Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
London Transport (uk.transport.london) Discussion of all forms of transport in London. |
Reply |
|
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
#2
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
On Thursday, 28 December 2017 14:57:38 UTC, Robin9 wrote:
Two points: TfL's operations also extend to Epping which is way outside the Greater London Area. Does the 60+ pass extend to Epping? My Freedom Pass does. It also allows me to go to Cheshunt as long as I use TfL Rail. TfL's empire building refers primarily to the ambition to take control of suburban services in South London, even though that would inevitably have a huge impact on services from further afield. It also takes in their determination to have a major say in the allocation of train paths between Paddington and Reading. I haven't bothered to keep up, but several months ago I did come across some blogs where Berkshire commuters were indignant about TfL's territorial ambitions. Although instinctively reluctant to be generous to TfL, I do assume they were not party to Mr. Khan's ludicrous suggestion some time ago that he should take over the Southern services as he had some magical mediating skills which could resolve the dispute over guards. -- Robin9 As I made clear there are is some validity that stretches beyond the GL boundary for longstanding historical reasons. Freedom Passes have been valid to Dartford for a very long time and long before PAYG was extended there and without TfL having any say in the train service that reaches Dartford. Places like the Watford line have long had LT / LU / TfL involvement by virtue of former through working of services. Those arrangements have been refined where TfL have subsequently been granted specification / procurement rights for some of the rail services. I assume TfL and London Councils have reached agreement that the current F Pass can stretch to these cross boundary points as usual volumes are very low and revenue foregone is similarly low and not material to the overall funding settlement. With Crossrail to the west we face a rather different situation as the fare revenue foregone could be high if even moderate numbers were to use a "free" pass given the much higher fares to places like Twyford and Reading. I am afraid I am going to be my usual picky self and say it is not TfL that have the "empire building ambitions". It is Mayors from the two main parties that have held such ambitions because the Mayoralty has been granted a wider area of influence over rail services. They do this for the obvious reasons of power and influence plus a belief they can secure better services.. The revenue would also be a nice add on to TfL's coffers. TfL only ever does what the Mayor requires which is why we have monstrous NB4L buses, a pointless cable car and why Ken Livingstone annoyed generations of bus loons by scrapping Routemasters. TfL implemented those Mayoral policies regardless of the wider issues. Just read the transcripts from the recent Garden Bridge investigation where both Peter Hendy and Mike Brown explain precisely how things work in the current structure. The only stuff that *has* to get done is what is in Mayoral manifestos. The fact a transport service also operates 364 days a year is incidental. It is worth pointing out that courtesy of Heathrow Airport acting like an extortion racket over access to Heathrow via their rail tunnels that TfL, City Hall and the DfT all ended up on the same page over Crossrail issues in West London. Now that a settlement has been reached over Heathrow access it is notable that what followed is an outbreak of agreement between the Mayoralty and the DfT about granting extra running rights to Reading. This seemingly worked to DfT's satisfaction or else why on earth would a Grayling led DfT ever concede anything to a Labour run City Hall? He has plenty of form for blocking every rail devolution idea the current Mayor has had (even the ludicrous one you cite re Southern). I would also argue that if you rip funding away from TfL as George Osborne did then what on earth do you expect people to do to fill the gap? They will naturally look for opportunities to add services and responsibilities that allow new revenues to be gained and new sources of investment funding to be drawn on. That (IMO) partly sits behind the long held desire to take on South London's suburban rail network and also in wanting to run a much higher service level on Crossrail than originally envisaged. It all boils down to power and ££££s. -- Paul C via Google |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
Paul Corfield Wrote in message:
On Thursday, 28 December 2017 14:57:38 UTC, Robin9 wrote: Two points: TfL's operations also extend to Epping which is way outside the Greater London Area. Does the 60+ pass extend to Epping? My Freedom Pass does. It also allows me to go to Cheshunt as long as I use TfL Rail. TfL's empire building refers primarily to the ambition to take control of suburban services in South London, even though that would inevitably have a huge impact on services from further afield. It also takes in their determination to have a major say in the allocation of train paths between Paddington and Reading. I haven't bothered to keep up, but several months ago I did come across some blogs where Berkshire commuters were indignant about TfL's territorial ambitions. Although instinctively reluctant to be generous to TfL, I do assume they were not party to Mr. Khan's ludicrous suggestion some time ago that he should take over the Southern services as he had some magical mediating skills which could resolve the dispute over guards. -- Robin9 As I made clear there are is some validity that stretches beyond the GL boundary for longstanding historical reasons. Freedom Passes have been valid to Dartford for a very long time and long before PAYG was extended there and without TfL having any say in the train service that reaches Dartford. Places like the Watford line have long had LT / LU / TfL involvement by virtue of former through working of services. Those arrangements have been refined where TfL have subsequently been granted specification / procurement rights for some of the rail services. I assume TfL and London Councils have reached agreement that the current F Pass can stretch to these cross boundary points as usual volumes are very low and revenue foregone is similarly low and not material to the overall funding settlement. With Crossrail to the west we face a rather different situation as the fare revenue foregone could be high if even moderate numbers were to use a "free" pass given the much higher fares to places like Twyford and Reading. I am afraid I am going to be my usual picky self and say it is not TfL that have the "empire building ambitions". It is Mayors from the two main parties that have held such ambitions because the Mayoralty has been granted a wider area of influence over rail services. They do this for the obvious reasons of power and influence plus a belief they can secure better services. The revenue would also be a nice add on to TfL's coffers. TfL only ever does what the Mayor requires which is why we have monstrous NB4L buses I know you hate them, but I'm genuinely baffled why. I suspect that the man who introduced them plays an undue influence. I was on the 38 yesterday, and thought it was genuinely excellent. As a tall person I find the upper deck much better than 'traditional' London double deckers (insomuch as I don't whack my head on the roof trying to find a seat), and the rear stairs & door are much more convenient than "fighting with passengers on the way up when you want to get off" that is normal in a regular London double decker. Oh, and the climate was fine. What is your problem with them? On the two days a year that London experiences warm weather I never found the existing bus stock particularly wonderful, so I'm not buying "they're sometimes warm"... ----Android NewsGroup Reader---- http://usenet.sinaapp.com/ |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
On Thursday, 28 December 2017 20:02:45 UTC, Clank wrote:
I know you hate them, but I'm genuinely baffled why. I suspect that the man who introduced them plays an undue influence. I was on the 38 yesterday, and thought it was genuinely excellent. As a tall person I find the upper deck much better than 'traditional' London double deckers (insomuch as I don't whack my head on the roof trying to find a seat), and the rear stairs & door are much more convenient than "fighting with passengers on the way up when you want to get off" that is normal in a regular London double decker. Oh, and the climate was fine. What is your problem with them? On the two days a year that London experiences warm weather I never found the existing bus stock particularly wonderful, so I'm not buying "they're sometimes warm"... The simple answer is that they make me ill. Don't know why specifically but I have ended up feeling exhausted and having a thumping headache when using them in the early days. I am not prone to headaches so if I get one it's an unusual event. The weather was not exceptional on any day in question. No other bus in the *world* (and I've travelled on plenty) has the same effect. Heck I even survived crossing the Channel twice in one day in very stormy conditions without being seasick and I loathe ferry travel. To my mind that pretty much proves I am not prone to travel sickness so why the NB4L affects me physically I don't know but it does. The fact that so much money was splashed on something that is a reflection of Boris's monstrous ego certainly doesn't help my opinion of them but it is not the main reason why I refuse to travel on NB4Ls. Why would I use a bus that makes me ill? Simple answer - I don't and it's one reason why my bus use and visits to Central London have declined markedly. I await the day when they start being withdrawn and are replaced with something decent. I know that's at least a decade away and that's fine. I know people like them and others hate them - that's fine too. -- Paul C via Google |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
Paul Corfield wrote:
On Thursday, 28 December 2017 20:02:45 UTC, Clank wrote: I know you hate them, but I'm genuinely baffled why. I suspect that the man who introduced them plays an undue influence. I was on the 38 yesterday, and thought it was genuinely excellent. As a tall person I find the upper deck much better than 'traditional' London double deckers (insomuch as I don't whack my head on the roof trying to find a seat), and the rear stairs & door are much more convenient than "fighting with passengers on the way up when you want to get off" that is normal in a regular London double decker. Oh, and the climate was fine. What is your problem with them? On the two days a year that London experiences warm weather I never found the existing bus stock particularly wonderful, so I'm not buying "they're sometimes warm"... The simple answer is that they make me ill. Don't know why specifically but I have ended up feeling exhausted and having a thumping headache when using them in the early days. I am not prone to headaches so if I get one it's an unusual event. The weather was not exceptional on any day in question. No other bus in the *world* (and I've travelled on plenty) has the same effect. Heck I even survived crossing the Channel twice in one day in very stormy conditions without being seasick and I loathe ferry travel. To my mind that pretty much proves I am not prone to travel sickness so why the NB4L affects me physically I don't know but it does. The fact that so much money was splashed on something that is a reflection of Boris's monstrous ego certainly doesn't help my opinion of them but it is not the main reason why I refuse to travel on NB4Ls. Why would I use a bus that makes me ill? Simple answer - I don't and it's one reason why my bus use and visits to Central London have declined markedly. I await the day when they start being withdrawn and are replaced with something decent. I know that's at least a decade away and that's fine. I know people like them and others hate them - that's fine too. Paul, I'm sure you'll be thrilled at this bit of news: "William Wright, of Ballymena-based Wrightbus - the company behind the new London Routemaster double-decker - is knighted for services to the economy and bus industry." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42504660 |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
On Friday, 29 December 2017 22:49:57 UTC, Recliner wrote:
I'm sure you'll be thrilled at this bit of news: "William Wright, of Ballymena-based Wrightbus - the company behind the new London Routemaster double-decker - is knighted for services to the economy and bus industry." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42504660 Not terribly bothered to be honest. Wrightbus have made a lot of very decent vehicles over the years and have developed a decent business. They have had an awful lot of state support too but that's not exactly unusual in NI. If Wrightbus hadn't made the NB4L someone else would. It was a political construct not a bus industry initiative. -- Paul C via Google |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
On Sun, 31 Dec 2017 02:19:39 -0800 (PST), Paul Corfield
wrote: On Friday, 29 December 2017 22:49:57 UTC, Recliner wrote: I'm sure you'll be thrilled at this bit of news: "William Wright, of Ballymena-based Wrightbus - the company behind the new London Routemaster double-decker - is knighted for services to the economy and bus industry." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42504660 Not terribly bothered to be honest. Wrightbus have made a lot of very decent vehicles over the years and have developed a decent business. They have had an awful lot of state support too but that's not exactly unusual in NI. If Wrightbus hadn't made the NB4L someone else would. It was a political construct not a bus industry initiative. Weren't there a lot of build problems with them? The engines were running almost all the time as the batteries weren't getting charged, the air-cooling didn't, etc. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 07:58:32 -0800 (PST)
Paul Corfield wrote: On Thursday, 28 December 2017 20:02:45 UTC, Clank wrote: What is your problem with them? On the two days a year that London experiences warm weather I never found the existing bus stock particularly wonderful, so I'm not buying "they're sometimes warm"... The simple answer is that they make me ill. Don't know why specifically but= I have ended up feeling exhausted and having a thumping headache when usin= The air con always was flakey. Perhaps its something to do with that? |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
On 29/12/2017 15:58, Paul Corfield wrote:
snip The simple answer is that they make me ill. Don't know why specifically but I have ended up feeling exhausted and having a thumping headache when using them in the early days. I am not prone to headaches so if I get one it's an unusual event. The weather was not exceptional on any day in question. No other bus in the *world* (and I've travelled on plenty) has the same effect. Heck I even survived crossing the Channel twice in one day in very stormy conditions without being seasick and I loathe ferry travel. To my mind that pretty much proves I am not prone to travel sickness so why the NB4L affects me physically I don't know but it does. The fact that so much money was splashed on something that is a reflection of Boris's monstrous ego certainly doesn't help my opinion of them but it is not the main reason why I refuse to travel on NB4Ls. Why would I use a bus that makes me ill? Simple answer - I don't and it's one reason why my bus use and visits to Central London have declined markedly. I await the day when they start being withdrawn and are replaced with something decent. I know that's at least a decade away and that's fine. I know people like them and others hate them - that's fine too. Is it possible you are allergic to something used in the construction of the buses or given off by it (possibly something not even specified by Boris such as the paint)? And that that something might now have dissipated? One way way to test this would be for you to travel on old NB4Ls a few times - although it would not be possible to eliminate the effects of your views on the bus without making it impossible for you to tell when you were on one and when on another bus. Would blindfold, ear protectors and thick mitts suffice? If you would then need a travelling companion we may struggle to set up a double-blind experiment, but let's not make the best the enemy of the good -- Robin reply-to address is (intended to be) valid |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
TfL to make half of Berkshire wheelchair accessible
On Saturday, 30 December 2017 11:00:14 UTC, Robin wrote:
Is it possible you are allergic to something used in the construction of the buses or given off by it (possibly something not even specified by Boris such as the paint)? And that that something might now have dissipated? One way way to test this would be for you to travel on old NB4Ls a few times - although it would not be possible to eliminate the effects of your views on the bus without making it impossible for you to tell when you were on one and when on another bus. Would blindfold, ear protectors and thick mitts suffice? If you would then need a travelling companion we may struggle to set up a double-blind experiment, but let's not make the best the enemy of the good I don't know about allergies. I'm not knowingly allergic to anything but you may be correct. I appreciate you're enjoying the prospect of me suffering additional anguish from a force fed NB4L ride complete with ridiculous "disguise" but I doubt I'm that much of a sucker for punishment. ;-) -- Paul C via Google |
Reply |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Picc T5 not disabled accessible from platform | London Transport | |||
Accessible Taxi from Tate Modern to Paddington on a Saturday Evening | London Transport | |||
DfT: More rail stations to be made accessible | London Transport | |||
I Thought the Buses were Wheelchair Accessible... | London Transport | |||
Wheelchair sighting | London Transport |