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Post by busman on Sept 20, 2018 21:08:41 GMT
I was pondering this exact point yesterday whilst sat on a class 700 yesterday evening. The seats are like a rock hard ironing boards and I noticed that some passengers even resorted to sitting sideways if the seat next to them was spare. I also had the misfortune of sitting on a class 376 that morning too. How hard can it be to design a decent seat? Networkers are older yet offer a far comfier ride than the 2 newer models on the Greenwich line. I always wonder if anyone tests the long term comfort of seats and the ergonomics of a train interior before the build goes ahead. My tolerance is about 2 minutes for these flat plastic panels.
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Post by busman on Sept 19, 2018 9:27:40 GMT
Link has been removed....
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Post by busman on Sept 15, 2018 19:20:53 GMT
Is this my luck or something, I revise for the car theory test and the questions that pop up are the ones that I don't even know about. Any tips on how to pass a theory test guys, cos I want to become a bus driver ASAP. Be warned driving can be very expensive! Just got my latest insurance quote and it's £940 3rd party with 15 years no claim. Good luck though! You must be driving something very big and expensive for such high insurance! Mine is almost half of that with 8 years no claims 🤔 @stevenevill Get the theory test book and make sure you learn every single question. Get someone to test you if tou can. Get the CD and practice the hazard perception bit on your computer. Do that for a couple of weeks then book in your retest a few weeks later or whenever you feel ready. For car insurance, shop around for quotes at Go Compare, Money Supermarket, Confused, Compare The Market and Quidco. If you shop around you can save hundreds of pounds. Good luck!
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Post by busman on Sept 15, 2018 18:35:58 GMT
Despite the frequency cut there still seemed to be plenty of the 25s around today on the solo section in the City and out to Mile End. At mile end saw noticeable more 425s which is understandable now it's every 10 mins. As expected fairly lightly used heading off to Clapton. Whilst it understand it has removed short workings from the 25 I can't help but feel the efficency of now having to run the shorts evenings and Sundays (and only needing the 425 every 12 mins) has been lost and now especially at a time when savings are trying to be made. Check out the link in the post above from joefrombow. You will see that there are net effiencies plus more to be had once the 25 is chopped back from Oxford Circus.
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Post by busman on Sept 14, 2018 9:05:21 GMT
Gyratory systems are being removed all over the country and not just in London, they were generally introduced to speed up traffic flows in an era where the car was king and everybody else was treated like a second class citizen. Woolwich......bus routings aren't ideal especially the change to the 161 but Powis Street is a far more pleasant environment for shoppers without the traffic. The decline in shoppers is really no different to other towns all over the country, largely due to the onset of online shopping. Out of town shopping centres, where people can generally shop in a far more pleasant environment, is one of the main reasons for pedestrianising town centres. Who wants to shop in a traffic ridden fume filled environment? Aldwych........I haven't looked at the proposal in great detail but it's not a particularly pleasant environment at the moment. Yes there will be more traffic congestion in the short term but the long term objective is to encourage more people to walk or cycle and I certainly don't see how this work is a waste of taxpayers money. Not quite a gyratory, but one that has gone the opposite way. Hayes (Middx) was pedestrianised, but has now had the High Street re-instated to normal traffic. Is so much better! The public realm of these town centre pedestrianisation schemes look nicer, but they are not practical for less mobile shoppers. Whilst footfall and active retail units decreases in Woolwich Town Centre, nearby retail parks are heaving with shoppers. Westfield Stratford is crazy busy too. Note that all offer easy and convenient car parking as well as bus access. Also their shops are highly visible to bus passengers passing through the vicinity so people actually know what’s on offer. In the summer my family went on holiday 3 weeks ahead of me. In those 3 weeks I used my car once. All other journeys were done by bus and I did a lot more walking. I didn’t have as much shopping to carry, no kids to ferry around to classes and I had a lot more free time to walk and explore. So I do see the other side of the coin. Now we’re all back to the 7 day a week drill, it’s back to the car and retail parks. Leaving the pedestrianised town centres for cyclists and people without young children to enjoy.
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Post by busman on Sept 14, 2018 2:32:37 GMT
The irony is that these wonderful pedestrianisation schemes makes shops less accessible for buses and cars, which are necessary for people who plan on doing significant amounts of shopping. This surely makes online shopping or retail park shopping more attractive than traditional town centres. For me personally, the shifting of the coach stop to Stratford City is terrible. Thanks for bringing that to my attention that happened in the summer and I had no idea. I have used the jubilee line or DLR to transfer to the A9 coach to/from Stansted for family trips quite a few times in the past due to the close proximity of the old stop to Stratford bus station. Less than 5 minutes step free walk from the platform to the coach stop. Now it seems like all my future trips to Stansted will be by car. Entirely agree, pedestrian schemes make it less desirable to shop there which is ironic given their whole premise is to actually make it more attractive especially when vehicles, more importantly buses, are shoved out of the way in the process such as in Croydon & Ilford where they are forced to run around towns just to serve the important spots. It's the same with these so called junction improvements where they pour blame onto a gyratory system so it can then be removed with bus stops relocated into less ideal locations breaking interchanges up - I'll find it funny when Aldwych snarls up once ruined - why part of it is being pedestrianised is beyond me given there isn't anything there besides the theaters which are off the main road anyway. Exactly. TfL have taken the approach that all gyratories are bad full stop and are on a crusade to remove them from existence, increasing traffic junctions with little improvement in traffic flow. In reality it seems that sometimes it’s a good idea to make changes and sometimes it isn’t. Poorer accessibility to transport is never a good thing where shopping is concerned. Woolwich is a classic example of a town centre that has been made less accessible. The town centre used to be busier when buses could get right into the shopping area. Now buses skirt around it, making it more troublesome for less able passengers (elderly, disabled, travelling with young children) to lug home their shopping. Not to mention that passengers passing through have no idea what shops lie behind the main square with its lovely grass and giant TV. Car parking is not convenient either. Does the public realm look nicer? Yes. Footfall increase? Quite the opposite. Retail parks in the area are absolutely heaving on the other hand, local shoppers can’t get enough of them. London town planners seem to have lost sight of the fact that people primarily go to town centres to shop, not for leisurely walks to marvel at the snazzy new pavement or marvellous water feature. Aldwych...ok you’ve really triggered me by bringing that up!! Aldwych will be carnage once TfL make those changes. At present southbound traffic flows very nicely from Kingsway onto Aldwych. Not so once the gyratory inflicts a junction with two way traffic from Aldwych. The tailbacks on Kingsway will probably more than offset any advantages gained by the shorter distance to Waterloo Bridge and the Strand. Most northbound traffic into Kingsway from Waterloo can use the underpass and buses can turn right from the Strand onto Waterloo Bridge. Traffic flows well in Aldwych compared to other hubs in zone 1. You have to wonder what problem TfL are trying to solve with the proposed changes. Perhaps when travelling northbound from Arundel Street the removal of the gyratory will eliminate the need to merge with and cross southbound traffic on the Strand, but that’s a small gain for the pain it will cause. A complete waste of taxpayers money.
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Post by busman on Sept 14, 2018 1:16:36 GMT
I know this is not anything new but I think much of these gyratory changes really are pretty awful if you're a bus passenger. The choice of stops is reduced. Interchange, unless at the bus station, is worsened. Shopkeepers and businesses on the Broadway may end up with rather less footfall than they currently get. If you want a bus towards Plaistow you will end up trekking to the bus station or having to cross the entire Broadway to Tramway Avenue. One advantage of the old layout was that there were stops on the shopping centre side of the Broadway for these services but that's gone now and people will be forced to cross a 4 lane highway. I also note that we have bus stops directly opposite each other at Tramway Avenue - can't wait to see how that works. I think the current situation is that there is only one for services heading towards the bus station / Stratford City. An awful lot of buses per hour are going to be using new bus stop L. I also note that coach services have been shoved across to Stratford City - not exactly mega friendly if you have to trek across the bridge in the pouring rain or a howling gale or at night. Also the lifts and escalators at the Stratford side of the bridge are often defective so having to carry luggage up several flights of stairs is pretty poor. The irony is that these wonderful pedestrianisation schemes makes shops less accessible for buses and cars, which are necessary for people who plan on doing significant amounts of shopping. This surely makes online shopping or retail park shopping more attractive than traditional town centres. For me personally, the shifting of the coach stop to Stratford City is terrible. Thanks for bringing that to my attention that happened in the summer and I had no idea. I have used the jubilee line or DLR to transfer to the A9 coach to/from Stansted for family trips quite a few times in the past due to the close proximity of the old stop to Stratford bus station. Less than 5 minutes step free walk from the platform to the coach stop. Now it seems like all my future trips to Stansted will be by car.
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Post by busman on Sept 11, 2018 12:15:15 GMT
The 112 is quite busy so I think they should leave it. They should extend one of the other routes to Osterley like the E11. I also think TFL should absorb the E2/E9 into one and withdraw either one. So either extend the E2 to Yeading or extend the E9 to brentford via the E2 Route. I don’t know how the E2 gets away with a 6-10 frequency. Not a bad idea to amalgamate the E2 and E9 *if* there is excess capacity along the Pitshanger Lane corridor. When I lived around that area it was busy enough to justify all those buses, especially during the peak hours. Not sure how much has changed.
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Post by busman on Sept 11, 2018 12:06:15 GMT
Ah, yes it will. I have to admit I haven’t seen that stand for almost a decade but from what I recall it’s pretty small. Is the Acton Market Place terminus still available? I also have an evil plan C that fits into the TfL mantra of pulling back services outside London: H28 - Curtailed to West Middlesex Hospital, runs direct along Cranford Lane. No frequency change. 117 - Curtailed to Ashford Town Tree Road (Hopper fare for routes 216 and 290 to Staines). Extended from West Middlesex Hospital to Ealing Broadway via route H28 to Syon Lane and Osterley Tesco, then onward to Ealing via proposed 112 extension. No frequency change, vehicles changed to higher capacity single decks or deckers. This would open up many new journey possibilities that are currently incredibly difficult by bus or train plus improves links between Ealing and West Middlesex Hospital. There are none at present, even though many Ealing residents are treated there. The E8 was once mooted to run via West Middlesex Hospital, but didn’t materialise. My wacky 117 revision would do that. H28 changes and 117 cut back to Ashford would help minimise the net mileage increase from the 117 extension. Net impact on 117 running time would probably be an increase of around 10-15 minutes in the morning peak. The Market Place stand is available. However you can’t use deckers on 117 unless you divert it away from the low bridge on St Johns Road in Isleworth. You would also face stiff opposition about any change whatsoever to the H28. TfL had to shelve plans to simplify the routeing years ago and I doubt much would change this time either. I forgot about that low bridge! High capacity single decks should be sufficient along the extended section. I think the current Barnet consultation (route 384 in particular) will test TfL’s resolve to simplify local routes and make them more direct. Fortunately for users of the H28 around Brabazon Road and Springwell Road, I have absolutely zero influence over TfL’s bus planning team 🙂
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Post by busman on Sept 11, 2018 11:14:56 GMT
vjaska , I think extending the E9 seems the most likely alternative given its frequency, vehicle type and current route length. My personal preference would be to either: 1. Extend the E11 to Osterley and have the E10 restored to Ealing Common to replace that end of the route. This would would improve links through West Ealing and along the E1/E3 corridor, but I can’t see TfL wanting to increase frequency plus I’m not sure if the tight roads in Hanwell and Greenford can handle longer vehicles. Or 2. If the 427 diversion to Southall goes ahead, a new route from Acton Town Hall to Osterley using the vacated 427 stand and running via current 427 to Ealing Broadway before heading down South Ealing Road. I would be tempted to extend it beyond Acton to Chiswick Business Park, but only during hours when employees would need the service. That scenario is highly unlikely given TfL’s predilection for standardisation. Won't the 427's Acton Town Hall stand be used by the curtailed 266? Ah, yes it will. I have to admit I haven’t seen that stand for almost a decade but from what I recall it’s pretty small. Is the Acton Market Place terminus still available? I also have an evil plan C that fits into the TfL mantra of pulling back services outside London: H28 - Curtailed to West Middlesex Hospital, runs direct along Cranford Lane. No frequency change. 117 - Curtailed to Ashford Town Tree Road (Hopper fare for routes 216 and 290 to Staines). Extended from West Middlesex Hospital to Ealing Broadway via route H28 to Syon Lane and Osterley Tesco, then onward to Ealing via proposed 112 extension. No frequency change, vehicles changed to higher capacity single decks or deckers. This would open up many new journey possibilities that are currently incredibly difficult by bus or train plus improves links between Ealing and West Middlesex Hospital. There are none at present, even though many Ealing residents are treated there. The E8 was once mooted to run via West Middlesex Hospital, but didn’t materialise. My wacky 117 revision would do that. H28 changes and 117 cut back to Ashford would help minimise the net mileage increase from the 117 extension. Net impact on 117 running time would probably be an increase of around 10-15 minutes in the morning peak.
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Post by busman on Sept 11, 2018 6:11:44 GMT
vjaska , I think extending the E9 seems the most likely alternative given its frequency, vehicle type and current route length. My personal preference would be to either: 1. Extend the E11 to Osterley and have the E10 restored to Ealing Common to replace that end of the route. This would would improve links through West Ealing and along the E1/E3 corridor, but I can’t see TfL wanting to increase frequency plus I’m not sure if the tight roads in Hanwell and Greenford can handle longer vehicles. Or 2. If the 427 diversion to Southall goes ahead, a new route from Acton Town Hall to Osterley using the vacated 427 stand and running via current 427 to Ealing Broadway before heading down South Ealing Road. I would be tempted to extend it beyond Acton to Chiswick Business Park, but only during hours when employees would need the service. That scenario is highly unlikely given TfL’s predilection for standardisation.
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Post by busman on Sept 5, 2018 6:07:15 GMT
What if the reasons for declining bus usage are beyond the ability of TfL to understand or control? We have been in a period where London has experienced continuous population growth. I wonder if the population has now reached equilibrium following the Brexit result is 2016. In my industry I have seen jobs and people leave the capital and relocated to the EU. That along with telecommuting *might* be why we are seeing no net growth in public transport usage across London. Yes, I realise that my theory can’t be tested until the next census in 2021, but I just wanted to throw the thought out there that maybe the lack of growth in public transport use isn’t entirely TfL’s fault.
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Post by busman on Aug 31, 2018 11:50:07 GMT
What a disaster, 207 and 25 will crumble with their cuts taking place before the actual Crossrail 😭 I guess it's only pipe dreams, but if TfL had any decency left, they'd postpone some of these… And the 427 diverted to Southall Station. I completely agree if TfL have any decency they would postpone all Crossrail related bus changes. Problem is when money is involved, decency can sometimes fade into the background. I think TfL will push ahead with changes that make financial sense for them - ie saves them money. I also expect some cynical guff to justify their decision, like “we are moving forward with our changes to the 180, 301 and 472 to allow passengers time to get used to the new service patterns ahead of official opening of the Elizabeth Line. Following new analysis we think the changes will better suit passenger demand”
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Post by busman on Aug 31, 2018 9:36:32 GMT
Just picked this story up. This is a disaster. TfL and Sadiq Khan will take a lot of heat for this. Not to mention the lost revenue from TfL’s budget projections. Quite why it’s been announced so late is a mystery to me. Amazing how this news, the Elizabeth line consultation and the huge bus cuts due for consultation all kick off whilst I’m on holiday. Typical 🙄
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Post by busman on Aug 27, 2018 10:50:27 GMT
You should never forget that people rarely use a bus in one direction only. If you stop running evening/all night routes and they can't travel back you lose the journey in the other direction. Further lost revenue. The downward spiral continues. I've actually made that very point, people often can't get on buses in the morning peak during school term so they find another means of travel and so don't make the return journey either. Obviously I'm not suggesting getting rid of all evening and night services, just those that aren't justified. I think standardisation is exercised in bus services beyond practicality in some cases. However I think the merits of having an even service throughout the daytime has been covered on this forum previously. If there are huge variances between peak hour and the in between daytime period TfL still end up paying to have drivers and buses sat around in the garage doing nothing between peaks. It makes sense to deploy the resources already paid for to provide an improved daytime frequency even though this may be in excess of *actual* demand. Where standardisation does go a little crazy is when all buses run the whole length of route even though the demand may be different at one end. I don’t see any problem in having buses run more frequently along busier parts of a route. Rather that than seeing routes shortened altogether or axed. With regard to night or evening services being “unjustified”, how do you define that? Just because a bus isn’t full it doesn’t mean it doesn’t serve a purpose. The justification for TfL’s cuts is down to costs and if we are going by that rule evening and night services are always more costly as they are heavily subsidised by daytime fares. Start cutting those services and all you will do is push people towards car ownership and mini cab/taxis. This fixation on spotting empty buses on the road is a bit of a nonsense really. Without looking at gaps between buses and usage along the whol journey it’s pointless. You need to look at usage figures as a whole and adjust frequencies as TfL have been doing.
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