On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 20:11:44 -0000, "Edward Cowling"
wrote:

Someone said to me the other day that if nothing
else Ken Livingstone had made buses an acceptable
way to travel.

Everyone uses buses these days, they said.

ISTR that some recent statistics said the proportion of Londoners who
don't use buses has fallen from 28% to 21%. Sounds like a decent
improvement to me.

Do they ? I still consider the bus as drop in
centres on wheels and would rather walk 5 miles
in the rain than use one.

What a patronising and insulting remark. I'm surprised you don't possess
a chauffeur driven limousine.

What is the overall perception of them out there
in Internet land ??

I've used buses for years whether up in the North East or down here in
London. They helped me put together my geography of London far better
than the Tube ever did.

I use them all the time and they are definitely more convenient than the
Tube for certain key corridors in Central London and are a necessity for
trips beyond Zone 2 where the rail network cannot cover every journey
option efficiently.

While I'm not Ken's biggest fan I have changed my mind about his bus
policy. I think the overall service level and quality have improved
markedly and there is no doubt that this (and cheaper fares) have
attracted passengers. I remain a bit concerned about the projected costs
of running the network as a whole as I wonder about the efficiency that
is being delivered.

Paradoxically I am also concerned that a lot of planned improvements in
the suburbs are being quietly axed to try to contain the budget
increases. While I understand the Central London emphasis to date (C
Charge) I think it has possibly gone too far and money really needs to
be spent in the suburbs because many routes really need more buses and
capacity on them now.

My final concern is whether we've moved from innovation into gimmicks.
Artics have a place but the recent announcements about them replacing
routemasters (normal double decks on the 25) on the 12, 25 and 73 make
me wonder whether TfL have latched onto one solution for many problems.
These routes are very busy, carry people over long distances and I think
artics will force more people to stand for far longer. This is a
reduction in quality in my view and I think it will prove to be a
mistake. I have similar criticisms of cashless boarding and changes to
publicity provision that I think are half baked and badly executed. The
concepts sound fine but the reality is a long way away from the original
intent.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!