LONDONERS do not feel safe when they travel on buses, so we need CCTV at bus stops. That’s the latest news from the Conservative Party on its policy for bus services in London. How strange.

We know this is the Tories’ latest thinking because Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden has written an article for the Conservative Environment Network – in which he refers to passengers being reluctant to use the bus because of “the everyday reality of anti-social behaviour”.

The Tory policy seems to be based on data from Transport for London (TfL) which shows that demand for buses fell by 1.5% last year – and by 22.8% over the last ten years. A further TfL study announced that reported ASB incidents on buses included the behaviour of young people, threatening behaviour, bad language and people pushing each other. Four in ten travellers on London transport (not just buses) had felt worried about safety, with 10% being put off travel because of an experience they had had.

The Tories point to these incidents of ASB has being the cause of the fall in bus travel. What do they think should be done about it? “There must be genuine enforcement both at bus stops and onboard,” says Holden. He calls for CCTV to be expanded on buses and at bus stops. Is it possible to expand CCTV on buses? They seem to have half a dozen cameras each.

The CCTV should be accompanied by “visible patrols” of staff who will be given new powers to deal with criminals, apparently similar to the powers held by the British Transport Police. This is very confused. There are 300 Enforcement Officers on the TfL network already. Having even more visible Bus Security staff on buses and at bus stops would require TfL to take on a… well, several busloads of new staff. Who would pay for them?

This Tory policy is a call for a couple of measures already in use to hit ASB which may not even be the main cause of the drop in bus travel. Oh, well – at least it’s an advance. In the old days, the Tories were telling us to get on our bikes…

●To catch up with the news in East London, go to:
East London News