Sandi Tosvig supports keeping the 12. She tweeted “The Number 12 bus is a double decker delight which has been serving London for about 170 years .It goes right past Number 10. Just wondering-if they cut back on parties -can we keep it ?”

From the Camberwell Quarterly magazine

TfL is losing money and wants to trim Camberwell’s buses. Again. Tony Coleman reports

TfL propose fully withdrawing both the number 45 and the number 12 services. If they succeed Camberwell will have lost 5 cross river bus services since 2016.

There is some mitigation as the southern part of the number 12 route, from Camberwell to Dulwich Library, will be added to the route of the 148. But at the northern end, the 148 will continue to run up Park Lane and not up Regents Street. So we will lose our direct access to Oxford Circus.

Since 1904 Camberwellians have relied on the number 12 to commute or go for an exciting trip to the shops.

We will also be losing the 45 which has run between Elephant & Castle and Clapham and linked us with Brixton, for 70 years. The number 35 and 345 will continue their service between Camberwell and Brixton.

Services will overall be less frequent meaning longer waits and more crowded buses, especially at peak times. There will be more need to change buses leading to wasted time, greater stress, and inconvenience. This will hit the elderly, people with disabilities and those with children in pushchairs hardest.

Many Camberwell residents are not well off and rely on the bus network. Trains and the tube are expensive and unaffordable for many.

Jane Bevis has written an in-depth response to the proposed cuts with some expert analysis and telling statistics for the SE5 Forum. It is on the Society’s website. You can find it at: http://www.camberwellsociety.org.uk/transport/

Let’s fight these closures. The consultation link that was previously emailed to members was closed on August 7th but you can still make your feelings known, it’s worth a go. Jane Bevis’s response may give you some extra arguments. You can write to the Mayor, Sadiq Khan at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London, E16 1ZE, or write to the Transport Commissioner, Andy Byford at the same address. Or, better still, write to both.

There is also a petition to save the number 12 that you could sign at https://www.change.org/p/we-have-less-than-6-weeks-to-save-the-bus-route-12