Campaigners meet Transport for London officials to discuss bus service to Finchley Memorial Hospital

Officials from Transport for London (TfL) met with campaigners yesterday to discuss setting up a ‘hopper’ bus to the hospital, in Granville Road, Finchley.

People have had problems getting to the £28m hospital since it reopened in 2013, with the nearest bus stop nearly 250m away, making it difficult for some disabled and elderly people to walk to the hospital.

Peter Skyte lives in Finchley and organised a petition which received more than 350 signatures in a week.

He said there was “tremendous support” for the service, and that a lot of people had told him it was “about time” one was provided.

Herbie Levinson, 80, who lives in sheltered housing in Ballards Lane, Finchley, said it was “incredibly difficult” for elderly people to access the hospital.

He said: “Once I stop driving, I will be totally reliant on getting public transport. The residents in my block all have similar problems. It comes up all the time in meetings.

“It’s a very uncertain situation. We need a regular hopper-type service you can get on. The others in the borough are very good. That sort of service would be ideal for this area.”

The Finchley Society also carried out a survey last April on the issue, which found strong support for a bus to the hospital.

Rosslyn Green, 90, who lives in Hillcourt Avenue, North Finchley, said a bus would make a “big difference” to the area, and would also help solve parking problems at the hospital.

She explained how she often ended up getting a taxi to the hospital and back, which was expensive.

The meeting was also attended by Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Finchley and Golders Green, Sarah Sackman, along with Woodhouse councillor Geof Cooke and Labour London Assembly Member and parliamentary candidate for Hendon, Andrew Dismore.

Ms Sackman said: “We have a huge missed opportunity, where for many people the lack of access is simply unacceptable. People feel very strongly about it. The lack of progress is frustrating.”

The issue has cross-party support, with Mike Freer, Conservative MP for Finchley and Golders Green, calling on the NHS earlier this month to speed up providing data on patients using the hospital, so a business case could be built for a bus service.

John Barry, TfL’s head of network development for buses, said: “We are aware of local support for improved transport at Finchley Memorial Hospital. Given that healthcare services at this site are planned to increase we are continuing to liaise with the NHS, the council and other key stakeholders to understand potential future demand and to discuss possible options."