Adrian wrote:

I must mis-remember the ones in Sheffield in the 70s, then...

Ah, yes, forgot those...

But the problem with them in London IS real - they are just far too long
for the traffic conditions. They cause chaos.

They cause changing expectations, but in time drivers (of the buses,
and of other vehicles) will get used to them, IMO, and the "chaos"
(which I believe to be overstated) will subside.

By that I mean shorter stopping times, and the practicalities of
driving a longer vehicle. We could also do with some junction changes
and bus stop layout changes, but that's a minor point, and also applies
to the Routemaster to longer OPO DD changes, e.g. on Oxford Street
where the bus stop layout seems illogical, but people ignored it for
years because they just boarded/alighted where they liked.

Neil