Hello everyone

I use the 73. I love the old buses, but was also mildly interested in seeing
these new creatures cruising down Essex Road. I remain infuriated by the
bunching and the slowness around Euston. I was basically open-minded about
the change to bendybuses.

However, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that my general state of mind has
improved this week. I don't want to overstate it, but on stepping off a
bendybus I somehow just _feel better_ than when stepping off the old ones.

All these years on the old buses, I've been forced into a crouching,
cowering position, holding myself to myself to avoid damaging myself and
inconveniencing everyone else with my limbs and my height. I got on a 38
(old bus) just now and I felt completely hemmed in, almost claustrophobic. I
wanted to get off.

On the new buses I can stand up straight, hold my head up, breathe properly.
I feel stronger and more confident. OK now I'm sounding flaky, but this was
a completely unexpected by-product of the change.

Jim

"Jim" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone

I use the 73. I love the old buses, but was also mildly interested in
seeing
these new creatures cruising down Essex Road. I remain infuriated by the
bunching and the slowness around Euston. I was basically open-minded about
the change to bendybuses.

However, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that my general state of mind
has
improved this week. I don't want to overstate it, but on stepping off a
bendybus I somehow just _feel better_ than when stepping off the old ones.

All these years on the old buses, I've been forced into a crouching,
cowering position, holding myself to myself to avoid damaging myself and
inconveniencing everyone else with my limbs and my height. I got on a 38
(old bus) just now and I felt completely hemmed in, almost claustrophobic.
I
wanted to get off.

On the new buses I can stand up straight, hold my head up, breathe
properly.
I feel stronger and more confident. OK now I'm sounding flaky, but this
was
a completely unexpected by-product of the change.

Jim


Well, each to their own there, Jim...

On my way home, I sometimes use the 453 from Oxford Circus to Lambeth North
during rush hour and I actually prefer using the 12 or 159 between these two
places, as the conductor is there to stop people overloading the bus,
whereas the bendy-driver can only monitor the front door, while the back of
the bus is like a can of sardines!

Maybe I'm just biased as it's always easier to get on the bus at the Oxford
Circus junction lights, rather than join the throng waiting at the actual
bus stop!

But that's just me, I guess...

Regards, one and all.
Nestor.
--
Please remove the spam-deflecting X's to reply directly to me - or simply
reply to the group!
--

On Wed, 8 Sep 2004 17:55:20 +0000 (UTC), "Nestor Badudoy"
wrote:

On my way home, I sometimes use the 453 from Oxford Circus to Lambeth North
during rush hour and I actually prefer using the 12 or 159 between these two
places, as the conductor is there to stop people overloading the bus,
whereas the bendy-driver can only monitor the front door, while the back of
the bus is like a can of sardines!

To be fair, if you look at the standing capacity figure of most modern
OMO buses, bendy or otherwise, it is usually substantially higher than
the "comfortable" standing level, so you do need to crush-load and
some before the bus is legally "full". A conductor-operated bus has a
significantly lower limit as the conductor still needs to be able to
move around the bus.

Anyway, I personally would rather stand on the bus than, umm, stand at
the bus stop...

Neil

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

Neil Williams wrote to uk.transport.london on Wed, 8 Sep 2004:

Anyway, I personally would rather stand on the bus than, umm, stand at
the bus stop...

I can't understand why we are allowed to stand up on buses, when in a
car one must not only be seated, but have a safety belt into the
bargain. Who said buses were safer - if the driver has to stand on the
brakes, passengers go flying and can hurt themselves.
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/

"Annabel Smyth" wrote in message
...
Neil Williams wrote to uk.transport.london on Wed, 8 Sep 2004:

Anyway, I personally would rather stand on the bus than, umm, stand at
the bus stop...

I can't understand why we are allowed to stand up on buses, when in a
car one must not only be seated, but have a safety belt into the
bargain. Who said buses were safer - if the driver has to stand on the
brakes, passengers go flying and can hurt themselves.

Perhaps this is because on a bus you're less likely to hit the windscreen -
or knock the person in front into it. If the bus breaks sharply and you're
standnig in the aisle, even if you're the only one standing so there isn't a
group preventing each other from falling, you may hurt yourself but you're
less likely to be killed than in a car.

Jonn

Also, on a bus, there are grabrails to hold onto which *should* help in the
event of a sharp braking.

"Jonn Elledge" wrote in message
...
"Annabel Smyth" wrote in message
...
Neil Williams wrote to uk.transport.london on Wed, 8 Sep 2004:

Anyway, I personally would rather stand on the bus than, umm, stand at
the bus stop...

I can't understand why we are allowed to stand up on buses, when in a
car one must not only be seated, but have a safety belt into the
bargain. Who said buses were safer - if the driver has to stand on the
brakes, passengers go flying and can hurt themselves.

Perhaps this is because on a bus you're less likely to hit the
windscreen -
or knock the person in front into it. If the bus breaks sharply and you're
standnig in the aisle, even if you're the only one standing so there isn't
a
group preventing each other from falling, you may hurt yourself but you're
less likely to be killed than in a car.

Jonn

Jim ) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying :

I use the 73. I love the old buses, but was also mildly interested in
seeing these new creatures cruising down Essex Road.

I've just repeated a car journey from Friday, including the length of Upper
St.

At a stop where there were just two bendies today, taking up what seemed
like about a mile of road, there had been more RMs on Friday, with an
emptier "feel". to that space.

It's also *far* more difficult to let a Bendy out in traffic - with an RM,
you don't need too big a gap, and it's possible to pause from not that far
behind the cab. With a Bendy, you have to be MUCH further back to be sure
they're going to get out while leaving you your front wing intact.

I wonder how this will affect overall traffic flows? Surely it can only
slow London down even further?

I wonder how this will affect overall traffic flows? Surely it can only
slow London down even further?


Surely that's just what Ken wants, so that he can extend even further his
Kengestion charge?

Marc.

Mait001 ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying :

I wonder how this will affect overall traffic flows? Surely it can only
slow London down even further?

Surely that's just what Ken wants, so that he can extend even further his
Kengestion charge?

I vant to rule ze VURLD! evil laugh

"Jim" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone

I use the 73. I love the old buses, but was also mildly interested in seeing
these new creatures cruising down Essex Road. I remain infuriated by the
bunching and the slowness around Euston. I was basically open-minded about
the change to bendybuses.

However, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that my general state of mind has
improved this week. I don't want to overstate it, but on stepping off a
bendybus I somehow just _feel better_ than when stepping off the old ones.

All these years on the old buses, I've been forced into a crouching,
cowering position, holding myself to myself to avoid damaging myself and
inconveniencing everyone else with my limbs and my height. I got on a 38
(old bus) just now and I felt completely hemmed in, almost claustrophobic. I
wanted to get off.

On the new buses I can stand up straight, hold my head up, breathe properly.
I feel stronger and more confident. OK now I'm sounding flaky, but this was
a completely unexpected by-product of the change.

Jim


Interesting alternative viewpoint re. the bendies.

Don't think the majority would agree with you though, somehow I think most people will
continue to lament the passing of the Routemasters by the products of the devil's
engineering works.......A double decker bus journey across London will *always* be
preferable to any single decker cattle truck (bendy or otherwise).

Bring back the double deckers!