On May 14, 11:16*pm, Tom Anderson wrote:
On Wed, 14 May 2008, MIG wrote:
On May 14, 8:53*pm, "Chris Read" wrote:
"Neil Williams" wrote:

Read in the Lite today that Moir Lockhead is warning Boris about the
plan to reintroduce Routemasters - and is trying to peddle him the
"ftr", which is, umm, a glorified bendy bus.

He also said that bus passengers and operators like the bendies - it's other
road users (ie cabbies and cyclists, I guess) who detest them.

No, he is just wrong. *Most passengers don't like them either,

Surveys say otherwise.

Surveys generally prove what they are designed to prove. Bendy buses
are claimed to increase capacity, although I think that claims for
standing capacity must be based on how many people sized dummies could
be crammed into the volume, rather than whether the space is usable by
real people who need to splay out their legs to balance etc.

But presumably, if people are asked if they want more capacity and say
"yes" they are claimed to be in favour of bendy buses.

If they were asked if they prefer to stand for the duration of their
bus ride they might not say "yes".

My limited survey is based on people I've talked to, which does
include at least one who likes them because of they way they deal with
bus queues.

Is it so impossible to take the features of bendy buses that are
perceived to be good, and consider whether they could be incorporated
in a design with more seats that doesn't block crossings and junctions
and create such a safety hazard?

Like is it really necessary to have one-way doors on straight buses
but not on bendy buses, now that paying by cash on the bus, rightly or
wrongly, has been pretty much phased out?