Bendy fleet banned from bridge over fear of collapse

The number 25, between Oxford Circus and Ilford, has been banned from using a bridge over the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines and platforms at Aldgate station.

The weight limit for the St Botolph Street bridge, part of the Aldgate gyratory, is 18 tonnes but a fully loaded bendy bus weighs 28 tonnes, posing a potential threat of collapse.

Transport for London officials say they had permission from the City of London to run bendy buses over the bridge.

But following a two-year campaign by musician Steve Collins, who spotted the discrepancy and alerted police, officials have been forced to close the route to the 60ft-long buses.

TfL is diverting eastbound No 25s via Tower Hill, instead of the more direct route from Bank to Aldgate, while the bridge is strengthened.

The diversion, imposed a week ago, is another blow to the bendy bus, which Boris Johnson has attacked as a danger to cyclists and an encouragement to fare dodgers. The Mayor wants to replace them with new Routemaster-style buses.

Mr Collins, from Leytonstone, said: "Permission should never have been granted to run bendies [over the bridge] as they're way over the limit. I reported it to the police and they have taken action but it took two years."

"If two or three buses stopped at the pedestrian crossing on the bridge the weight could be near 80 tonnes. Were people at risk?"

TfL said bendy buses had used the bridge since their introduction on the No 25 route in June 2004.

A spokeswoman said: "TfL works with local councils and the police when planning bus services and representatives are invited on a route test where any new routes or changes to existing routes are introduced.

"Where possible, buses are often exempted from weight limits on roads and bridges. As soon as the City of London decided it had to enforce the weight limit to protect the bridge, we worked with them to find an alternative route.

"We are now investigating the possibility of introducing a contraflow bus lane in Aldgate High Street to avoid a diversion until the bridge is strengthened."

The Routemaster bus weighed around 16 tonnes when fully loaded. It is not known when the bridge strengthening will be completed.