John Rowland wrote:

Yes. Articulated vehicles don't just bend left to right, they bend up and
down as well. Assuming that the lower floor was of a fixed length, the
upper floor would have to be able to change length, i.e. there would need
to be something like a concertina section in the *floor* of the upper
deck. The best I can think of would be to have something like the combs
used at the end of an escalator, but because the combs would be sliding
back and forth unpredictably, I think it would be less safe than an
escalator.

Hang on, there is also twisting to think of. That scuppers the combs idea,
so the only way to have a double-decker bendibus would be to have two
separate upper decks with two staircases.

Then again, if the bendibus had only four wheels - one at the front, two
in the articulation and one at the back - there would be no twisting
movements to worry about, so that resuscitates the combs idea.

I don't know what I'm talking about. I should shut up.


What about, instead of increasingly complex double decker bendy
polydimensional buses with towbars for the wheelchairs, prams, cyclists and
skateboarders to tag along behind the bus, etc, what about simply having
normal buses, but more than one of them. Say, perhaps, three - all come at
once. Wouldn't that be a functional equivalent?

--
Ian Tindale

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...

depends on how big the bus is.
Berlin seem to be happy about such an idea
http://www.mn.man.de/index/MAN-Nutzf...ews/pt212e.htm

I would prefer to see them on a route like the 73
as well but alas that is not going to happen.
I'll just wait for the moment two bendies meet
at the junction of Church St and Albion Rd in
Stoke Newington and see how long it takes
for the bendies to untangle themselves :-)

I doubt that a single Big Yellow One would get around that corner.

--
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

"Dave Liney" typed


Although the idea of a double-decker bendy is a non-starter for reasons
others have gone into in this thread there is no reason why a non-bendy
double-decker couldn't have three sets of doors. The only seating required
downstairs would be for the less able-bodied who couldn't climb the stairs.
For the rest of us we could go upstairs if we were going far on the route
and wanted to sit down, or we could stay downstairs and stand if we were
only going a short distance.

Yebbut the able-bodied *don't* bother to use the steps, crowding the
lower deck, making life difficult for those who can't use stairs and
making efficient filling of the bus impossible.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

Ian Tindale wrote:
John Rowland wrote:


Yes. Articulated vehicles don't just bend left to right, they bend up and
down as well. Assuming that the lower floor was of a fixed length, the
upper floor would have to be able to change length, i.e. there would need
to be something like a concertina section in the *floor* of the upper
deck. The best I can think of would be to have something like the combs
used at the end of an escalator, but because the combs would be sliding
back and forth unpredictably, I think it would be less safe than an
escalator.

Hang on, there is also twisting to think of. That scuppers the combs idea,
so the only way to have a double-decker bendibus would be to have two
separate upper decks with two staircases.

Then again, if the bendibus had only four wheels - one at the front, two
in the articulation and one at the back - there would be no twisting
movements to worry about, so that resuscitates the combs idea.

I don't know what I'm talking about. I should shut up.



What about, instead of increasingly complex double decker bendy
polydimensional buses with towbars for the wheelchairs, prams, cyclists and
skateboarders to tag along behind the bus, etc, what about simply having
normal buses, but more than one of them. Say, perhaps, three - all come at
once. Wouldn't that be a functional equivalent?


I think what's required are buses which are out of phase with each other
and so can simultaneously occupy the same position in space and time.
They could have Tardis-like properties too. Then you might have a
10-minute wait between buses but at least when three of them arrive at
once, they do so without obstructing traffic, and each one has enough
seats to fill a stadium.

Actually that's probably not a good idea; you might have problems with
dwell times at stops as 150,000 people try to alight from three buses at
the same stop.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 23:20:21 +0100, Helen Deborah Vecht
wrote:


way down the bus to find a seat. If they can.

I think that although accessible buses have their advantages, the
disappearance of conductors actually raises more problems than it
solves.

Well said that lady!

Many double decker passengers are too lazy to go upstairs (most are
*much* more able-bodied than I am) and the buses would benefit from
conductors to encourage the punters upstairs. Too many buses are full
downstairs when upstairs seats are vacant. Drivers cannot let more
passengers board due to the crowding...

Drifting slightly OT, I know, but the reason here in Manchester that I
(and others) gravitate towards the lower deck on a bus is the reduced
threat of physical violence and/or avoidiing tobacco/cannabis fumes.
Needless to say Stagecoach don't give a f*** :-(


--

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø
Please reply to the group
Replies to this address will bounce!
ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 10:33:07 +0100, "John Rowland"
wrote:

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
.. .

depends on how big the bus is.
Berlin seem to be happy about such an idea
http://www.mn.man.de/index/MAN-Nutzf...ews/pt212e.htm

I would prefer to see them on a route like the 73
as well but alas that is not going to happen.
I'll just wait for the moment two bendies meet
at the junction of Church St and Albion Rd in
Stoke Newington and see how long it takes
for the bendies to untangle themselves :-)

I doubt that a single Big Yellow One would get around that corner.

Did I say it would? ;-)
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Paul Corfield wrote in
:

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 00:43:22 +0100, Stuart
wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:

Why couldn't a double-decker bendy have three doors, like a
single-decker?

3 sets of doors on a double decker would leave very little space for
downstairs seating

depends on how big the bus is. Berlin seem to be happy about such an
idea
http://www.mn.man.de/index/MAN-Nutzf...ews/pt212e.htm


Also worth mentioning that the Berlin double deckers have two staircases as
well yet still manage more seats downstairs than some current London
designs - the staircases are curved, as London's always were before LT
insisted that they be straight.

"Dr Ivan D. Reid" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 10:07:20 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote in :

I understand that in some places, they have
double-decked trams and trains, too. Seems like an easy and general way
to
increase capacity (obviously not very practical for tube lines, though).

Certainly double-decker trains in Switzerland. From the entry
doors you descend several steps to the lower deck or climb stairs to the
upper. Many of the S-Bahn trains around Zurich are so equipped.

I've certainly been on several RB/RE double decker trains in and around
München in Germany...
--
Cheers, Steve.
Change from jealous to sad to reply.

"Steve Dulieu" wrote in message
...

"Dr Ivan D. Reid" wrote in message
...

Certainly double-decker trains in Switzerland. From the entry
doors you descend several steps to the lower deck or climb stairs to the
upper. Many of the S-Bahn trains around Zurich are so equipped.

I've certainly been on several RB/RE double decker trains in and around
München in Germany...


And then you've got the double-decker trains that go under bits of Paris.
RTAP or RER or whatever. Why does most of the Paris metro smell like a
sewer? London's tubes don't whiff like that. I know Paris is marginally
closer to the equator (and marginally further away from the Arctic), but is
a climate difference to blame? Maybe a diet of snails, horsemeat and frogs'
legs leads to more frequent methane emissions.

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
...
On 9 Jul 2004, Dominic wrote:

Spyke wrote in message
...

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 17:49:53 +0100, Tom Anderson

wrote:

Why are bendy-buses not double-decker?

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser was an double deck articulated coach, which
was available in both 'tractor and trailer' and 'pusher' versions.

That's more like it! Hunting around a bit, it (when fitted out as a coach
rather than a rock transport) seems to have a capacity of 144 passengers;
that's only 4 more than a Citaro G, but then i assume that since it's a
coach, they're all seated, and seated with a reasonable amount of leg
room. I'd make a SWAG that it could hold at least 50% more if fitted out
as a bus.

Good grief! This appears to have *three* decks:

http://www.rotel.de/rotel-tours/de/index.php

Although the bit that does is a trailer rather than a real back half, i
think.

I think it depends which photo you look at. Are they all different models?
The one at http://www.rotel.de/rotel-tours/gale...p?show=3&off=0
seems to be a one-piece (possibly non-bendy) triple decker. The one at
http://www.rotel.de/rotel-tours/gale...p?show=4&off=0 appears to be
a normal coach/bus with a triple-decker trailer. Is being able to walk
between the halves what makes a bendy bus a bendy bus, rather than a bus and
a trailer? And what's the difference between a bus and a coach?