]

Thanks Annie!

[Ladygooner]

That end of Oxford St has been a nightmare for months - and worse is to come. If I were ever to get a bus to Oxford St I would change from the 176 at Charing Cross and get a bus that goes direct up Regents St

[SeanMacGabhann]

Using a bus north of Waterloo Bridge is masochism surely? I tend op off on the strand and a brisk walk through Covent Garden - much less stressful

Coming back laden with Foppage, I can be a bit lazier tho'

[david_carnell]

"Laden with foppage"

Is that bottles of pommade and velvet frock coats or something else entirely?

[SeanMacGabhann]

sometimes - but usually it's CDs from Fopp on Charing X Rd

Recent raids on my Dapper Dan stock may require replenishment however

[Applespider]

Will be a pain when I cheat and buy shopping at the foodhall in John Lewis - was so much easier walking round to first stop and sitting all the way home even if it did take a while. Lackof nightbus going along Oxford St will be a pain though. I suppose at least the Victoria line isn't shutting at 10pm this year so there's an alternate easy route home pre-midnight.

What are the odds though that the 176 never regains the TCR to Oxford Circus part of the route? I'm sure I read that they were trying to cut down the buses going along Oxford St to stop congestion. To be honest, since they halved the number of bus stops, it's been a bit of a lottery figuring out which bus to get on to get to the store you wanted. It's easier and quicker walking though unless it's a particularly wet day.

[sian]

thanks Annie - this explains why I had a freezing hour waiting. Boris needs to get his act together so the bus stops on oxford st say that the bus doesnt go there any more.

[AnnieW]

Yep Sian I know!

I found out when I reached the former first stop by the side of Debenhams - having walked all the way FROM near Warren Street down to Tottenham Ct Road - and then not being familiar with where to pick up at Tott Ct thought I'd went my way along Oxford St and pick up somewhere along there.

When I passed each stop and saw no 176 listed I got perturbed. But I soldiered on despite the freezing chill. When I got to Gt Tichfield St and it STILL didn't list 176 I got really worried as I knew it should stop there. So I carried on - all the way beyond John Lewis and round into Vere St by Debenhams - and lo only two bus route listed on the bus stand - not including the 176. I had to get really up close to the stop to see the note that the 176 isn't going beyond Tottenham Court Road any more.

When I got back I checked the tfl journey planner site and that's where I found the links to the more detailed info. But I was already half frozen by then. Hmmmmmph ....

[Asset]

I stood at the stop at the top of Charing X Rd today for about 30 mins before discovering the bus now goes from St Giles High St round the back. Only realised as I heard someone saying so. The sign on the bus stop giving this detail is on one side of the bus info thingy. As someone who is usually familiar with the route etc I had no need to look at the damn bus info thingy. Buggers.

Before anyone asks why didn't I walk, I had a small child and a couple of bags with me or else I would have.

[giggirl]

OMG, how am I going to get to Selfridges now. The will to live is slipping away from me.

[indiepanda]

giggirl Wrote:

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> OMG, how am I going to get to Selfridges now. The

> will to live is slipping away from me.

Does number 12 still go to Oxford Circus?

[KalamityKel]

It amazes me that there have been notices on the ED bus stops for over a month informing passengers of the route shortening and no one noticed b4? *sighs*

[PeckhamRose]

... looks up "excressence"...

12 still goes to Oxford Circus but often terminates there.

Get a 36 from Peckham though and you should be alright, giggirl.

[Cassius]

KalamityKel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It amazes me that there have been notices on the

> ED bus stops for over a month informing passengers

> of the route shortening and no one noticed b4?

> *sighs*

Some people only catch buses infrequently - I often get the train in and the bus back depending on where I am going and what I am going, so if the bus stops in town didn't give this information I wouldn't have known about it.

[SeanMacGabhann]

If you are an infrequent bus user then the whole thing can seem intimidating. I remember arriving in London as a nipper and not even knowing which side of the road to be on.

Plus, you have this thing lately where seemingly random bus stops are marked as temporarily out of order - it's not as straightforward as us regulars might think KK

That said, if I couldn't find a bus stop and thought well, I'll just walk to the next one, I MIGHT walk in the direction I intend to travel rather than backwards. Easily said now I'm not on Oxford St with people bunping into me every 2 minutes but still ... Buses are my chosen form of transport and I love 'em

As for reinstating buses to Oxford Circus - I have no idea if the 176 will be full extended in time but it's not all bad if they don't. Oxford St is often at a stand-still anyway because of the number of buses and if we know the route starts at the Charing Cross Rd end then we can plan any shopping trips that way.

[Applespider]

KalamityKel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It amazes me that there have been notices on the

> ED bus stops for over a month informing passengers

> of the route shortening and no one noticed b4?

> *sighs*

Nope... but then I rarely read the bus stop since I know what buses I want and where they go. Unless it was bright yellow or orange, I probably wouldn't notice it. A few signs on the buses might have been useful though.

[louisiana]

KalamityKel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It amazes me that there have been notices on the

> ED bus stops for over a month informing passengers

> of the route shortening and no one noticed b4?

> *sighs*

Some people - like me - only use any bus once in a blue moon.

I use the 176 perhaps once a month, the 12 likewise, the 185 likewise or less frequently. And once a week or less take a bus - any bus - down to ED LL for shopping.

Otherwise I don't travel, or I walk or I cycle.

So some of us don't stand by the bus stop every day, reading the notices.

I had no idea of the 176 changes. My main form of transport is bus, but I was away for two weeks, then for other days/weeks have had my nearest bus stops (either end of commonest journeys) shut with usual yellow notice (three different ones on different parts of LL, for example, over several weeks). Like the one today, yesterday and day before at the stop nearest my house. So I'm not catching a bus and not reading notices. I'm walking if I need to go somewhere.

[AnnieW]

Yep, signs on the busses themselves would have been helpful.

Were there signs on the bus stops in Lordship Lane? If there were, I didn't see them. I am quite new to East Dulwich though so perhaps they were removed before I got here? Or perhaps I was huddled in the bus shelter against the cold? Who knows? All I know is that I didn't know! :-S

And yep, true, it is generally preferrable to walk in the direction one wants to go - the reason I didn't the other day was because I know my way around Oxford Street but not around the Tottenham Court Road area. Once I got to Tott Ct Rd I didn't know where to even look for a 176 going Southbound. Even if I'd known about the route shortening, I wouldn't have know were to find St Gile's whateveritscalled. e so I thought I'd head up to where things were more familiar. Big mistake on that occasion

Now I have printed off a map of the relocated bus drop-off and pick-up points - but will probably rarely use it. I rarely find myself hanging around Tott Ct Rd (apart from if I've made it to Bar Salsa) - but happily that bit is still within the route methinks! but that's another story ...

And yes, re the salsa thread, there IS salsa in East Dulwich. I was at St Thomas More Hall last night (wednesday) - do come along - and more boys/men get yourself down there too -we need you B)

Annie - Dancing Tree / La Sparkletta!