"Robin May" wrote in message
...

But the Routemaster still has the advantage of being
liked more than any other sort of bus. Most people I
know prefer Routemasters to others buses. I'm not
sure what it is about them but they're just better liked.

I like them in Oxford Street, because you can ride when the traffic moves
and start walking as soon as the traffic stops. If they could find a way to
fix the traffic situation in Oxford Street, I suppose we wouldn't need them.

--
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

The Only Living Boy in New Cross writes
Most people I know prefer Routemasters to others buses. I'm not sure
what it is about them but they're just better liked.

People may *say* they like them, but they certainly don't like going
upstairs on them.

I always do. I might sit downstairs on other buses - but I always go
upstairs on a Routemaster. Because access to the stairs is much easier.

This is the main reason bendy buses are being introduced; same (or
greater) capacity as a double-decker

A lot more - the bendy-bus has capacity for 140 people. That's 50 more
than a conventional double-decker and more than double the capacity of a
Routemaster (although there are only about 50 seats on the bendy-bus,
about 20 less than a conventional double-decker).

--
Dave

In article ,
Robin May wrote:
But the Routemaster still has the advantage of being liked more than
any other sort of bus.

ISTR that the number of passenger injuries (and deaths) for RMs being very
much higher than non-RMs (due in part to people jumping on and off at every
available opertunity).

So perhaps the friends and relatives of those killed would disagree with your
comment.

--
Good night little fishey-wishes.... I've counted you, so no
sneaky eating each other.
-- FW (should I worry?)

Mike Bristow writes
In article ,
Robin May wrote:
But the Routemaster still has the advantage of being liked more than
any other sort of bus.

ISTR that the number of passenger injuries (and deaths) for RMs being very
much higher than non-RMs (due in part to people jumping on and off at every
available opertunity).

So perhaps the friends and relatives of those killed would disagree with your
comment.

Tough. No-one forced them to jump on or off in-between stops.

--
Dave

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 12:27:25 +0100, "John Rowland"
wrote:

I like them in Oxford Street, because you can ride when the traffic moves
and start walking as soon as the traffic stops. If they could find a way to
fix the traffic situation in Oxford Street, I suppose we wouldn't need them.

Off-bus ticketing will help, though there will need to be
consideration of how to handle the taxi and a rationalisation of the
number of bus routes in that corridor to really help.

I'd start by banning loading[1] during the shop-opening day (8am-8pm
should do it), including taxis except in designated areas. Then, with
100% off-bus ticketing (except maybe Routemasters), move the bus stops
into the main flow and towards the traffic lights. Thus, buses would
end up stopping together, and the front bus could perhaps have control
of the lights to allow it to depart when loading/unloading was
complete. At present, buses stop in bus stops, then stop again at
traffic lights - this is horribly inefficient. Any more ideas?

[1] Is rear access available to all the shops along there? If not,
some bays may be necessary.

Neil

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 15:09:57 +0100, Dave
wrote:

Tough. No-one forced them to jump on or off in-between stops.

Indeed. Darwin strikes again...

What I would say *is* rather dangerous about RMs is how the staircase
leads straight onto the platform such that if anyone was to slip on
the stairs they'd end up on the tarmac. It'd make more sense, from a
safety perspective, for the stairs to lead down against the back wall
with a sharp "turn" at the bottom, so anyone falling would not end up
falling out, but the split boarding arrangement would remain.

That said, they weren't designed for the current litigious society -
which is why I'm amazed they're still in operation...

Neil

Ed Crowley wrote:
It would be nice if RMs were retained, even if it was only for tourist
services. Personally, I think the bendy buses are much better
(faster than a RM, less dangerous than a double-decker).

I dunno about less dangerous, having seen the bendy buses on the roads in
London I reckon a total mashing of either a car or an innocent pedestrian is
not far off.

Cal Nihoni wrote:
Ed Crowley wrote:
It would be nice if RMs were retained, even if it was only for
tourist services. Personally, I think the bendy buses are much
better (faster than a RM, less dangerous than a double-decker).

I dunno about less dangerous, having seen the bendy buses on the
roads in London I reckon a total mashing of either a car or an
innocent pedestrian is not far off.

From what I've seen, they are no more hazardous to other road users than
other buses. What dangerous incidents have you seen?
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Mike Bristow wrote the following in:


In article ,
Robin May wrote:
But the Routemaster still has the advantage of being liked more
than any other sort of bus.

ISTR that the number of passenger injuries (and deaths) for RMs
being very much higher than non-RMs (due in part to people jumping
on and off at every available opertunity).

That would create a few isolated cases of dislike, not a widespread
dislike.

So perhaps the friends and relatives of those killed would
disagree with your comment.

They might. But all I said was that the Routemaster is like more than
any other sort of bus, not that it is universally liked. All the people
I know (or at least all those I've discussed this with) have liked the
Routemasters more.

--
message by Robin May, founder of International Boyism
"Would Inspector Sands please go to the Operations Room immediately."

Unofficially immune to hangovers.

Just wondering, can a bendy bus make that left turn from Lower Regent Street
into the Piccadilly bus lane without changing existing layouts?

Ditto for Regent Street left-turns into Oxford Street and vice versa?

"Neil Williams" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 22:40:34 +0100, Dave
wrote:

Do remember though, that no routes are crew-operated 24/7.

And also that the death knell has been sounded for the Routemaster
anyway - more and more bendy routes will be introduced, and once
off-bus ticketing and all-door boarding has been introduced on other
routes the loading speed advantage of the Routemaster will be as good
as wiped out.

Neil