On 14 Feb, 17:40, (Neil Williams)
wrote:
On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 07:30:12 -0800 (PST), Mizter T

wrote:
I can see arguments both ways. One factor to bear in mind is that the
information presented at bus stops in London is far better these days
than it ever was, so that could be seen to lessen the need for 'via'
points to be listed on the blinds.

True. *But it's nice to be able to see a bus waiting there and know
it's the right one without having to read the posters.


Trouble is that there are worrying precedents.

The punter should not be having to squint at a tiny, scrolling
display, in the time it takes to decide whether to get on, in order to
find out where the buses go in general.

They should already have had access to information about where the
buses go. The main purpose of the blind should be to identify the
right bus in a hurry at a crowded bus stop.

This can be done as long as the posters, timetables and buses all
prominently feature the route number.

The addition of calling points etc on trains led to the idiocy of
route numbers being dispensed with on the Southern Region of the
railways. I wouldn't want to see buses going the same way.


To the thread in general - I don't go for the argument of blinds being
easier to read. *I genuinely find LED clearer, especially from a
distance. *And it doesn't take much maintenance to keep it going - the
number of stuck, folded or otherwise damaged blinds is far greater
than the number (elsewhere) of broken LEDs.

And LED will generally "fail safe" without getting stuck displaying
incorrect information.

As for high-resolution displays - they exist but are a bit more
expensive, hence why you don't see a lot of them. *Lothian (since they
were mentioned upthread) have a bus with a white high-res LED display
on trial - saw it last time I was in Edinburgh. *I don't know what
they think of it yet, though.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
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