Warning bendy bus crash on Etherow St

[plimsoul]

i am pleased to read that not all people are as stupid as the london press would have us believe and actually understand why bendy buses are actually good at rush hour ... not to mention extra buggy space, wheel chair use, one floor so more seats for priority type people...

the farce that is boris' mayorship is typified by this totally ridiculous policy. pay to replace perfectly good stock for smaller one deckers, not even double deckers.

if people feel the need to ride a route master they still run in town on tourist routes. interestingly there was a statistic i read somewhere (and i can't back it up) that said that people jumping off the platform of routemasters caused more accidents for cyclists than any other bus.

i'm sure i'll be lambasted for defending the bendy bus but there you go...

[silverfox]

Your opinion is as valid as any on here and yes they do have some advantages.

Are you correct in saying Boris' new Routemasters will not be doubledeckers? I haven't taken any notice of the proposals but assumed new routemasters meant new doubledeckers.

(Edited for typo)

[sophiesofa]

Me as a pedestrian can't stand the bendy buses because they are always blocking box junctions and I don't enjoy risking my life to cross the road. Me as a passenger quite likes them but it really annoys me when you see people jump on for one or two stops who blatently don't have a ticket. What's this about a single decker routemaster? Does anyone know if the routemsaters will have conductors?

[kford]

Yes, in terms of dodged fares, the bendy bus costs TfL millions: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7291810.stm

[Jamma]

Perhaps the problem is not the bendy buses but stupid parking on Etherow Street? God knows now the school is back there are innumerable accidents waiting to happen

[SeanMacGabhann]

Kford. That link is worthless as it us very dodgy assertions by the lib dems. But even if it were true how much did conductors cost and what is the net loss really??

[skidmarks]

A bendy-bus is only a metre longer than an articulated lorry, you don?t hear anybody complaining about them being used in London.

[Jeremy]

I don't think you get many articulated lorries on Etherow St, skids!

[kford]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Kford. That link is worthless as it us very dodgy

> assertions by the lib dems. But even if it were

> true how much did conductors cost and what is the

> net loss really??

I know, those dodgy Lib-Dems, eh. But anyone who uses bendy-buses will tell you they are rife for fare dodging, compared to regular front-loading double-deckers, where it's almost impossible.

[EDKiwi]

The new Routemaster will be a double decker, and I've heard that most bendy buses will be replaced with double deckers, with single deckers replacing them on some routes where low bridges, etc restrict the use of double deckers.

As for the old routemasters, I loved them but apparently they cost TFL a huge amount in payouts for people injuring themselves falling off the back of them (usually when jumping on/off in places they shouldn't), will be interesting to see how they manage that issue with the new version.

New Routemaster

[Penguin68]

A bendy-bus is only a metre longer than an articulated lorry, you don?t hear anybody complaining about them being used in London.

I have certainly been knocked over at the lights (on a moped) when an artic swung round without realising I was there; but artics operate (articulate) with a small front end and a large box at the back - this is, I believe, more easy to manage than the bendy buses which split in the middle. They also try to avoid suburban streets, where bendy buses now go. Artic drivers also have to concentrate only on driving - bus drivers have many more distractions which I guess makes driving buses more difficult, and hence the likelihood of incidents higher. Most artic miles are on motorways and A roads, all bendy bus miles are on city streets - again making the chance of incidents higher.

[Nicholas]

I think some of you are being a bit harsh about bendys. Im not a great fan mainly because of our very narrow streets, and some twats who park on or near corners. Have a thought for the disabled and the elderly there a much safer option.

Cant wait for the new Aston Martin design double deckers.

[cacaolat]

I cannot understand why so many people don't like the bendy buses. without them we will wait longer and us taxpayers will have to pay for more drivers.

As a cyclist,car driver and frequent bus passenger I must say that all the dangerous bus situations I have seen, have been down to bad driving, rather than the bendy bus. double deckers are just as bad and even more smelly.

Where I come from in europe we have had bendy buses since the 1970s and before that buses with a trailer, nobody ever complained that they would be more dangerous than shorter buses. The drivers just need to be trained and get used to them.

and down there we have narrow roads too.

[Dan1972]

People who don't tap in aren't necessarily fare dodgers. If you have a period bus/travel card no need to tap in, same if you bought a ticket from the machine.

[EDKiwi]

It seems that the bendy buses are more of a perceived danger than an actual danger on the roads (well statistically at least), even ol Boris has come clean about this, although it does seem to only refer to cyclist rather than all road users and pedestrians.

Boris's Bendy Bus Jihad

[James Barber]

I've checked and the no.12 bus contract ends November 2011 when it will be renegotiated with double decker buses replacing bendy buses.

Terminating this contract early would apparently be punitive.

[Bic Basher]

When the contract is eventually renewed, they'll need at least double the amount of double deckers to meet the capacity of the existing bendies. So we'll end up with even more buses clogging up the bus stands in Friern Road, Etherow Street and LL.

Forest Hill on the other hand has capacity to hold buses without causing inconvenience to residents.