Bus stops: The Green and Fore St

A look at the bus stops in the Edmonton Green area and south along Fore Street to the boundary.

Edmonton Green Bus Station (opened January 2007)

The new bus station at Edmonton Green is situated alongside the Hertford Road just north of the roundabout in an area that was basically green space previously. It was due to open in the first half of 2006 but various delays meant that the eventual opening day was 27th January 2007. A major cause of delays was said to be issues over the southern access to the bus station on the roundabout. One would have thought they'd have sorted all this out before starting to build it but there you go.

I haven't been around to follow progress but it seems that the original idea was to have both the southern entrance and exit on the roundabout but the southern exit is actually onto the Hertford Road. Southbound services towards the Angel were apparently not using the new bus station at all to start with but in my brief glimpse of the bus station in passing it does look like they probably are now.

Edmonton Green Bus Station (closed 2004)

"Edmonton Green Bus Station" sat between the roundabout and the shopping centre and was really little more than a private slip road. It is now closed and will be replaced by one with 26 bus stands which will be more deserving of the title. When it first opened it was served by the 149, 191, 259, 279 and W8. Although some W8 buses terminated there, I believe back then the 259 ran through so really there wasn't any call for anything much more elaborate. However by 2004 route changes meant that the 191 and 259 terminated at The Green and there were also the 102, 144, W6 and 616 (schoolday) buses terminating and the 192 and 491 passing through. As a result the station got terribly bunged up with standing buses to be negotiated and New Road had to be brought in to play as standing for buses that terminated at an extra bus stop about fifty yards further down The Broadway. So a new station really was needed.

In late April 2004, the main southbound stop was relocated to the stop on The Broadway that was previously the alighting only stop. At the same time the 349 was added and the 149 now terminated in at The Green (in Plevna Road which was also used for standing).

From 10th July 2004 the bus station has been closed totally for rebuilding so that makes the first part of the discussion below historical.

Considering the east side of the road first, there were four areas to know about. Firstly at the north end of the bus station proper there were three or four bus stands running under the footbridge. There was no bus stop indicated here but this was where the 144 terminated and stood having run around The Green via New Road. The occasional 102 also terminated here and the odd 191 stood but these were exceptions to the rule.  

Next south was a stop that was used by the services that head west up Church Street. This meant the W8 passing through plus the W6 and the 616 starting their journeys.

The next stop was the main southbound stop until late April 2004. It handled the 149, 192, 279 and 491 running through, plus the 102, 144 and 259 starting their journeys. The sign was then removed and this for a while the 191 and W6 services terminated before running around to the New Road stands.

From 10th July 2004 the bus station closed completely and the main southbound stop shifted to the Hertford Road north of The Green.

On the west side, a stop almost under the footbridge was used by the W8 and by the 191 starting its journey. Both these buses run via Bounces Road. The next stop along was the main northbound stop used by the 192, 279, 349 and 491 (until late April 2004 it would have been the 149 not the 349). South again was the alighting only stop and bus stands used mostly by the terminating 259 services (I saw the occasional 191 there too). The 259 used to run through the station and then use either the roundabout or the New Road junction to run back into the station from the north when starting a journey but from April 2004 to closure could simply turn left and run down to The Broadway.

New Road and Plevna Road

New Road was nearly all demolished in 2005 but prior to that it had proved useful as bus standing for the 102, 191 and W6 plus occasional strays for several years. These used to terminate at the stop on The Broadway. This part of New Road was closed of in July 2004 with bus standing north of The Green and to Plevna Road (actually the bus standing north of The Green is technically on New Road but I consider it on the Hertford Road page).

In all the discussion above there was no mention of the terminating 149 service introduced in April 2004 which uses the articulated buses. The 149 actually turns off Fore Street into Plevna Road and terminates at a stop and bus stand marked as "Edmonton Leisure Centre" which is spot on for where it is :-) There are then another five bus stands (marked by four signs) further along Plevna Road in between the entrances to the service yards. This isn't quite as bad as it seems as, although it isn't terribly wide, Plevna Road is pretty quiet.

The 149 uses Monmouth Road to rejoin the high road and in the first week of operation I saw the stop by North Square being used but this must have been a temporary arrangement as all the buses then sailed past to commence their journeys on The Broadway. However from July 2004 everything was changed around and the 149 is now starting north of The Green.

From 10th July 2004 the 149 was joined in terminating and standing on Plevna Road by the 102 and 144 services.

From 9th December 2006 the 259 and W6 terminated in Plevna Road pending the opening of the new bus station.

The Broadway and Fore Street

South of the bus station proper on the east side of The Broadway there was another bus stop that was originally used by terminating services that used the New Road bus stands. That meant the 102, 191, 616 and W6. However from late April 2004 the introduction of articulated buses and the need to vacate the bus station to allow building works to begin led to it becoming the main southbound stop. It was used by the 192, 279, 349 and 491 passing through, and the 102, 144, 149 and 259 commencing their journeys. From July 2004 the latter routes have been starting from north of The Green so this bus is now just a bog standard stop, as it were. I haven't checked when location they are using on the flag now but it might be a left over "Edmonton Green Bus Station" one.

When demolition gave way to construction in April 2005 the stop was first closed and then removed completely. It remains to be seen whether there will be seen to be a need for a stop here in future.  It does seem unlikely.

Following all the reorganisation in April 2004 a new terminating only stop appeared on the west side of The Broadway. Initially the flag was attached to a lamp post with a handwritten alighting only sign below it but within a week or so a proper bus stop was installed a few yards to the north. This stop was used by the terminating 102 services which then run around the roundabout and head for the New Road bus stands.

From 10th July 2004 this bus stop has been the main northbound bus stop for services passing through or terminating just north of The Green and a bus shelter has appeared.

The distance from Fore Street to the boundary isn't that great really so there are only three pairs of stops (or rather were as things have changed). However three of the six stops were relocated with the introduction of the articulated buses on the 149. The routes served are the 102, 144, 149, 259, 279, 349 and 491.

The first stop southbound is marked for Edmonton Police Station and indeed is very close to it. It would once have been considered as for the Town Hall. The next stop down is now just past Osman Road more or less opposite the Salvation Army. It is still marked as for Sebastopol Road which is some 150 yards to the south. The third and final stop is just before the Brettenham Road junction outside the Methodist Church though it is marked as for Park Road.

Until April 2004 the first southbound stop was past the Sebastopol Road junction which was quite close to the following one so it made sense to relocate it. The last one was just past Brettenham Road (opposite Argos) but named for Park Road. I would have thought they had room to move it to the south a bit but I guess they considered it better to have it before the junction (at least I hope they thought about it and didn't just want it opposite the other one). The disadvantage is that it is now further away from the pedestrian crossing. The new bus stop wasn't ready for use on day one and a temporary sign was used.

There was once a stop near Park Road but now the first stop northbound in Lower Edmonton is between the two ends of Shrubbery Road outside the Salvation Army. It is marked for Sebastopol Road which must be well over a hundred yards away. I seem to remember that the stop used to be outside the shops about fifty yards to the south so the name wouldn't have been quite so silly then.

The last stop is again Edmonton Police Station. Many wanting the railway station or heading for Church Street like to alight here instead of running into the bus station. There isn't a lot in it. 

An interesting thing about this stop was that it had a ticket machine installed and mentioned the 149 on the flag, yet the 149 doesn't serve it as it turns into Plevna Road before it reaches it. The Enfield Gazette / Advertiser picked up this fact and used it for a light hearted article. Clearly the ticket machine is intended for future use and the 149 signage was just a mistake. Following all the changes in July 2004 the stop dropped mention of the 149, and also the 102 and 144 which also use Plevna Road.

The first northbound bus stop was previously just past Park Road outside Argos but clearly it would have been useless for the new buses. The sign had been relocated ready for the new service but was not in use immediately though it wassn't clear why. The new location was opposite Brettenham Road (literally - it seems a bit daft but there you go) outside the former MK Electric offices (that are now something else that I keep having to look up the name of). It seems that I was not the only person to think this location was pretty stupid as the stop has been removed completely. I've no idea exactly when it was removed. All I know is that is was gone by mid-2005. The previous stop is about 150 yards back along the road.

Park Road was once used as a terminating point for some buses and I have a vague recollection there were some crew facilities there too, though I don't think there was much more than that. Last time I looked (July 2005) there was still a bus stop a few yards down from Fore Street for alighting only, though the turning and standing area had been fenced off for years. I can't really imagine the alighting stop being used as the bridge doesn't seem high enough for double deckers and there is no room to turn before it.