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Post by redbus on Nov 9, 2023 20:05:29 GMT
Contrary to the Oxford Street West pedestrianisation plans, as far as I am aware, the Oxford Street East and Marble Arch parts of the scheme never got to the consulation phase before everything was canceled. Does anybody happen to have any insight into what changes were planned for the bus routes that presumably were being thought of ahead of the now-canceled consultation? I don't believe anything has been published about this, perhaps a Freedom of Information Request might reveal what was being planned.
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Post by southlondonbus on Nov 9, 2023 20:13:57 GMT
Contrary to the Oxford Street West pedestrianisation plans, as far as I am aware, the Oxford Street East and Marble Arch parts of the scheme never got to the consulation phase before everything was canceled. Does anybody happen to have any insight into what changes were planned for the bus routes that presumably were being thought of ahead of the now-canceled consultation? I don't believe anything has been published about this, perhaps a Freedom of Information Request might reveal what was being planned. Certainly the Selfridges to Marble Arch section would have been tricky from a bus point of view. The 113, 189 and 274 most likely to Portman Square, the 2 and 74 to Marble Arch but even the proposed North Row stand for the 94 would have been inaccessible had the road been closed right up to Marble Arch.
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Post by WH241 on Nov 9, 2023 20:35:10 GMT
It's not just about installing the garage hardware. That is not as easy as it was when fuel pumps were first installed because you can't charge a bus in five minutes in the way you can diesel up. Multiple bays have to be allocated and numerous charging stations built which takes precious space. As much as that is a limiting factor so is the supply of enough current. That is a national issue and will become ever more pressing as more vehicles of all kinds rely on electric traction and regular recharging. Anyone who has had the misfortune to plug more into a domestic mains socket than it can safely cope with may be aware that the supply will do at least one of three things namely trip out, go into meltdown or ignite from the heat. If insufficient power is available all or some charging points will "brown out" which is the same as is occasionally seen during partial power outages when your domestic lighting dims to a faint glow and anything requiring higher current won't work at all. These thigns are being addressed but it won't happen overnight and it won't happen within five years unless a lot more generating and transmission infrastructure is built and brought online quickly. And that, of course, costs money. Guess who has the most money in the energy-supply business? The oil companies. Is there even enough supply for every bus to be electric by 2030? I remember when the first came for the 507/521 that someone at TFL said that you would need 4 new powerstations to generate enough suppy needed.Tf TfL are taking a big gamble and hoping everything is ready by 2030 and they also get the extra funding. They are also building a potential issue with lots of 3 contracts all expiring around the same time and if they don't have the funding what will they do with these routes around 2027?
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Post by Eastlondoner62 on Nov 9, 2023 21:18:16 GMT
Is there even enough supply for every bus to be electric by 2030? I remember when the first came for the 507/521 that someone at TFL said that you would need 4 new powerstations to generate enough suppy needed.Tf TfL are taking a big gamble and hoping everything is ready by 2030 and they also get the extra funding. They are also building a potential issue with lots of 3 contracts all expiring around the same time and if they don't have the funding what will they do with these routes around 2027? All the short contracts I believe have an option to be extended up to the 5 year mark
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Post by northlondon83 on Nov 10, 2023 22:02:57 GMT
Does Silvertown Way reopen again on Monday
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Post by WH241 on Nov 10, 2023 22:26:52 GMT
Does Silvertown Way reopen again on Monday Unlikely considering the works look far from complete at the bottom end!
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Post by WH241 on Nov 11, 2023 12:53:51 GMT
Does Silvertown Way reopen again on Monday The road was never due to open Monday! Just checked a bus stop and TfL website and both show the 330 on diversion until Friday 17th. I’m still not convinced by that date as the road on the approach is a mess and can’t see it being completed in a week.
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Post by northlondon83 on Nov 11, 2023 17:00:10 GMT
Does Silvertown Way reopen again on Monday The road was never due to open Monday! Just checked a bus stop and TfL website and both show the 330 on diversion until Friday 17th. I’m still not convinced by that date as the road on the approach is a mess and can’t see it being completed in a week. reason I said Monday was because it's 10 weeks since it closed on Monday 4th September, which I'm pretty sure was the planned duration of the closure though I may be wrong.
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Post by LK65EBO on Nov 13, 2023 19:04:25 GMT
Just wondering what's the fastest you've been on a bus. Mine is about 45mph on the 203s MCL30307.
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Post by Catford94 on Nov 13, 2023 20:17:50 GMT
Just wondering what's the fastest you've been on a bus. Mine is about 45mph on the 203s MCL30307.
If we are talking London buses, must have had some fairly fast runs on RMLs on route 8 from Old Ford to Bow roundabout on occasions where I suspect the driver was more interested in finishing on time than an overtime docket (or needed to use the facilities) but couldn't say just what the speed was. And RM's could get up a reasonable speed late evenings on Downham Way heading for Grove Park on route 36B.
The Green Line Routemasters had different gear ratios to allow a higher top speed - have travelled on a preserved / heritage PSV RCL that was comfortably doing 50 mph on the M4 on the London - Windsor Green Line running day a few years ago. I understand the RMA (the type designed for the express service between West London Air Terminal and Heathrow) could get up to 70 mph. Both types were used briefly on London bus routes, they may have offered lively journeys on garage journeys, but I didn't experience the RMAs in service at all, and the RCLs only infrequently.
The Volvo B10 derived double deckers that Boro' Line and Grey Green ran from the late 80s were ahead of most other buses on performance, and could be fairly lively given the chance between Waterloo and Euston (at one time the first stage of my weekly Friday evening commute) but I don't think I encountered them on an open road.
Outside London, there's a number of places where 'dual purpose' Leyland Leopards and the like ran local bus services in to the 90s - have had some fast runs in Barton-land, and (Lincolnshire) Road Car had a selection of Leopards including one dual purpose ex Scottish Bus Group / Alexander Y type which had quite a turn of speed - had one journey on it where the red light on the tachograph was shining fairly bright on an A road section of route (as it was on local bus work, the driver wouldn't have had a tachograph chart in.)
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djs76
Conductor
Posts: 101
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Post by djs76 on Nov 13, 2023 22:36:18 GMT
Just wondering what's the fastest you've been on a bus. Mine is about 45mph on the 203s MCL30307.
If we are talking London buses, must have had some fairly fast runs on RMLs on route 8 from Old Ford to Bow roundabout on occasions where I suspect the driver was more interested in finishing on time than an overtime docket (or needed to use the facilities) but couldn't say just what the speed was. And RM's could get up a reasonable speed late evenings on Downham Way heading for Grove Park on route 36B.
The Green Line Routemasters had different gear ratios to allow a higher top speed - have travelled on a preserved / heritage PSV RCL that was comfortably doing 50 mph on the M4 on the London - Windsor Green Line running day a few years ago. I understand the RMA (the type designed for the express service between West London Air Terminal and Heathrow) could get up to 70 mph. Both types were used briefly on London bus routes, they may have offered lively journeys on garage journeys, but I didn't experience the RMAs in service at all, and the RCLs only infrequently.
The Volvo B10 derived double deckers that Boro' Line and Grey Green ran from the late 80s were ahead of most other buses on performance, and could be fairly lively given the chance between Waterloo and Euston (at one time the first stage of my weekly Friday evening commute) but I don't think I encountered them on an open road.
Outside London, there's a number of places where 'dual purpose' Leyland Leopards and the like ran local bus services in to the 90s - have had some fast runs in Barton-land, and (Lincolnshire) Road Car had a selection of Leopards including one dual purpose ex Scottish Bus Group / Alexander Y type which had quite a turn of speed - had one journey on it where the red light on the tachograph was shining fairly bright on an A road section of route (as it was on local bus work, the driver wouldn't have had a tachograph chart in.)
If you were lucky enough to get one of those Grey-Green Volvos on the 313, they always got to a decent speed between Chase Farm and Potters Bar. Amd talking of Potters Bar, the Scanias that used to operate on the 263 gave a fast ride between there and Hadley Highstone. Those same Scanias would often turn up on the commercial routes 310a and 310b, both of which had fast sections particularly the 310b between St Margaret's and Harlow.
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Post by gwiwer on Nov 14, 2023 11:14:58 GMT
I am happy to confirm the speed ability of the RCL class. With their 11-litre engines they were built for fast Green Line work allowing for the extra length, seating capacity and therefore all-up weight. I seldom managed Green Line trips on the type and what I did manage was mostly on the somewhat congested 709 also subject to 30mph speed limits most of the way. But I did make regular use of them on the 405 and 414. On the latter they easily achieved 50 - 55 mph along the A25 Reigate - Dorking section and (before it was limited to 50mph) 55 and above on the A24 south of Dorking towards Capel. I'm not sure of the actual highest speed so I'll settle for 55mph. It may well have been a little higher.
The fastest I know I have traveled on a bus (as distinct from a coach and, to avoid blurring the lines, not a DP-vehicle either) was 72mph. Western National offered a lengthy Truro - Bude route (X3 and X4) once a day on certain days of the week largely as a means of exchanging vehicles with their Bude outstation. It used the A30 for some of the way; not the current motorway-standard A30 but the old single-lane road across Goss Moor which was subject to the national 60mph speed limit. Given the usual traffic congestion in Truro and therefore a delayed first mile or so our driver was a little liberal with the limit in order to reach Bodmin, and the change-over point with his Bude-based colleague, on time. The speedo was clearly visible from the front nearside seat aboard a Mercedes-Benz 811D and even allowing for the angle at which I was viewing it we were moving with a capital M. Well above the 70 mark on the dial and eventually gaining on traffic ahead.
I have also travelled by local bus in Australia at 115kmh which is around 73mph. Some sections of route in outer Melbourne run for considerable distances through nowhere along straight mostly flat roads. They don't hang about. The legal limit is 100kmh on most, 110kmh where signposted but again I was in the hands of a driver rather keen to make up time and be relieved punctually. Or even a bit early. That was on a Volgren-bodied Scania iirc with the hard plastic seats often found inside the uninviting Australian bus interiors.
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Post by COBO on Nov 15, 2023 10:09:48 GMT
This is Berkeley Avenue in North Greenford do you think this would be an ideal place to put a bus stand?
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Post by TA1 on Nov 15, 2023 10:19:23 GMT
This is Berkeley Avenue in North Greenford do you think this would be an ideal place to put a bus stand? Probably not until the entire Greenford Quay development is finished.
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Post by yunus on Nov 24, 2023 15:41:33 GMT
Are Hybrid buses still made for outside of London?
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