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London Transport (uk.transport.london) Discussion of all forms of transport in London. |
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Save the 73 Routemaster!!!!
Old the Routemaster may well be and indeed solid too,but the this solidity
is belied by an Unladen Weight of 7tons 14Cwt for a 72 Seat RML type. This makes the Routemaster a featherweight compared with modern Volvo or Dennis chassied vehicles which come in at around 11 Tonnes ULW. Much of the Routemaster Design philosophy was a direct spin-off from the 2nd world War aeronautical industry and this led to its design having immense strength whilst remaining relatively light. There was a degree of scepticism within the Bus Industry regarding the Marshall Refurb programme as it was felt that once the vehicles were stripped down all sorts of hidden structural defects would manifest themselves. Engineers were somewhat surprised to find that most of the candidates for refurbishment were in amazingly good structural condition requiring little if any major structural work. The other interesting aspect of the Marshall programme was the ability of the Routemaster to accept a Bang-Up-to-Date Cummins Isbe Engine which fully complied with the stringent Euro 2 emissions regulations. This engine when coupled to the electronically controlled Allison gearbox and retarder allows for a smooth and extremely economical vehicle capable of returning Fuel Consumption figures which tend to make modern Bus Designers somewhat queasy. Part of TfL`s original spin focused on the down-at-heel appearance of many of the Routemaster fleet,convienently ignoring that this was a direct result of a downgrading of maintenance programmes within several operating companies. The standard of the Refurbished Routemaster vehicles bears comparison with any modern vehicle in London service and indeed some operators are quite well known for their LACK of maintenance resulting in even the second-hand dealers refusing to handle vehicles coming from their fleets. The issue of Disability Access remains one of the oddest to quantify and even now the debate over just how "Accessible" a SuperLowFloor design really is continues each day out on the streets. On a recent trip to London I listened to a conversation between two "Grannies" who bemoaned to each other the loss of the "Old" Bus on their route. They each agreed upon the preference for the "Long Seats" at the back of the Routemaster and most interestingly they each remarked upon how difficult it was FOR THEM to get to a seat on a new SLF bus because "They`re always crowded full with Push-Chairs and Prams" Listening to the two I wondered if anybody from TfL had ever asked them for their opinion but sadly I didnt interrupt their conversation. To me it still appears that the Issue of disability remains one where much lip-service is paid yet little real understanding of what the term really means exists. |
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