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Post by LX09FBJ on Sept 29, 2013 21:33:46 GMT
I used the 111 for the very first time today, end to end from Heathrow to Hounslow. What an awful route! The SP's are obviously horrible, it wasn't even that hot today but the buses were boiling inside, despite being able to hear the the loud whirr from the non-existing air cooling system. I fell asleep along between Cranford and Hampton, due to the endless twisting and turning along that section. Not to mention the severe overcrowding on the bus, the heat, the very boring residential roads, and the masses of not very pleasant kids (to put it nicely) that boarded somewhere before Hounslow. By the time I woke up just before Hampton Station, I was absolutely ready to get off the bus, and get on another route. I couldn't though, as I didn't know the area + my phone had ran out of battery (I rely on the Countdown app for everything regarding buses). So I stayed on board, hoping we'd quickly arrive at Kingston. I'd never been to Hampton before, what a lovely area! The river, the parks, the Palace... lovely! Then we encountered some killer traffic, where we were barely moving. At least this gave me time to admire Bushy Park and it's deer, and the stunning houses in the area. We crawled all the way to Kingston Bridge, only the driver then kicked us off here due to a last minute change of destination, telling us to get on the 111 in front...anyway, half of us got on this 111, the driver drove off in a hurry, leaving the other half of passengers stranded there!  Before I knew it, we had arrived at Cromwell Road Bus Station... what relief! I then checked the time, the journey on the 111 lasted just under 3 hours, my longest bus journey in London ever!  Never again!  I really don't get the love for this route, it's just horrid, regardless of whether an ADE is on the route or not! Traffic on the Hampton Court Road is a right b*gger, plus it's the only place I don't get 3G on my phone  Out of intrest what SP did you go on? I'm not a big fan of the route to be honest, it's just my most local route (and the bus I use everyday). I think the R70 is better, with better buses and a much improved service, plus more chances of a sub on the route. |
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Post by Hassaan on Sept 29, 2013 21:47:47 GMT
I used the 111 for the very first time today, end to end from Heathrow to Hounslow. What an awful route! The SP's are obviously horrible, it wasn't even that hot today but the buses were boiling inside, despite being able to hear the the loud whirr from the non-existing air cooling system. I fell asleep along between Cranford and Hampton, due to the endless twisting and turning along that section. Not to mention the severe overcrowding on the bus, the heat, the very boring residential roads, and the masses of not very pleasant kids that boarded somewhere before Hounslow. By the time I woke up just before Hampton Station, I was absolutely ready to get off the bus, and get on another route. I couldn't though, as I didn't know the area + my phone had ran out of battery (I rely on the Countdown app for everything regarding buses). So I stayed on board, hoping we'd quickly arrive at Kingston. I'd never been to Hampton before, what a lovely area! The river, the parks, the Palace... lovely! Then we encountered some killer traffic, where we were barely moving. At least this gave me time to admire Bushy Park and it's deer, and the stunning houses in the area. We crawled all the way to Kingston Bridge, only the driver then kicked us off here due to a last minute change of destination, telling us to get on the 111 in front...anyway, half of us got on this 111, the driver drove off in a hurry, leaving the other half of passengers stranded there! Before I knew it we had arrived at Cromwell Road Bus Station...what relief! I then checked the time, the journey on the 111 lasted just under 3 hours, my longest bus journey in London ever! Never again! I really don't get the love for this route, it's just horrid, regardless of whether an ADE is on the route or not! It is only because it happens to be the local route of several people  . I did use it every now and then over the last 2 years, mainly between Hounslow and Heston during my free periods in sixth form (although in the second year the 120 started turning up more for me and I preferred it because of the ADE's  . The 59/10-reg SP's which have the more comfortable seats have their acceleration restricted, while the earlier ones are slightly faster but their seats aren't as comfortable. As you correctly noticed the cooling unit is usually all noise and no power, even on the 10-reg ones over the last 2 years which were very good previously. I also agree with what you expressed about the twisting and turning, really does your head in around the Hampton area which is also where most of the humps are. It is good you didn't get off at Hampton Station; the only other route available there was the 216 which takes the exact same route to Kingston and is another busy route, probably worse because it is single deck, while a bit further up it was possible to get an R68 or at Hampton Court a couple of Abellio Surrey routes (the TfL 411 don't count because it hardly goes anywhere ). I'm afraid the traffic along Hampton Court Road is normal for parts of the day and happens in both directions. Almost 3 hours is actually approaching the time it takes to do a rounder, not sure about the new timetable now but previously on a schoolday the AV58 running number turned up at Heston towards Heathrow at around 9:20 and then again at around 12:35. Getting curtailed at Hampton Wick is just unlucky . |
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Route 111
Sept 29, 2013 21:58:37 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 21:58:37 GMT
Great post. I lived in Hampton for years so i had to use it to commute. Can you imagine what it was like when LU decided it could cope with DR's on a 30 min frequency on a Sunday ! Crazy.
The section between Hanworth and Cranford is awful.
Maybe the proposal a few years back for it to be curltailed at Hounslow and the 110 extended to Heathrow should have happened!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 22:15:40 GMT
As you correctly noticed the cooling unit is usually all noise and no power, even on the 10-reg ones over the last 2 years which were very good previously. Is it me, or are Metroline's ones the only SP/SNs that have working Cooling units? Also note some condensation at times... |
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Post by Hassaan on Sept 29, 2013 22:59:39 GMT
As you correctly noticed the cooling unit is usually all noise and no power, even on the 10-reg ones over the last 2 years which were very good previously. Is it me, or are Metroline's ones the only SP/SNs that have working Cooling units? Also note some condensation at times...Yeah those ones are probably the best, I haven't been on them in ages but condensation on the outside of the bus around that area on a hot day shows that it is working perfectly |
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Post by vjaska on Sept 30, 2013 1:38:18 GMT
The last time I used Route 111 was on a Saturday afternoon, bus wasn't that busy and I liked the straight road from Hounslow to Hanworth - I was on a VP mind but I like all Omnicity DD's regardless of operator.
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Post by l1group on Sept 30, 2013 6:09:28 GMT
Not to mention the severe overcrowding on the bus and the masses of not very pleasant kids (to put it nicely) that boarded somewhere before Hounslow. By the time I woke up just before Hampton Station, I was absolutely ready to get off the bus, and get on another route. I'd never been to Hampton before, what a lovely area! The river, the parks, the Palace... lovely! Then we encountered some killer traffic, where we were barely moving. At least this gave me time to admire Bushy Park and it's deer, and the stunning houses in the area.
The 111 is one of the longest stopping bus routes in London, therefore 2hrs and a lot can happen, especially with the traffic that plagues the route nowadays at the southern points. Those who want each end destinations, they take the quicker 285/X26 (which are shorter between Kingston and Heathrow).I really don't get the love for this route, it's just horrid, regardless of whether an ADE is on the route or not! Then again, you did go during peak times to get on the 111, it's well used. Too well used sometimes (peak frequency increase, please?). It depends on the type of route you would like, if I'm honest. Your opinion. |
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Post by Hassaan on Sept 30, 2013 10:53:47 GMT
Not to mention the severe overcrowding on the bus and the masses of not very pleasant kids (to put it nicely) that boarded somewhere before Hounslow. By the time I woke up just before Hampton Station, I was absolutely ready to get off the bus, and get on another route. I'd never been to Hampton before, what a lovely area! The river, the parks, the Palace... lovely! Then we encountered some killer traffic, where we were barely moving. At least this gave me time to admire Bushy Park and it's deer, and the stunning houses in the area.
The 111 is one of the longest stopping bus routes in London, therefore 2hrs and a lot can happen, especially with the traffic that plagues the route nowadays at the southern points. Those who want each end destinations, they take the quicker 285/X26 (which are shorter between Kingston and Heathrow).Actually you'll find that Heston aren't too bad (even if I say so myself as a former student ), try Hampton Academy or St Marks  . I ended up on the same 111 as the Hampton Academy lot once, they threw a tennis ball at me several times before I decided to get off a few stops later |
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Route 111
Sept 30, 2013 11:29:27 GMT
via mobile
Post by vjaska on Sept 30, 2013 11:29:27 GMT
I'm not defending the actions of the three secondary schools between Cranford and Lampton. They aren't that pleasant at all (mostly). At Hampton Station, there is the train or 216. Hampton, I agree is a very good place for views, not for traffic...
The 111 is one of the longest stopping bus routes in London, therefore 2hrs and a lot can happen, especially with the traffic that plagues the route nowadays at the southern points. Those who want each end destinations, they take the quicker 285/X26 (which are shorter between Kingston and Heathrow). Actually you'll find that Heston aren't too bad (even if I say so myself as a former student ), try Hampton Academy or St Marks . I ended up on the same 111 as the Hampton Academy lot once, they threw a tennis ball at me several times before I decided to get off a few stops later Is that it lol - I went to St. Joseph's in Upper Norwood and our rival school, Stanley Tech, used to throw bus seats through the windows & they tried to storm our school once as well - thank goodness they knocked their school down and renamed it Harris Academy! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2013 12:54:05 GMT
Am I right in reading some of you prefer the 10 reg SPs? 108/136/165-190, their slow, I prefer faster buses SP1-15/16-67 bacth, so do the drivers. AV allocation try to allocation fast buses to 111s
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Route 111
Sept 30, 2013 13:01:07 GMT
via mobile
Post by vjaska on Sept 30, 2013 13:01:07 GMT
Am I right in reading some of you prefer the 10 reg SPs? 108/136/165-190, their slow, I prefer faster buses SP1-15/16-67 bacth, so do the drivers. AV allocation try to allocation fast buses to 111s I prefer any Omnicity DD, Metrobus have the best ones I find as there's has working kickdown. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2013 13:05:06 GMT
I prefer fast buses with routes with short running times, which driver thrash the buses, hate routes will slow buses and too much running time, like H32, where they do below 10 MPH, atleast AV putting VP's/VA74 on other routes, instead of H32 mainly, so they can get good thrashing.
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Post by l1group on Sept 30, 2013 16:34:13 GMT
I'm not defending the actions of the three secondary schools between Cranford and Lampton. They aren't that pleasant at all (mostly). At Hampton Station, there is the train or 216. Hampton, I agree is a very good place for views, not for traffic...
The 111 is one of the longest stopping bus routes in London, therefore 2hrs and a lot can happen, especially with the traffic that plagues the route nowadays at the southern points. Those who want each end destinations, they take the quicker 285/X26 (which are shorter between Kingston and Heathrow). Actually you'll find that Heston aren't too bad (even if I say so myself as a former student ), try Hampton Academy or St Marks . I ended up on the same 111 as the Hampton Academy lot once, they threw a tennis ball at me several times before I decided to get off a few stops later Mostly - as I said! I did go to a school near Heston Community School when I was younger, so Heston wasn't exactly THAT bad, but a combination of all of the schools do strain the 111. I've experienced Cranford, Heston, Lampton as they all were almost on the same buses, and they weren't bad on the am, pm was a bit worse (but not really bad, but Connor says otherwise. Then the 50...). Routes with lots of schools on the route do take a strain and can be almost a nightmare, depending on the types of schools. Especially E3 (Chiswick Academy, Acton High, Gunnersbury (the best of the lot, not that good and I go there... Bias there.), Drayton Manor, Brentside) which does take a toll on the service, making it slower than usual, tbh. That's why I don't usually take the direct way home until recently (due to it being cheaper). |
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Post by Connor on Sept 30, 2013 16:37:45 GMT
Connor says otherwise. Then the 50...). Regarding the 50...expand. My horrendous journey on the 111 happened yesterday, a Sunday morning. So nothing do do with school. |
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Post by l1group on Sept 30, 2013 16:46:17 GMT
Connor says otherwise. Then the 50...). Regarding the 50...expand. Now, 50 - how many schools does it have on the route, I'm just asking? Also there's the media stereotype of Brixton (which it passes), which I think isn't totally true! (111 has Cranford, Heston, Lampton, Kingsley Academy (Hounslow Manor), Heathfield (Hanworth), Hampton Academy, Hampton School, Tiffin Boys (Kingston) all almost/actually on the route, St Marks (Hounslow West), Tiffin Girls (North Kingston) not very far away from the route, so it does suffer as some aren't that "good", some are however "quite good". Obviously not including primary schools) The Sunday rowdy kids, well I'm not sure instead. Anyway - Sunday is also quite bad because of the many people going to the shopping areas of Kingston/Hounslow. And possibly that the previous 111 hadn't exactly ran full route due to traffic? |
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Before I knew it, we had arrived at Cromwell Road Bus Station... what relief! I then checked the time, the journey on the 111 lasted just under 3 hours, my longest bus journey in London ever! 
Never again! 
. I did use it every now and then over the last 2 years, mainly between Hounslow and Heston during my free periods in sixth form (although in the second year the 120 started turning up more for me and I preferred it because of the ADE's 
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. I ended up on the same 111 as the Hampton Academy lot once, they threw a tennis ball at me several times before I decided to get off a few stops later