Did London had the right mayor?

[Deleted]

Well I know the elections is couple months ago, here is my opinion.

Boris Johnson - There are minor changes we have experienced with Boris Johnson that he is on the bus announcements and the train announcements as well. He is getting more publicity with the media now as the world really liked him, beside that he is born in America, would that make him eligible to become president of USA? But not many people are looking forward to the Olympics. But since Boris got re elected it will enable TFL to get Wrightbus to have the NB4L's into regular production.

Ken Livingstone - Well i do not like him much because he got rid of the Routemasters and imposed a Congestion Charge in London. Breaking up the tradition and forcing drivers to pay to drive in London. At least he put the RM's onto 2 short routes for tourism purposes. With the C Charge, it will increased more money for TFL which enabled them to have more routes.
But as i see on his manifesto that he will stop rolling out the NB4L's because of the prices and funding to keep it running. He prefers to invest in the electric buses and soo called cheap fares. But the electric buses will need alot of money and energy in order to recharge the buses during the middle of the route. But in my opinion he can have the electric buses but in a NB4L body which still enable people to use the open platform. I know time and history moves forward as you cant keep the original RM's running because of the open platform. But for safety reasons average TFL buses are 2 doors.

What if i was mayor?
Well with the NB4L's i will give the design of the bus to Wrightbus to enable themselves to sell the NB4L's at their own will. So with bus companies around UK they will be able to have a 2 manned service on the buses. I will enable them in London as the operators have their own fleet of the NB4L under a special contract as the operator wants it at their own will. I will also stand for the rights of the transport workers whilst there will be upgrades maintaining in the Transport network. I will have 1 Routemaster in the middle of Trafalgar Square which will enable tourists to have their own photograph opportunity without having to delay the traffic on the road as its on the fully pedestrianized area.
I will give cheap fares for the workers who are struggling with their money they have got, but it will fracture the funding for the upgrades. But transport is not making profits its for enabling people to travel from A to B. I will exempt the congestion charge and the LEZ for the owners of the old buses 1990 and below. So they will be enabled to do their running days.
But i keep the spending very wisely and take a pay cut to a certain amount of money which will enable me to get on.

But that is all my opinions on the mayor. What about yours?

[Jack]

This isn't really your opinion about the mayors in general... It's your view about there views on the NB4L

You are looking at it quite narrow mindly. You need to look at the bigger picture instead of just an enthusiasts view on the NB4L. Think of the effect certain changes may have on drivers or members of the public. I don't think anyone cares about the announcements at the stations etc. it's hardly something bojo will gloat about ;

[Deleted]

Jul 26, 2012 23:03:07 GMT Jack said:

This isn't really your opinion about the mayors in general... It's your view about there views on the NB4L

You are looking at it quite narrow mindly. You need to look at the bigger picture instead of just an enthusiasts view on the NB4L. Think of the effect certain changes may have on drivers or members of the public. I don't think anyone cares about the announcements at the stations etc. it's hardly something bojo will gloat about ;

Well TFL should have hired PCSO's or guards to be used as conductors for the NB4L because they need to supervise people on getting on and off the bus via the open platform. But thankfully the NB4L have doors which can be used as a 3 door service on the Bus, but the commuters will ignore the oyster card reader and have a free ride because the driver will not be able to report on the fare dodger. But the open platform is the thing which the tourists like to use when there on the bus. It is lot quicker then waiting for the doors to open in order to get out at the bus stop. What if your bus stop is closed and your nearly late for the appointment. So when the bus is not moving near by the closed bus stop, you can jump out of it. But average people just likes the new routemaster because of the open platform, at the end of the day it gets critised because of the costs to running it.

Like in NYC with their MTA system, they run their subways 24 hours non stop but it causes them to have very less time for the maintenance of the rail work and the trains they got. I seen youtube videos of the commuters protesting about the fare hikes, and service cuts as well. But no one in London bothered to do a protest about the TFL fares going up. The MTA have no freedom pass for the disabled and elderly and they give them the half price discounts which still enable them to travel. But their fares are little cheap then ours. For example Bus fare in London by cash costs £2.30 whilst the MTA Bus fare cost about $2.25. It just shows out how the MTA run their transport system in different to our TFL here. But the fare hikes are all to the VAT, inflation and prices to get the oil for the buses.

[Jack]

Jul 27, 2012 2:58:13 GMT @freebbc said:

Jul 26, 2012 23:03:07 GMT Jack said:

This isn't really your opinion about the mayors in general... It's your view about there views on the NB4L

You are looking at it quite narrow mindly. You need to look at the bigger picture instead of just an enthusiasts view on the NB4L. Think of the effect certain changes may have on drivers or members of the public. I don't think anyone cares about the announcements at the stations etc. it's hardly something bojo will gloat about ;

Well TFL should have hired PCSO's or guards to be used as conductors for the NB4L because they need to supervise people on getting on and off the bus via the open platform. But thankfully the NB4L have doors which can be used as a 3 door service on the Bus, but the commuters will ignore the oyster card reader and have a free ride because the driver will not be able to report on the fare dodger. But the open platform is the thing which the tourists like to use when there on the bus. It is lot quicker then waiting for the doors to open in order to get out at the bus stop. What if your bus stop is closed and your nearly late for the appointment. So when the bus is not moving near by the closed bus stop, you can jump out of it. But average people just likes the new routemaster because of the open platform, at the end of the day it gets critised because of the costs to running it.

Like in NYC with their MTA system, they run their subways 24 hours non stop but it causes them to have very less time for the maintenance of the rail work and the trains they got. I seen youtube videos of the commuters protesting about the fare hikes, and service cuts as well. But no one in London bothered to do a protest about the TFL fares going up. The MTA have no freedom pass for the disabled and elderly and they give them the half price discounts which still enable them to travel. But their fares are little cheap then ours. For example Bus fare in London by cash costs £2.30 whilst the MTA Bus fare cost about $2.25. It just shows out how the MTA run their transport system in different to our TFL here. But the fare hikes are all to the VAT, inflation and prices to get the oil for the buses.

Again, what has any of that got to do with Boris or Ken? Your just talking about the NB4L

[Deleted]

Jul 27, 2012 6:48:21 GMT Jack said:

Again, what has any of that got to do with Boris or Ken? Your just talking about the NB4L

Well its about the situation going on with the transport system in here and NYC.
Boris Johnson can stand up for mayor of NYC because he is born in America which gives him automatic American Citizenship. He can even stand for president of America.
When i have chatted to one of the TFL officials they told me that bus is all political because of the funding issues. He told me "if Boris got back in the New Routemaster will be all over London. If Ken got in, he will get rid of the New Buses." So the NB4L have its own page on the GLA website. www.london.gov.uk/priorities/transport/new-bus-london
But the people wanted another London made bus for Londoners like what London Transport did to the AEC Routemaster.
But for Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London and GLC leader during the 80's. I don't know why he turned his back against the expansion of the open platform buses in 2012 because of the funding. But here is the screenshot of the answers i have received about the NB4L by the candidates, i made that picture during the election times.

i48.tinypic.com/aph93n.jpg
Sources: www.greenwich.co.uk/news/07998-london-mayoral-elections-ken-livingstone-answers-your-questions/
www.greenwich.co.uk/news/07979-london-mayoral-elections-boris-johnson-answers-your-questions/

But now Boris Johnson is being the godfather of the olympics because many people like him because he is funny. Even my friends around the world liked him as well. He is getting publicity on American TV as well.

Now with Ken Livingstone, I felt sorry for the average student that have lost their EMA because of the government making cuts in order to fund the olympics and other stuff which average people have no interest in. But with cheap fares, i agree but it only goes down an inch like 10p for example. But there are too many people being entitled for free buses for students and kids. Even i see there are normal people (like drug addicts...) getting a disabled freedom pass so they can go around London for free. (i have nothing against the disabled people as they are not good with money.) I just want to make more restriction to it. Irish Dublin Buses had done it but they had scrapped it.
But what else did Ken do with the London transport, back in the 80's he launched the travelcard which enables people to ride the Network Rail, London Buses and London Underground unlimited and cheaply for under a day.

I am out of thoughts to say now...

[Jack]

Jul 27, 2012 11:38:49 GMT @freebbc said:

Jul 27, 2012 6:48:21 GMT Jack said:

Again, what has any of that got to do with Boris or Ken? Your just talking about the NB4L

Well its about the situation going on with the transport system in here and NYC.
Boris Johnson can stand up for mayor of NYC because he is born in America which gives him automatic American Citizenship. He can even stand for president of America.
When i have chatted to one of the TFL officials they told me that bus is all political because of the funding issues. He told me "if Boris got back in the New Routemaster will be all over London. If Ken got in, he will get rid of the New Buses." So the NB4L have its own page on the GLA website. www.london.gov.uk/priorities/transport/new-bus-london
But the people wanted another London made bus for Londoners like what London Transport did to the AEC Routemaster.
But for Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London and GLC leader during the 80's. I don't know why he turned his back against the expansion of the open platform buses in 2012 because of the funding. But here is the screenshot of the answers i have received about the NB4L by the candidates, i made that picture during the election times.

i48.tinypic.com/aph93n.jpg
Sources: www.greenwich.co.uk/news/07998-london-mayoral-elections-ken-livingstone-answers-your-questions/
www.greenwich.co.uk/news/07979-london-mayoral-elections-boris-johnson-answers-your-questions/

But now Boris Johnson is being the godfather of the olympics because many people like him because he is funny. Even my friends around the world liked him as well. He is getting publicity on American TV as well.

Now with Ken Livingstone, I felt sorry for the average student that have lost their EMA because of the government making cuts in order to fund the olympics and other stuff which average people have no interest in. But with cheap fares, i agree but it only goes down an inch like 10p for example. But there are too many people being entitled for free buses for students and kids. Even i see there are normal people (like drug addicts...) getting a disabled freedom pass so they can go around London for free. (i have nothing against the disabled people as they are not good with money.) I just want to make more restriction to it. Irish Dublin Buses had done it but they had scrapped it.
But what else did Ken do with the London transport, back in the 80's he launched the travelcard which enables people to ride the Network Rail, London Buses and London Underground unlimited and cheaply for under a day.

I am out of thoughts to say now...

I don't think you quite get my point. This is just going around in a pointless circles so I am not bothering anymore

[snoggle]

Jul 27, 2012 2:58:13 GMT @freebbc said:

Like in NYC with their MTA system, they run their subways 24 hours non stop but it causes them to have very less time for the maintenance of the rail work and the trains they got. I seen youtube videos of the commuters protesting about the fare hikes, and service cuts as well. But no one in London bothered to do a protest about the TFL fares going up. The MTA have no freedom pass for the disabled and elderly and they give them the half price discounts which still enable them to travel. But their fares are little cheap then ours. For example Bus fare in London by cash costs £2.30 whilst the MTA Bus fare cost about $2.25. It just shows out how the MTA run their transport system in different to our TFL here. But the fare hikes are all to the VAT, inflation and prices to get the oil for the buses.

I think you do not understand the fundamentally different political and funding arrangements in the US compared to the UK. New York has a long history of struggling with securing enough money to pay for its infrastructure and public services. New Yorkers are also notoriously intolerant of cuts and changes to things like buses, subway routes and fares. However they are not prepared to pay more in taxes to provide the subsidy. The old adage is true - you get what you pay for.

Do you not understand what much of the New York subway system is three or four track wide with stopping and express services. There are also a lot of complex junctions and links between lines giving a great deal of flexibility to cope with engineering works. They have decades of experience of maintaining the subway properly and providing 24 hour service. They were clever enough to learn from the problems of the early Metros and to construct 4 track tunnels and viaducts at the start to give a long lasting legacy.

I appreciate you are very enthusiastic about the NB4L but not everyone shares your enthusiasm. Posting over and over again on the same subject just makes people bored with your posts. I think you need to take a look past the politics and see what important transport developments Ken Livingstone has had a hand in - it is rather more than just Travelcard.

[Deleted]

So true, when I stayed at New York for a week last summer I was quite amazed on how the MTA ran there subway. At 3am in the morning on the 6th floor in me hotel room I could hear R142 heading into 57th Street. There bus services are just as frequent as our bus service but all of there buses are equip with air-con.

[snoggle]

Jul 27, 2012 19:56:06 GMT @eastlondon92 said:

So true, when I stayed at New York for a week last summer I was quite amazed on how the MTA ran there subway. At 3am in the morning on the 6th floor in me hotel room I could hear R142 heading into 57th Street. There bus services are just as frequent as our bus service but all of there buses are equip with air-con.

It's a long while since I have been to NYC but I have used the night time subway - slightly strange sensation but, of course, tonight London gets close with services until 0230 in the morning. NYC really is a 24 hour city so it does need 24 hour transport and gets it too.

The MTA has spent a lot of time fixing the track, bridges & tunnels, signals and rolling stock on the subway since the decay of the 1970s. They have now moved on to improving the stations plus building the 2nd Av subway. There are also considerable improvements being made to commuter rail lines with a big link being built from Queens into Grand Central Station. This project has been on Extreme Engineering on Discovery Channel.

The bus network has also seen considerable investment with special bus priority lines with off bus ticketing and bendy buses - sound familiar?? The former private express lines were taken over the MTA with the peak express services being improved as a result. There have also been cutbacks too due to financial issues but the MTA did have a good run for a number of years under different city Mayors.