#AYearOfBuses 314: Russell Square – Putney Heath

It’s day 314 on #AYearOfBuses, so let’s rewind 300 days and take a look at a bus route we didn’t get chance to cover the first time round.

London’s bus route 14 can trace its roots all the way back to 1949, when it started running between Hornsey Rise and Putney. Today, the 14 is a major central London bus route, running from Putney Heath to South Kensington, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road and Russell Square.

In 1957, it was the testbed for a study by New Scientist magazine into the effects of congestion on London’s streets. The study found that buses on the central section of the route, between Euston and Hyde Park Corner, spent 68% of their time on the move, with only 11% of their time spent picking up customers from stops.

What would the results of a similar study today reveal?