The populist line is that Britain is ungovernable. The reality is that it is simply ungoverned and that’s why people think the UK is in a state of decay.
I am the lowest of the low, someone who travels by bus and we know that only losers take the bus.
Where I live in Battersea the bus is the only public transport we have. Catching a train or getting the Tube requires a bus ride. All of the buses rely on Battersea Bridge.
Recently Albert Bridge, the next bridge along, had to be closed due to dangerous wear. Repairs are forecast to take a year at least with all traffic now having to use the already very busy Battersea Bridge.
This has led to utter chaos and the collapse of the bus services due to the extra traffic and highly dangerous driving by too many impatient drivers.
As an example I had to wait 30 minutes for a bus this morning to travel 200 metres.
This is annoying enough in itself but for me it is potentially life threatening.
I am a patient at the excellent Royal Marsden Hospital who have been treating me for cancer since 2024. I am also a patient at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital who are monitoring my condition now I am in remission. Getting to and from these hospitals requires me to take a bus over Battersea Bridge. You can see the problem. I have to leave at least an hour before appointments. Surgery is made especially difficult by the unreliability of travel.
And then there are the paramedics. If I needed emergency support would they be able to get to me? It’s not just buses affected.
In my selfish desire not to die I have tried to find out who is responsible for Battersea Bridge and what plans they may have in place to better manage traffic and ensure buses and ambulances are prioritised.
I have written to Transport for London, Wandsworth Council, my MP and my local councillor. Those who have replied have been sympathetic but unable to answer the basic question of “Who is responsible?”
I know my place.
So here I am, 3.6km as the crow flies from Parliament with a collapsing public transport system.
At least if I knew who owned the problem I could leave instructions in my will to have my remains sent to them upon my demise. I’ve even got some big black bin bags…
Mark O'Neill 