Residents living on a South London road that’s seen 10 crashes involving buses in seven months are calling for urgent safety measures to be implemented as they fear someone could be killed.
The number of buses that pass through Sandhurst Road and nearby Sangley Road in Catford each day amounts to around 3,700, while 150-180 buses per hour serve this location, Freedom of Information (FOI) data shows.
Sandhurst Road residents say their street is not designed for this many buses to pass through it each day, while the campaign group Safer Sandhurst & Sangley said many residents have reported “hit-and-run” incidents involving their cars which are often left with “suspicious red paint marks”.
Transport for London (TfL) confirmed in an FOI response to residents that since July 1, 2021, Sandhurst Road and Sangley Road have seen 85 crashes involving buses. So far in 2025, Sandhurst Road has seen 10 crashes involving buses.
In its response, TfL said many of these would have been “minor incidents” involving other vehicles, such as parked ones, and said only one incident in September 2022 involved an injury.
However residents fear someone could end up losing their life if urgent action isn’t taken to tackle problems with speeding.
Alison Howard, who lives on Sandhurst Road, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “In the last year, we asked TfL for the speeding data they have, all of the buses have what they refer to as a speed limiter but it doesn’t actually limit their speed, it just records when they go over 24mph, it doesn’t record under that.
“So we had 3,600 buses last year that were going faster than 24mph in a 20 zone and we have an average of six per day that are currently speeding on this road according to the data TfL has given us.”
She went on to say: “We’re just concerned that at some point someone is going to get killed because of the number of collisions these buses are having – Stagecoach [the bus operator] and TfL don’t really seem to be interested in doing anything about it.”
Alison says the problem has gotten so bad that houses shake whenever a bus goes past, and she has started to notice cracks in her walls, which she believes is directly caused by buses hitting speed bumps. Alison added: “These houses don’t have really deep foundations but having several tonnes of double decker electric buses hit the speed bumps at 40mph isn’t helping.”
Safer Sandhurst & Sangley says it has been trying to get TfL to tackle the issue “for years”, but so far nothing has changed. The LDRS understands TfL has looked at alternative route options for Sandhurst Road and Sangley Road however these would reportedly result in a significant worsening of bus services for a “large number” of passengers in the wider area.
Another resident told the LDRS they are still unclear whether it’s the operator or TfL that’s responsible for addressing the speeding because they’d struggled to get a clear answer. The LDRS understands it’s bus operators that use the speed monitoring technology and are responsible for pulling up drivers on it.
Speed bumps are being examined
A spokesperson for Lewisham Council said they have been working closely with Sandhurst Road residents to resolve the issues and recognise the frustration they have been feeling. They added: “We have instructed engineers to check the speed bumps are fit for purpose and not causing damage to residents’ properties – this work is ongoing. The council is not responsible for the route and speed of buses, but we have passed on resident concerns to TfL.
“We are in the process of introducing new measures (planters and street furniture) to calm traffic and prevent inconsiderate parking, which causes severe disruption to pedestrians, particularly those with children or mobility issues.”
They said the council has also undertaken a comprehensive consultation with local residents as part of the Sustainable Streets programme to explore proposals to improve safety and accessibility.
Philip Gerhardt, TfL’s Head of Bus Performance, said: “We remain fully committed to ensuring the safety of all customers and residents. iBus technology is used to closely monitor London-wide bus routes and trends so that we can make journeys more reliable and safer, providing customers with accurate and up-to-date travel information only.
“An additional set of data which measures speed of buses more precisely is used by bus operators. We continue to work with bus operators to ensure that appropriate action is taken against any driver found to be breaking the speed limit.”
He added: “Alongside the operator Stagecoach, we are happy to support Lewisham Council with any future proposal they have for Sandhurst Road and continue to explore long-term alternatives.”
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