With the news of the new N281 (or to be pedantic, 281 as it's simply a
"24-hour" route), who does one petition for a new one?

East Londoners will agree with me that the route from Stratford to Plaistow
Greengate (currently served in the daytime by the 473, the 262 and in a
round-about way the 276) is in desperate need of a nightbus route.

If out drinking late in Stratford, which is the nearest hub of activity for
those South Plaistovians out on the ****, the only way home is via taxi.

There are no minicab offices close to the Stratford shopping centre (you'd
need to walk up towards Maryland or halfway down West Ham Lane), and black
cabs - few and far between at that time of night - cost about a tenner
(compared to £4.50 by minicab).

As a result, more and more of the local chavs are clearly taking their
motors, if some of the late night driving I've witnessed lately is anything
to go by. There was a horrific accident at the Greengate just last week.

Before any UTL wags say "why don't you walk it you lazy ****er it'll only
take you 30 minutes", I'll remind you that the area in question goes
through a couple of, shall we say, slightly more lugubrious areas before
you get to the comparative bliss south of the Barking Road.

So I'd like to petition London Transport to provide a night route (or 24-
hour route) that covers the section between Stratford and the Greengate.
I'll use the arguments I have given he safety for local inhabitants,
etc.

Who would one petition? Arriva? Transport for London? My local Mayor (Sir
Robin Wales)?

Whoever I do petition, I'll be CC'ing the local rag (Newham Recorder) to
drum up some support and hopefully get others to petition them too. But I'd
like to get it right first off. :-)

TRISTÁN