TfL says the planned works, from 8th November to 20th December, will make the station safer for pedestrians. The closure comes after the death of Grace Mecaley, 74, who was struck by a 212 bus last year, reports Marco Marcelline

Walthamstow Bus Station will be temporarily shut for safety works from Friday 8th November up to and including Friday 20th December.

In a letter to residents dated 31st October, Transport for London said the planned works are in response to “safety recommendations” made following the death of Grace Mecaley, 74, who was struck by a 212 bus at the station last December.

Grace was a retired nurse who had taken up several positions in local civil society groups including the Waltham Forest Race Equality Council (WSREC), where she was an executive member from the 1980s until her death. 

Works to the station are set to include “infrastructure improvements” to the approach to pedestrian crossings, and carriageway signage.

The carriageway will also be resurfaced during the works, while the northern entrance to Walthamstow Central Station will be shut, as will the bus station’s lift.

Most buses will be rerouted to stop in the bus station’s vicinity, at stops on Selborne Road, Hoe Street, and Church Hill.

Buses that normally terminate at the bus station, such as the two Superloop routes SL1 and SL2, will instead stop outside Walthamstow Central Station in Selborne Road.

Some will stop further away; route 58 will terminate at Markhouse Corner, while W11 will stop at Walthamstow Market. Meanwhile, routes 20 and 257 will terminate at Leyton Green.

The Echo understands that TfL added “temporary signals” to the northern pedestrian crossing at the bus station in May in response to issues raised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Angry residents criticised TfL for not announcing the news earlier. One, writing on Facebook, said: “They must have been planning this for a long time, why have they only now sprung it on us? Even if they didn’t have precise details they could have given a general warning.”

A second resident wrote: “Another nightmare to add to Walthamstow traffic, just when I thought the area couldn’t get any worse.”

When asked why the bus station closure was announced with such short notice, TfL said it had launched “a full communications campaign” including emails, posters and “extensive ongoing engagement with affected businesses, residents and stakeholders”.

TfL added: “These permanent works to further improve safety at Walthamstow Bus Station are vital to providing a safer environment for all and will ensure that our buses continue to run safely and efficiently for years to come. 

We will work to minimise disruption as much as possible and we’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while the work takes place. There will be temporary bus diversions and bus stop changes while the works are being completed. Customers will still be able to make all journeys with the temporary arrangements.”

Since October 2023  there have been eight fatalities on the TfL network, all involving members of the public. In addition to Walthamstow Bus Station, they include incidents at Piccadilly Circus, Stratford underground station, and at Victoria bus station.

The latest of these fatalities is an as-yet unidentified elderly woman who was critically injured by a 66 bus in Church Lane, Leytonstone on Thursday 24th October.

In a statement to the Echo, Nick Owen, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the woman who has tragically passed away from injuries sustained in a bus collision last Thursday. This will have been a shocking incident for all involved and we have support available for anyone affected. We continue to work closely with the police and the bus operator, Arriva London, on the investigation into this tragic incident, to ensure all lessons are learnt.

“Safety is always our first consideration and we are committed to learning from every incident so that we can eliminate all serious incidents on the network and keep the public safe.”

Full details of the changes to bus routes and alternative stops can be found on TfL’s website

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