London Buses route 34

34
Overview
Operator	Arriva London
Garage	Edmonton
Vehicle	DAF DB250 10.2m/Alexander ALX400
Peak vehicle requirement	19
Nighttime	No night service
Route
Start	Barnet
Via	Whetstone Arnos Grove Palmers Green Edmonton
End	Walthamstow
Length	12 miles (19 km)
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	About every 8 minutes
Journey time	40-66 minutes
Operates	4:30am until 1:30am
Transport for London • Performance

London Buses route 34 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.

History

Today's route 34 commenced operation on 3 October 1934, when the London Passenger Transport Board, which had been responsible for London's buses since 1 July 1933, revised its route numbering system. The 34, which was actually a re-numbering of route 604, ran daily between Whetstone and Stratford via Palmers Green, Walthamstow and Leyton. This was the second time that the route number 34 had been used on a London bus route.

Also introduced on 3 October 1934 was a 34A, a daily service which ran between Stratford and Chingford Mount with an irregular Monday - Saturday extension to Chingford (Royal Forest Hotel). This route was a re-numbering of route 511.

Lastly the 34B, also introduced on 3 October 1934 was a Monday - Saturday peak hours route between Lower Edmonton Station and Walthamstow (Crooked Billet) via Lea Valley Viaduct and North Circular Road. This route was previously numbered 167 and was historically part of the 76 group of routes. It remained closely linked to the 76 throughout its lifetime.

In 1936 the route ran from Whetstone through to Walthamstow and Stratford at an impressive 5 minute frequency most of the way (every 3¾ minutes on Saturdays!).

As from 17 February 1937, route 34 was withdrawn between Leyton Green and Stratford. The route 34B journeys to Stratford, which had been introduced in 1936, were also withdrawn at this time.

As a wartime economy measure, the 34A was withdrawn after service on 31 October 1939. At the same time, the 34B was extended from Lower Edmonton Station to Brimsdown (Power Station) via Ponders End, replacing journeys on route 69.

After the war, buses were running from New Barnet via what is now the 326 to Whetstone, and the section between the Crooked Billet and Stratford had been given over to the trolleybuses. Later, the route was extended into Barnet and to Chesterfield Road (present 184 routeing) and by the 1970s the present direct route into Barnet via Barnet Hill had been adopted, the route via New Barnet then covered by part of the 260. At the other end, buses had been restored to Walthamstow and Leyton, reaching Leytonstone(Harrow Green) as from 16 June 1973. Later the route was curtailed to Walthamstow Central.

Major rebuilding of the North Circular Road in the mid 1990s had quite an effect on the 34. As well as the building of the Woodford-Barking link, most of the road between Hanger Lane and north Walthamstow has now been upgraded. Just a few bottlenecks around Neasden, Finchley (Henly's Corner, where it crosses the A1) and New Southgate-Palmers Green remain to be done - if the government allows. The result is a very good road, with lots of new flyovers and underpasses constructed. The 34 does not stick to the fast road, but, as buses do, dives off onto every possible service road and access way. There are still some fast bits though!

However, during the construction, traffic congestion was very heavy, and it was decided to split the route into sections. It had been every 15 minutes Barnet to Walthamstow, but the new sections were Barnet to Edmonton and Arnos Grove to Walthamstow, every 20 minutes each giving a 10 minute service on the overlap. Some of the worst congestion was around Edmonton, where a huge underpass under Silver Street station and Fore Street was built. Once the NCR works were completed, the 34 was retendered, with quite a big improvement in that buses would run every 10 minutes throughout - i.e. the overlap frequency throughout the route.

The 34 is another amazingly well-established route, and also unusually low-numbered for a route that does not serve central London. However in this case there has been a fair amount of fiddling at the ends, even if buses have always linked Whetstone with the Crooked Billet north of Walthamstow via a substantial portion of the North Circular Road.

Current route

• Barnet Church
• Barnet High Street
• Barnet Hill
• High Barnet Station
• Barnet Hill
• Great North Road
• Whetstone High Road
• Oakleigh Road North
• Brunswick Avenue
• Oakleigh Road South
• New Southgate Betstyle Circus
• Bowes Road
• Arnos Grove Station Forecourt
• Bowes Road
• Palmers Green
• North Circular Road
• Edmonton Cambridge Roundabout
• West Way
• Silver Street
• North Middlesex Hospital
• Silver Street
• Silver Street Station
• Silver Street
• Upper Edmonton
• Angel Road
• Angel Road Station
• Angel Road
• Lea Valley Viaduct
• Hall Lane
• Southend Road
• North Circular Road
• Crooked Billet Roundabout
• Chingford Road
• Hoe Street
• Selborne Road
• Walthamstow Central Station Bus Station

See also

• List of bus routes in London
• Arriva London

External links

• Transport For London
• London Bus Routes
• London Bus Routes Zenfolio
• Full Timetable (PDF)