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Route 73 - New service levels
At the end of the first week of operation of the route 73 benders,
here's a few notes I have made on the level of service: Seven Sisters Station, South bound, this morning (Friday), 0814; waited until 0836 . No 73s. According to the timetable there should have been five buses, at 0816,0822,0827,0833 and 0836 (after which we have the normal 73 black-hole until 0940 at this end of the route). Stoke Newington High St, Northbound, Wednesday, 1653; waited until 1729 (37 minutes). No 73s beyond Stoke Newington; according to the timetable there should be one every 2 to 10 minutes up to Seven Sisters. [Yes I know I could have got a swathe of other routes to Seven Sisters, but I was dedicated to carrying on with my comparison]. Angel Islington, Northbound, Tuesday, 2155. Waited until 2212 (17 minutes), no 73s. According to the (www.tfl.gov.uk) timetable the frequency should be 3-7 mins up to 2200 then 7-8 minutes until 0100. Gave up and took a 341 instead, noticed on leaving Angel that a 73 had at last arrived. However it terminated at Newington Green! Conclusion: These are all trips I could have completed easily on a 73 two weeks ago; compared to the service on RouteMasters, the bender-operated 73 route is appaling if your want to get to/from Seven Sisters. Tim |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
Forget the bendy train, it's funny to watch three bendys fighting for road
space at Victoria Bus Station, with the 507 trying to get to Neathouse Place, the 73 going towards Grosvenor Place and a 436 cutting them both up as it crosses in front of them to get to Vauxhall Bridge Road! Then again, I once saw three bendy buses SIDE BY SIDE at the traffic lights about to leave the bus station, one from each of the afforementioned routes! It looked like a bendy bus showroom! Nestor. -- Please remove the spam-deflecting X's to reply directly to me - or simply reply to the group! -- "Jim" wrote in message ... "Colin Rosenstiel" wrote in message ... In article , (Tim) wrote: At the end of the first week of operation of the route 73 benders, here's a few notes I have made on the level of service: [Details of tale of woe snipped] Conclusion: These are all trips I could have completed easily on a 73 two weeks ago; compared to the service on RouteMasters, the bender-operated 73 route is appaling if your want to get to/from Seven Sisters. My observations at King's Cross almost bear this out. Before I almost always saw one or more Routemaster 73s on my way (on a bike) from Platform 11 to Judd Street. This morning I saw one in the distance on Euston Rd and caught up with a small convoy of two in Bloomsbury St about to turn into New Oxford St. -- Colin Rosenstiel That reminds me, I saw a convoy of THREE bendy 73s on Essex road yesterday - it looked like a train!! With reduced service levels and fancy technology (these buses must have gps?), surely they can prevent this bunching happening!!? Just indicate to the driver to wait an extra minute at a few stops to let the bus in front get ahead. It must be more complex than that I know, but it drives me mad when 3 come at once. Jim |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
"Tim" wrote in message
om... Stoke Newington High St, Northbound, Wednesday, 1653; waited until 1729 (37 minutes). [Yes I know I could have got a swathe of other routes to Seven Sisters, but I was dedicated to carrying on with my comparison]. You didn't have to wait for the 73 - the 149s are free as well ;-) -- 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 |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
Having observed the 73 this week, I have noticed how harldy any bendi
bus is packed out, indeed on nearly all 73's seats seem to have been available. I have noticed however that loadings are up on the 476(before the 73 conversion they used to be half empty). Buses are still bunching despite the tight frequency and it does block up the road on the double turn after Kings Cross Thameslink station. Many buses are still terminating short of Victoria, to be honest with the congestion between Stoke Newington and Seven Sisters maybe it might improve the service if it was withdrawn(many alteratives exist) as the congestion beteen Seven Sisters and Stoke Newington can be chronic with some buses taking up to twenty minutes between both spots. Martin Paul Corfield wrote in message . .. On 10 Sep 2004 02:36:12 -0700, (Tim) wrote: At the end of the first week of operation of the route 73 benders, here's a few notes I have made on the level of service: [snip details of waits] Conclusion: These are all trips I could have completed easily on a 73 two weeks ago; compared to the service on RouteMasters, the bender-operated 73 route is appaling if your want to get to/from Seven Sisters. I've only travelled on it once and that was a trial go on the way in to work earlier this week. It was much earlier than the time you travelled / observed but buses toddled round every 3-4 mins. Not as frequent as the old depot run out but pretty frequent nonetheless. The trip into town was OK although we did end up in convoy mode with another 73 and a 476. The bus was 4 mins down when I got off at TCR. The driver on my bus said a lot of the late running on the first work day was down to people being very unfamiliar with the cashless concept of pre-purchase and board via any door. If you look at the typical experience of these sorts of conversions it is always bad in the first 2-3 weeks. This has been true of the 149 that Arriva run but it seems to have calmed down. If Arriva have not got things running properly on the 73 within 4-6 weeks then there is something seriously wrong with either the route specification or the actual route control / execution down on the ground. I'm not sure what will then happen because you can't pick bendy buses off a tree if they decide they need more of them. Ditto for drivers. |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
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". |
Route 73 - New service levels
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). |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
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.." |
Route 73 - New service levels
"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 |
Route 73 - New service levels
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! |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
"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! |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
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 |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
In article ,
(Dr. Sunil) wrote: (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? No. There are some in Cambridge on Newmarket Road between Coldham's lane and the railway bridge though. The Cambridge ones show permanent greens to cycles. I rather doubt the Gower St one will have that facility. I only knew about the Gower St one when riding a 73 Routemaster with my daughter before it was too late for her to experience proper buses. I cycle round Russell Square past the front of the BM up to that junction. -- Colin Rosenstiel |
Route 73 - New service levels
"Dr. Sunil" wrote in message
om... (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? I doubt it. I think he means a traffic island between the bus lane and the traffic lanes, with separate traffic lights for the buses and the traffic. -- 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 |
Route 73 - New service levels
Neil Williams ) gurgled happily, sounding
much like they were saying : That turn seems tight in a Routemaster, never mind a bendy or full-size decker The one at the top of Kingsway, turning from High Holborn is quite entertaining for a bendy, too - and that one's on the first route to go bendy, whichever number it was (500?) They seem to manage to overhang the kerbs and scrape the barriers on both sides simultaneously. |
Route 73 - New service levels
In article ,
(John Rowland) wrote: "Dr. Sunil" wrote in message om... (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? I doubt it. I think he means a traffic island between the bus lane and the traffic lanes, with separate traffic lights for the buses and the traffic. Indeed. Come to think of it there's also one in Whitehall/Parliament Street to give buses a better chance at the Parliament Square lights. -- Colin Rosenstiel |
Route 73 - New service levels
In article
, (Colin Rosenstiel) wrote: In article , (John Rowland) wrote: I think he means a traffic island between the bus lane and the traffic lanes, with separate traffic lights for the buses and the traffic. Indeed. Come to think of it there's also one in Whitehall/Parliament Street to give buses a better chance at the Parliament Square lights. Actually it's at the entrance to Derby Gate (outside the Red Lion), just before Parliament Square. It's really annoying too as I often get trapped there when the lights change. -- http://www.election.demon.co.uk "The guilty party was the Liberal Democrats and they were hardened offenders, and coded racism was again in evidence in leaflets distributed in September 1993." - Nigel Copsey, "Contemporary British Fascism", page 62. |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
"John Rowland" wrote in message ...
"Dr. Sunil" wrote in message om... (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? I doubt it. I think he means a traffic island between the bus lane and the traffic lanes, with separate traffic lights for the buses and the traffic. Ah, I see now, like the one at the A13 westbound at the Blackwall tunnel? |
Route 73 - New service levels
In article ,
(Dr. Sunil) wrote: "John Rowland" wrote in message ... "Dr. Sunil" wrote in message om... (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? I doubt it. I think he means a traffic island between the bus lane and the traffic lanes, with separate traffic lights for the buses and the traffic. Ah, I see now, like the one at the A13 westbound at the Blackwall tunnel? Pass. -- Colin Rosenstiel |
Route 73 - New service levels
In article ,
(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote: In article , (Paul Corfield) wrote: We were 16 minutes late by this point and the bus was curtailed at Marble Arch in consequence. Yes, I've noticed Marble Arch as a destination on 73s only since the retirement of the Routemasters. And Park Lane on the one I saw in New Oxford St this afternoon around 15:20. I saw one with a Victoria destination this morning. -- Colin Rosenstiel |
Route 73 - New service levels
In article
, (Colin Rosenstiel) wrote: In article , (David Boothroyd) wrote: Indeed. Come to think of it there's also one in Whitehall/Parliament Street to give buses a better chance at the Parliament Square lights. Actually it's at the entrance to Derby Gate (outside the Red Lion), just before Parliament Square. It's really annoying too as I often get trapped there when the lights change. That's the one. Trapped how? I cycle through it quite regularly now. Trapped by going across the empty bus lane just as the lights change and the two lanes of general traffic start moving. -- http://www.election.demon.co.uk "The guilty party was the Liberal Democrats and they were hardened offenders, and coded racism was again in evidence in leaflets distributed in September 1993." - Nigel Copsey, "Contemporary British Fascism", page 62. |
Route 73 - New service levels
In article ,
(David Boothroyd) wrote: In article , (Colin Rosenstiel) wrote: In article , (David Boothroyd) wrote: Indeed. Come to think of it there's also one in Whitehall/Parliament Street to give buses a better chance at the Parliament Square lights. Actually it's at the entrance to Derby Gate (outside the Red Lion), just before Parliament Square. It's really annoying too as I often get trapped there when the lights change. That's the one. Trapped how? I cycle through it quite regularly now. Trapped by going across the empty bus lane just as the lights change and the two lanes of general traffic start moving. Unless you are turning right there why would you care that much? I don't, even this morning when the traffic was stationary and bunched a bit awkwardly. -- Colin Rosenstiel |
Route 73 - New service levels
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Route 73 - New service levels
In article , Adrian
writes Neil Williams ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying : That turn seems tight in a Routemaster, never mind a bendy or full-size decker The one at the top of Kingsway, turning from High Holborn is quite entertaining for a bendy, too - and that one's on the first route to go bendy, whichever number it was (500?) They seem to manage to overhang the kerbs and scrape the barriers on both sides simultaneously. 521. I use that from Holborn Circus to Waterloo on a regular basis (I used the Greenway Nationals before the Citaros, too) and have never seen one having a problem on that corner. Coming back from Waterloo is fun, too - the underpass is like a fairground ride if you take the back seat of a bendi. -- Steve -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GCM/B$ d++(-) s+:+ a+ C++ UL++ L+ P+ W++ N+++ K w--- O V PS+++ PE- t+ 5++ X- R* tv+ b+++ DI++ G e h---- r+++ z++++ ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------ |
Route 73 - New service levels
Steve wrote:
In article , Adrian writes Neil Williams ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying : That turn seems tight in a Routemaster, never mind a bendy or full-size decker The one at the top of Kingsway, turning from High Holborn is quite entertaining for a bendy, too - and that one's on the first route to go bendy, whichever number it was (500?) They seem to manage to overhang the kerbs and scrape the barriers on both sides simultaneously. 521. I use that from Holborn Circus to Waterloo on a regular basis (I used the Greenway Nationals before the Citaros, too) and have never seen one having a problem on that corner. Coming back from Waterloo is fun, too - the underpass is like a fairground ride if you take the back seat of a bendi. I believe they take that route (through the Kingsway Underpass) only in peak hours. Do you know the actual times for the evening peak? -- Richard J. (to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address) |
Route 73 - New service levels
Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
(John Rowland) wrote: "Dr. Sunil" wrote... (Colin Rosenstiel) wrote... Precisely. They're building a bus gate in Gower Street. Is that something on the lines of the rising bollard type in Cambridge? ....and East Ham! I doubt it. I think he means a traffic island between the bus lane and the traffic lanes, with separate traffic lights for the buses and the traffic. Indeed. Come to think of it there's also one in Whitehall/Parliament Street to give buses a better chance at the Parliament Square lights. IIRC there's also one in Crayford, for eastbound buses only. |
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