Peter Beale ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying :

That reminds me, I saw a convoy of THREE bendy 73s on Essex road
yesterday - it looked like a train!!

It is a rule dating back to the early days of the London Passenger
Transport Board that 73s have to travel in threes. I thought everyone
knew that.

They're too scared to go out on their own - the older boys are bullying
them, and calling them "fatso".

Around midday today (14 Sept) I spotted a convoy of *four* 73s
crawling down Gower Street. The first was completely packed out, the
following three practically empty. The drivers of the empty ones were
clearly looking to overtake but seemed unable to do so, thanks to
traffic levels and so on.

I hate to think of what goes on further down the line (particularly
the right turn from Bloomsbury onto New Oxford St. which seems to be
clogged up at the best of times).

In article ,
(david) wrote:

Around midday today (14 Sept) I spotted a convoy of *four* 73s
crawling down Gower Street. The first was completely packed out, the
following three practically empty. The drivers of the empty ones were
clearly looking to overtake but seemed unable to do so, thanks to
traffic levels and so on.

I hate to think of what goes on further down the line (particularly
the right turn from Bloomsbury onto New Oxford St. which seems to be
clogged up at the best of times).

Precisely. They're building a bus gate in Gower Street. Wouldn't they have
done better not to hatch off one lane just beyond those lights? When I was
on a (Routemaster) 73 the other day we couldn't get into the right turn
bus lane there because the entrance was blocked as a result of their only
being two traffic lanes at the entrance. :-(

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
In article ,
(david) wrote:


Around midday today (14 Sept) I spotted a convoy of *four* 73s
crawling down Gower Street. The first was completely packed out, the
following three practically empty. The drivers of the empty ones were
clearly looking to overtake but seemed unable to do so, thanks to
traffic levels and so on.

I hate to think of what goes on further down the line (particularly
the right turn from Bloomsbury onto New Oxford St. which seems to be
clogged up at the best of times).


Precisely. They're building a bus gate in Gower Street. Wouldn't they have
done better not to hatch off one lane just beyond those lights? When I was
on a (Routemaster) 73 the other day we couldn't get into the right turn
bus lane there because the entrance was blocked as a result of their only
being two traffic lanes at the entrance. :-(

Today's issue of the London By London mailing list
(http://www.londonbylondon.co.uk) contained the following reader's
submission:

"Has anyone had amusing experiences on the new Bendy 73s? I was on my
way to Angel from Stoke Newington on Saturday and the driver actually
got off the bus somewhere a little way down Albion Road, screaming, "I'm
having a nightmare! I don't want to hit it! My heart is beating so fast!".

Poor guy! How much training did the drivers actually get before they
were let loose with those 18-metre monsters I wonder? That said, I
usually travel on two wheels and getting rid of the Routemasters means
that you don't get pedestrians jumping off in front of you without
looking.."

"Colin Rosenstiel" wrote in message
...

They're building a bus gate in Gower Street.

I guess my suggestion that they should get the buses off Gower Street
altogether by either building a contraflow bus lane in Tottenham Court Road
or getting rid of the one way system altogether must have been moved to
/bin.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 08:04:20 +0100, Dave Newt newtonline{at}gmail.com
wrote:

Today's issue of the London By London mailing list
(http://www.londonbylondon.co.uk) contained the following reader's
submission:

"Has anyone had amusing experiences on the new Bendy 73s? I was on my
way to Angel from Stoke Newington on Saturday and the driver actually
got off the bus somewhere a little way down Albion Road, screaming, "I'm
having a nightmare! I don't want to hit it! My heart is beating so fast!".

Eeek!

Poor guy! How much training did the drivers actually get before they
were let loose with those 18-metre monsters I wonder?

I think some only got about a day or so of practice. I've travelled by
73 twice - each time perched in the front seat so sometimes the drivers
chat. The first lady driver was pretty confident and did well getting
through the gaps but had a "crunch" moment getting into the New Oxford
St bus lane.

The second driver was much more hesitant and *seemed* to struggle or
else was being very careful indeed. He said that some drivers had got
stuck on the very tight left turn by KX Thameslink station and had had
to reverse. He also said that the New Oxford Street turn was an absolute
nightmare as there is a pinch point just around the corner which the
buses usually hit with their front tyres when the back end is still
coming round the corner. We were 16 minutes late by this point and the
bus was curtailed at Marble Arch in consequence.

I do feel a bit sorry for the drivers as I expect that Arriva are paying
close attention as to whether the buses return in pristine condition or
not.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 01:04 +0100 (BST), (Colin
Rosenstiel) wrote:

In article ,
(david) wrote:

Around midday today (14 Sept) I spotted a convoy of *four* 73s
crawling down Gower Street. The first was completely packed out, the
following three practically empty. The drivers of the empty ones were
clearly looking to overtake but seemed unable to do so, thanks to
traffic levels and so on.

I hate to think of what goes on further down the line (particularly
the right turn from Bloomsbury onto New Oxford St. which seems to be
clogged up at the best of times).

Precisely. They're building a bus gate in Gower Street. Wouldn't they have
done better not to hatch off one lane just beyond those lights? When I was
on a (Routemaster) 73 the other day we couldn't get into the right turn
bus lane there because the entrance was blocked as a result of their only
being two traffic lanes at the entrance. :-(

I had a similar experience with a bendy - firstly we really struggled to
get across the lanes of traffic having stopped at the stop just before
the bus gate. Then there was a van parked in the right hand bus lane but
the bendybus driver opted to stay in the middle lane to give himself
enough space to swing right into New Oxford St. They're not going to be
able to do that on a permanent basis given how bad the traffic can get
at that junction - buses will end up being delayed all the time or else
there'll be an accident as a result of someone getting impatient.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...

The second driver was much more hesitant and *seemed* to struggle or
else was being very careful indeed. He said that some drivers had got
stuck on the very tight left turn by KX Thameslink station and had had
to reverse.

That is a very tight turn indeed!

(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote in message ...

Precisely. They're building a bus gate in Gower Street.

Is that something on the lines of the rising bollard type in Cambridge?

Sunil
--
(now working in CB2)

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 11:21:32 +0100, Paul Corfield
wrote:

I think some only got about a day or so of practice. I've travelled by
73 twice - each time perched in the front seat so sometimes the drivers
chat. The first lady driver was pretty confident and did well getting
through the gaps but had a "crunch" moment getting into the New Oxford
St bus lane.

That turn seems tight in a Routemaster, never mind a bendy or
full-size decker, and is a prize piece of crap road layout design.
The island should be removed to make it easier to swing around.

Neil

--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
To e-mail use neil at the above domain