TFL has diverted buses in Highbury for months as Thames Water fixes failing pipes underground – but residents and councillors have flagged safety concerns
A handful of months-long bus diversions in North London left locals feeling unsafe at night and struggling to cope in hot weather, residents and politicians say.
Highbury Grove in Islington was closed off on July 20 due to Thames Water works, which have also forced Transport for London (TfL) to re-route various buses until November 2, 2026 at the earliest: routes 4, 19, 236, and N19 buses are all diverted, as route 263 has been curtailed to start and end at Nags Head and Camden Road. The 393 between Chalk Farm and Clapton Pond is also on diversion until Wednesday, September 2.
Though TfL says bus users can still plan their journeys using its dedicated TfL Go app, the route changes have reportedly made travel more dangerous and cumbersome for local women and the elderly, which one resident described as “heart-breaking” as she argued that the public should have had more of a say.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), resident Leslie Lee said she had written to TfL weeks ago to explain how the diversions meant women were facing having to walk through Highbury Fields in the “pitch-dark”.
“The number of places and opportunities to go wrong is massive,” she said, flagging that other older people and mums had also been left to wheel suitcases or push buggies in the 30-degree heat.
“I get on the buses at night and they are almost disproportionately older women, women of colour, and older men. There are people with casts on their feet. I talk to older people and they also are clear they don’t fancy doing this walk at night,” she said.
Ms Lee continued: “I just can’t believe there was no consultation for something that major. You’re effectively cutting off transport for a large part of this community. Their argument is that it’s only temporary, but more than six months without this essential service for a large part of the community who depend on it without prior consultation or alternative routes, is wrong.”
TfL says it is allowed to make changes, including temporary diversions at relatively short notice, if it needs to, because the road and bus networks are flexible in nature – meaning public consultation is not required.
Local councillors for the area said they understood the need to replace pipework in the area after “years of underinvestment ” and its knock-on effect on public transport in their ward, which they added was already “so disconnected”.
“Replacing the pipes now is unavoidable, but the disruption has been made worse by the 236 and 393 being diverted by water leaks,” said ward councillor Benali Hamdache, Leader of the Opposition (Green).
“As Islington councillors we’ve worked hard to get the council to look at the safety of the walking routes in the wake of the closures,” he added. The Green leader told the LDRS that Islington Council was looking at potentially using measures such as new lighting and tree-trimming.
Transport for London declined to comment.
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