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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2012 22:15:03 GMT
Prefer the sideways arrangement myself... Agreed. I find it much more practical and spacious, especially since the corridor is much wider than buses with transverse seating. More leg room too...  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2012 22:17:10 GMT
The lower deck is also an upgrade on the DLA's currently on the 370, as all the seats apart from the rear are forward facing. I have never understood the DLA's sideward seats, I think they are terrible. As hideous as I find the sideward seats, as they're an odd experience to sit on, it's probably to maximise space on the lower deck. The corridor's a bit wider because of it, and it means the seats are a bit more accessible for those with mobility issues, I'd imagine. |
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Post by vjaska on Jul 5, 2012 22:50:11 GMT
Perhaps it is preference, but I just cannot stand sidewards facing seats! They have always made me feel uneasy as you are not at a front facing angle. I do not like rear-seating either, but I guess the downstairs ones are unavoidable due to the wheel arches. You are right John, I remember the Titan bus had loads of sideways seats on the lower deck. I know the Titan was a very popular vehicle and my opinion might be because they were aging when I was using them, but I didn't particularly like them and was delighted when they were replaced by low-floor buses. Perhaps early in their careers they were excellent vehicles, but whenever I boarded an 87, they were smelly, freezing cold in the winter, generally had a poor layout. It also had a central staircase, which I've never been in favour of. When I used to go to college, fellow students and I would pray a T-reg Trident from the 5 allocation would come as an 87 as we hated the freezing Titans! - Gareth. No, the Titans were always excellent vehicles, even when the low floor buses began threatening their existence. I remember using the 45 during the early 00's and having the choice of a new AVL (Volvo B7TL), NV (Volvo Olympian) or Titan and I always wished it was the Titan every single time just to hear that Gardener roar over the Euro nonsense, the mirror in the rear window, the lovely interior which IMO should be standard across all London buses today, the extinction of open buggys. This arguement about which this layout is poor and this one is better is pretty much absolute nonsense. A forward staircase bus will generally give you more seats downstairs, a middle staircase bus generally more upstairs. It's the same thing with a having facing seats & the front to back seats as I call them - the only difference between the two is one faces the windows and the other doesn't. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2012 23:01:47 GMT
Got on LJ05BKG going towards Lakeside, which could be the first VLA on the 370?
This vehicle, I guess along with the rest of the fleet to follow, has had a full re-spray with the London buses logo roundal applied. (small-sized versions) Seat covers have been replaced with the new Arriva style, and these make the decor very fresh.
Interestingly, the destination blind shows upper case wording like LAKESIDE and ROMFORD MARKET. I wonder if they are taking the destination blinds from the DLA's they are replacing? I would have thought, considering it is an 05-reg and brought in after the disability regulations that these would have been lower case destinations? The back has a new set of blinds, as the rear blinds are wider on these buses compared with the DLA's.
All in all, these buses are a lot better than the ones they are replacing, and hopefully these will make the 370 more reliable than the DLA's. - Gareth.
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Post by VPL630 on Jul 10, 2012 14:54:57 GMT
Got on LJ05BKG going towards Lakeside, which could be the first VLA on the 370? This vehicle, I guess along with the rest of the fleet to follow, has had a full re-spray with the London buses logo roundal applied. (small-sized versions) Seat covers have been replaced with the new Arriva style, and these make the decor very fresh. Interestingly, the destination blind shows upper case wording like LAKESIDE and ROMFORD MARKET. I wonder if they are taking the destination blinds from the DLA's they are replacing? I would have thought, considering it is an 05-reg and brought in after the disability regulations that these would have been lower case destinations? The back has a new set of blinds, as the rear blinds are wider on these buses compared with the DLA's. All in all, these buses are a lot better than the ones they are replacing, and hopefully these will make the 370 more reliable than the DLA's. - Gareth. one was out yesterday |
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Post by eggmiester on Jul 11, 2012 23:49:00 GMT
Interestingly, the destination blind shows upper case wording like LAKESIDE and ROMFORD MARKET. I wonder if they are taking the destination blinds from the DLA's they are replacing? I would have thought, considering it is an 05-reg and brought in after the disability regulations that these would have been lower case destinations? The back has a new set of blinds, as the rear blinds are wider on these buses compared with the DLA's. . The blinds i beleive were ordered new for the DLA's so are just being transferred to the VLA's. as for the rear blind they may have ordered some wider ones as well or they could be using some old cadet sets which are the same width. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2012 0:07:10 GMT
Interestingly, the destination blind shows upper case wording like LAKESIDE and ROMFORD MARKET. I wonder if they are taking the destination blinds from the DLA's they are replacing? I would have thought, considering it is an 05-reg and brought in after the disability regulations that these would have been lower case destinations? The back has a new set of blinds, as the rear blinds are wider on these buses compared with the DLA's. . The blinds i beleive were ordered new for the DLA's so are just being transferred to the VLA's. as for the rear blind they may have ordered some wider ones as well or they could be using some old cadet sets which are the same width. What about the DDA/Equality Act do capital-lettered blinds actually violate? I'm reading up on it now, and it defines disabled as "significant effect in their ability to carry out normal day to day activities". How would blind case change this? Also seems the regulations don't actually apply to double deckers until 2017! As for single deckers over 7.5 tonnes it's 2016, and under 7.5 tonnes it's 2015. So the blinds aren't illegal for another 5 years. |
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Post by jay38a on Jul 12, 2012 0:44:07 GMT
Interestingly, the destination blind shows upper case wording like LAKESIDE and ROMFORD MARKET. I wonder if they are taking the destination blinds from the DLA's they are replacing? I would have thought, considering it is an 05-reg and brought in after the disability regulations that these would have been lower case destinations? The back has a new set of blinds, as the rear blinds are wider on these buses compared with the DLA's. . The blinds i beleive were ordered new for the DLA's so are just being transferred to the VLA's. as for the rear blind they may have ordered some wider ones as well or they could be using some old cadet sets which are the same width. The DLAs kept the same blinds as they had DT, as 370 was on them already. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2012 9:43:25 GMT
The blinds i beleive were ordered new for the DLA's so are just being transferred to the VLA's. as for the rear blind they may have ordered some wider ones as well or they could be using some old cadet sets which are the same width. What about the DDA/Equality Act do capital-lettered blinds actually violate? I'm reading up on it now, and it defines disabled as "significant effect in their ability to carry out normal day to day activities". How would blind case change this? Also seems the regulations don't actually apply to double deckers until 2017! As for single deckers over 7.5 tonnes it's 2016, and under 7.5 tonnes it's 2015. So the blinds aren't illegal for another 5 years. 2017 is the when all deckers must be DDA compliant. Any bus built after June 2001 must be DDA compliant now. I believe it is easier to read lower case letters as shapes decend and rise where as all captials fit in side the same size box |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2012 10:39:00 GMT
I believe it is easier to read lower case letters as shapes decend and rise where as all captials fit in side the same size box This is why a few decades ago, road signs were all changed to lower case lettering as they are much easier to read. Especially important when you can only briefly look at the sign/destination blind. So obviously, people with poor eyesight need the lower case writing, as at least then they can recognise the shapes of the letters, as upper case letters are more difficult to recognise. Maybe Grays are currently awaiting new blinds, so are just using the old ones as its better than nothing. |
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Post by ServerKing on Jul 12, 2012 15:40:57 GMT
This morning, I waited for one of the LJ05 batch to turn up, but instead @ Upminster, greeted by 6224 ;D Still, she put in a good performance and we were at Lakeside in no time at all. After I'd finished at Lakeside, upon heading to the bus station, one of the LJ05 batch was just leaving, not in service, and the next one to come along was 6227.... oh well, can't win them all  I did hear one of the VLA's upon leaving Stewart Avenue  I guess it's just been a lick of paint, but no fix for the fans then |
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Post by greeny253 on Jul 12, 2012 17:51:44 GMT
This morning, I waited for one of the LJ05 batch to turn up, but instead @ Upminster, greeted by 6224 ;D Still, she put in a good performance and we were at Lakeside in no time at all. After I'd finished at Lakeside, upon heading to the bus station, one of the LJ05 batch was just leaving, not in service, and the next one to come along was 6227.... oh well, can't win them all I did hear one of the VLA's upon leaving Stewart Avenue I guess it's just been a lick of paint, but no fix for the fans then That'll be 6118 ;D |
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Post by VPL630 on Jul 12, 2012 18:13:36 GMT
This morning, I waited for one of the LJ05 batch to turn up, but instead @ Upminster, greeted by 6224 ;D Still, she put in a good performance and we were at Lakeside in no time at all. After I'd finished at Lakeside, upon heading to the bus station, one of the LJ05 batch was just leaving, not in service, and the next one to come along was 6227.... oh well, can't win them all I did hear one of the VLA's upon leaving Stewart Avenue I guess it's just been a lick of paint, but no fix for the fans then That'll be 6118 ;D That one roared the whole day yesterday, bloody annoying when that's all you can hear, was getting some funny looks when this bus was passing by |
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Post by vjaska on Jul 12, 2012 23:14:17 GMT
I did warn you all that the 05 reg VLA's are pants ;D
Arriva don't tamper with the fans, just a repaint & a refurb if your lucky.
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Post by VPL630 on Jul 13, 2012 14:35:26 GMT
I did warn you all that the 05 reg VLA's are pants ;D Arriva don't tamper with the fans, just a repaint & a refurb if your lucky. They do actually but they have not done it to any london buses at the moment, When I was at EC we saw that they had fitted the 6 fan system to all the VLW's there for olympic work and other parts of arriva |
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I did hear one of the VLA's upon leaving Stewart Avenue 
I guess it's just been a lick of paint, but no fix for the fans then 