London Buses route 34

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 ran daily between Whetstone and Stratford via Palmers Green, Walthamstow and Leyton and was a re-numbering of route 604. This was the second time that the route number 34 had been used on a London bus route.

The 34A, also a daily service, 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.

Also introduced on 3 October 1934 was a Monday - Saturday peak hours route 34B 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As from 17 February 1937, route 34 was withdrawn between Leyton Green and Stratford. The route 34B journeys to Stratford, which had been introduced in 1936, were also withdrawn at this time.

As a wartime economy measure, the 34A was withdrawn after service on 31 October 1939.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.

Route departing Barnet

 * 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

Route departing Walthamstow

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