WIREDGOV

Transport for London (TfL) has let the cameras in again for another remarkable behind-the-scenes BBC documentary series, following last year's extraordinary programme 'The Tube'.

TfL is responsible for the Capital's 700 bus routes and the red route network of roads, tunnels and bridges as well as operating and maintaining London's 6,000 sets of traffic signals and keeping the city's 9,000 mile road network moving 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year.

The programme, 'Route Masters - Running London's Roads' will give viewers an unprecedented look at how TfL keeps the Capital's roads and streets flowing to successfully manage 21 million daily journeys by car, bus, taxi, cycle, delivery lorry and van, motorcycle, scooter and on foot.

The six-part series begins at 21:00 on BBC2 next Tuesday (18 June) and will be shown at the same time each week. 

Each programme will focus on a different aspect of TfL's surface transport network, such as its famous bus network, with around 8,500 buses operating on more than 700 routes, or how TfL's traffic and bus control centres work.

The programmes will also give a remarkable insight into how TfL is investing to ensure the Capital can keep pace with the huge predicted growth in population, from just over eight million today to around ten million by 2030.

Leon Daniels is TfL's Managing Director of Surface Transport and responsible for all of TfL's roads, bridges and tunnels as well as the daily movement of traffic and the bus, river and taxi network. He said: 'We all use and rely on our roads every day, whether as a pedestrian, cyclist, motorist or to make and receive deliveries. 

'A well functioning network is vital to ensure London remains one of the world's most vibrant and attractive cities. 

'It also supports jobs and growth in the Capital and across the UK as whole.

'The real stars of this series are the fantastic staff at TfL and our wider family of contractors who work 24/7, many of them unseen, to keep the Capital's roads and streets moving.

'I'm sure this remarkable series will open many peoples' eyes to these extraordinarily dedicated, talented and resilient men and women, who reflect the city they serve.'

The series was made by Blast! Films, the same production company behind The Tube, which was watched by around two million viewers each episode.

Notes to editors:

• TfL operate 8,500 buses on 700 bus routes
• TfL's recent business plan set out how an unprecedented £4bn will be spent on London's roads over the next 10 years, double the amount of previously planned spending
• London's overall road network is 13,800km in length and is managed by the Highways Agency, TfL and the 33 London boroughs. TfL has full operational responsibility for the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN) - 580km of major roads in the Capital, called red routes, which play a strategic role in keeping London moving. They make up five per cent of London's roads but carry more than 30 per cent of its traffic
• It also manages and maintains 13 major road tunnels, more than 140 roadside electronic message boards (Variable Message Signs) and all of London's 6,000 traffic signals. To help manage this, TfL has real-time operational control of the road network through the London Streets Traffic Control Centre (LSTCC). The LSTCC helps manage the impact on traffic of up to 10,000 unplanned incidents and around 750 planned events in London each year
• There are almost 10 million car trips, more than half a million cycle trips and around six million bus passenger journeys on London's roads every day. Almost all freight is carried on the roads. Overall, four out of every five journeys in London depend entirely on the smooth operation of its road network. To help manage this, TfL manages and operates the Congestion Charging, Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and Source London schemes, as well as enforcement of decriminalised traffic offences on the TLRN, including parking, loading and bus lane regulations, and compliance with yellow box junctions, banned manoeuvres and weight restrictions