In message , at 22:34:38 on Sat, 16
Jun 2012, Steve Fitzgerald ] remarked:
The 'bonus' is solely to buy out of the current agreements for the
period of sports day. Any hours worked outside of the current
agreement during this time will be paid extra too; the aggregate of
this is what the papers like to present as fact

I'm puzzled. You seem to resent the fact you don't normally get
overtime, and yet demand a lump sum in order to agree to be paid
overtime during the games?

That's the kind of "having cake and eating it" which gives unions a bad
name.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at
23:11:23 on Sat, 16 Jun 2012, Offramp remarked:
Any bus passengers have a view on this?

I have strong and interesting views on this but I am not a bus passenger.

It's difficult to type on the bus, I expect most people wait until they
get home.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 09:11:26 on Sun, 17
Jun 2012, Steve Fitzgerald ] remarked:
I'm puzzled. You seem to resent the fact you don't normally get
overtime, and yet demand a lump sum in order to agree to be paid
overtime during the games?

I didn't say the hours were extra; just outside the agreement, ie
working later (but starting later) or 9 hour shifts, which are balanced
by shorter shifts elsewhere. This flexibility is what is being paid
for.

Something else the telegraph got wrong...

"But in an agreement with Aslef, the train drivers’ union,
they will also receive increased overtime payments if they work
more than an eight-hour shift or later than 1.30am – meaning
they could earn an extra £1,800 on average.

I don't resent at all the no-overtime deals. I rather like being able
to do my day's work and not have to stay behind a few hours.

Yes, I know that people have different views on this, but a train driver
isn't a 9-5 desk job, and some inherent flexibility would seem to "go
with the territory".

It's not as if (working in London) you are in danger of missing the last
train home (unless you are driving it, of course, when I expect they'll
pay for a taxi).
--
Roland Perry

You don't give the impression of being timid. Feel free to rant away.

In message , at 14:23:46 on Sun, 17
Jun 2012, Steve Fitzgerald ] remarked:
about 3 hours if I use the staff taxi network which has to be
pre-booked. They don't pay for taxis otherwise.

I choose (and pay) to use my own transport in these circumstances for
my convenience of being home in 30 minutes.

Do the staff taxis transport you the "long way round", or are you
waiting for them most of that time?
--
Roland Perry

There's a real possibility that many taxi drivers and private hire drivers will earn less
during the Olympics, not more. There's a time bomb waiting to go off and I suspect
most Londoners are not yet aware of it. This time bomb is called Olympic Lanes.
In at least some locations, these Olympic Lanes will at peak times cause chaos,
including chaos for bus passengers and the emergency services.

The Olympic Lanes are designated lanes set aside exclusively for the use of Olympic
athletes and officials. Buses and taxis will not be allowed to travel in Olympic lanes.
So far, so bad. It gets worse. Unlike the position with bus lanes, it will be illegal to
cross an Olympic Lane. Whereas with a bus lane a vehicle may cross the lane to turn
either right or left, that is not permissable with an Olympic lane. Instead the hapless
motorist must proceed, possibly for a mile or two, until the Olympic lane ends and then
make a wide detour without crossing any other Olympic Lane to arrive back where he
wanted to be.

Compounding this formula for chaos is another feature. At certain major road junctions,
Olympic Lanes will be imposed, forbidding other vehicles from entering and exiting.
Two examples.

1) The Green Man Roundabout in Leytonstone. This is a major junction and straddles the
A12 dual carriageway between outer East London and the Blackwall Tunnel. It is a very
busy roundabout. During the Olympics, motorists heading towards the Blackwall Tunnel will
not be allowed to join the A12 from The Green Man. In the morning rush hour this will cause
massive traffic congestion. I suspect the whole area will seize up. Motorists needing to access
the A12 will have to improvise. Most will aim for the Redbridge Roundabout which is already
hugely over-subscribed during the morning peak. Some, aiming for Hackney, will try Lee
Bridge Road via Whipps Cross Road. However Lee Bridge Road is already hopelesly inadequate
during the morning peak. (Thank you TfL for sabotaging Lee Bridge Road and reducing its
capacity enormously) So it is almost certain that Lee Bridge Road and Whipps Cross Road will
come to a standstill. I'd feel sorry for any taxi or private hire driver who has to take someone to
Whipps Cross Hospital beween 7 and 10 0-clock.

2) Hackney Marshes. This A12 junction is adjacent to the Olympic Park and only Olympic athletes
and officials will be allowed to exit from the A12 during the Olympics. Motorists coming to Hackney
via the Blackwall Tunnel will presumably come off the A12 either at Old Ford - already overloaded
during the morning rush hour and soon to be worse: yes TfL are installing traffic lights to reduce
capacity still further - or at The Green Man (see above). Motorists from the other direction will
presumably come off at Old Ford and try their luck. There is no chance at all of Old Ford being able
during the morning peak to handle "refugee" traffic from the Hackney Marshes junction in addition
to the usual traffic volume. I'd feel sorry for any taxi or private hire driver taking someone
to the London Chest Hospital beween 7 and 10 0-clock.

Unless there is a huge reduction in normal traffic, for example everyone taking their holiday during
the Olympics, complete gridlock in Leytonstone and Old Ford is inevitable during the morning peak.

Many taxi drivers are taking an extended holiday during the Olympics because they believe it will
be impossible to move about and earn money. Many minicab drivers intend to boycott the Olympics
because they cannot afford to be stuck in traffic jams.

If there is not the required enormous reduction in road traffic and chaos does result, the likely
"legacy" of the Olympics will be that many Londoners will hate the Olympic Games more intensely
than they ever hated anything else. It is most unlikely that many taxi or private hire drivers will
look back with any affection.

In article ,
Offramp wrote:
On Saturday, 16 June 2012 13:42:30 UTC+1, Robin9 wrote:

Any bus passengers have a view on this?

I have strong and interesting views on this but I am not a bus passenger.

The man not on the Clapham omnibus ?

Nick
--
"The Internet, a sort of ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996

On Jun 17, 2:23*pm, Steve Fitzgerald ] wrote:
In message , Roland Perry
writes
Something else the telegraph got wrong...

* * * *"But in an agreement with Aslef, the train drivers’ union,
* * * *they will also receive increased overtime payments if they work
* * * *more than an eight-hour shift or later than 1.30am – meaning
* * * *they could earn an extra £1,800 on average.

I think the key word here is *if* they work. *That is basically correct,
although the expectation is that we are unlikely to get more than one or
two of these duties allocated during the whole of the games. *The figure
of £1800 assumes that a driver works outside the agreement every duty
possible and every day.

So that means the "on average" part is basically a lie?

--
Abi

It seems Boris has lost his nerve. He is now dangling several million
pounds under the noses of the various bus companies with the
demand (i.e desperate plea) that they settle this dispute with
the drivers to avoid the strike.

On Sat, Jun 16, 2012 at 01:42:30PM +0100, Robin9 wrote:

The conversation was very interesting and drew a varied response
from the listeners. One point which came up repeatedly was that
of all the transport workers, bus drivers will experience the most
stress during the Olympics and that if train drivers receive a bonus,
so should bus drivers.

Any bus passengers have a view on this?

Yes. I hope they don't get their bonus, and that they strike during the
Olympics. I hope that as a consequence thousands of people - both
spectators and participants - miss their events. Why? Well, I've paid
for the damned games, and I want to get some entertainment out of it.

--
David Cantrell | Godless Liberal Elitist

Compromise: n: lowering my standards so you can meet them