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Post by rmz19 on Mar 18, 2016 1:29:55 GMT
With the 7 now cut to Oxford circus it's pretty much a duplication merely of the 23 and 70. I can easily see a DD conversion of the 70 with a couple of extra journies (the route has already got busier with the Chiswick business Park extension to justify it) and maybe 1 or 2 extra workings reintroduced to the 23 for TFL to withdrawn the 7 as it will end up having little purpose if passengers from Paddington to Oxo switch to crossrail. I doubt double decking the 70 and increasing the 23's frequency would justify withdrawing the 7. While it seems that the 7 duplicates other routes and arguably has little going for it, it still loads up well throughout and is a major assistance to the 23, upping the 23's PVR would result in bunching and reliabilty issues due to the route's generous running time and traffic hotspots it contends with. At a push, the sensible solution would be to curtail the 7 to Marble Arch once Crossrail opens and give it a useful western extension away from Crossrail. This whole 'Crossrail leading to bus reduction' and 'Pedestrianisation of Oxford Street' thing is driving me up the wall to be honest.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 17, 2016 0:32:26 GMT
New Addiction St Pancreas Wholesomestow Central Fatford Bellfordeer Sweat-in-Hill Moleworth Pimpledon How-slow Fart-enders Park Bushey (Does not need renaming) Still Ill Broadway Pinch-more Bill Giddy-a Part St Hairy Tray Hit-a Green Lewis Errrmmm
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 16, 2016 21:40:39 GMT
Well it isn't exactly hideous, the SRM is OK in it's design. What I can't fathom is why on earth all the hassle of getting a shorter LT on the streets that is arguably as similar in design to the NB4L as the E400 City is has to be put up with. Surely the City is a more than good enough alternative to convert the routes that do not permit LTs as it shares similar style elements to the LTs and saves money in the process. This really deems the "convert routes that failed the LT test" statement completely irrelevant. All I can say for this is it's utterly unnecessary, and that's a massive understatement. I believe the SRMs will be ordered by operators, as with the Enviro400 City, so the reason is to give operators a choice while Volvo and Wrightbus will continue to have a share of the market. The Volvo B5LH is a popular chassis in London so it wouldn't be right if operators were forced to buy buses from Alexander Dennis. I guess it makes sense if looked at in this perspective, unless ADL will produce the E400H City on the B5LH chassis I suppose the SRM is the only choice if Volvo and Wrightbus want to continue having a share of the market and still adhere to the NB4L design. If TFL weren't so persistent about the latter then they wouldn't be restricted with choices as there are plenty of options to choose from on the B5LH chassis. On a personal note, if Wrightbus have redesigned the front end of the SRM like they did with the Gemini 3 then it would still stick with the NB4L design while adding more variety to London's bus network which would be great, perhaps this would result in less opposition to the SRM situation.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 16, 2016 17:32:16 GMT
Well it isn't exactly hideous, the SRM is OK in it's design. What I can't fathom is why on earth all the hassle of getting a shorter LT on the streets that is arguably as similar in design to the NB4L as the E400 City is has to be put up with. Surely the City is a more than good enough alternative to convert the routes that do not permit LTs as it shares similar style elements to the LTs and saves money in the process. This really deems the "convert routes that failed the LT test" statement completely irrelevant. All I can say for this is it's utterly unnecessary, and that's a massive understatement.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 16, 2016 12:22:53 GMT
That's d*mn interesting! Being part Egyptian myself I am glad that Egypt are doing something beneficial for them amidst the grim situations that have been occurring lately. the Hybrid EvoSeti just looks great, can't wait to see them in London
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 16, 2016 12:11:42 GMT
That's precisely what I've done last Saturday night, walked down Alexandra Palace Way, enjoyed the scenery, caught the W7 then commenced on my enjoyable night bus ride home, it certainly doesn't hurt being smart The W3 would benefit from extra buses on event days, but it would be a tad selfish of those who ask for a similar service on normal days! London General and London United have an operating licence to cover the shuttles down to Wood Green, were they not running ? They were running, and it was an interesting fleet which consisted of Omnidekkas, LWB Enviros and WVLs. But I was in a group and we didn't want to stuff ourselves on packed buses and disband, besides I had already planned my route towards home.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 16, 2016 1:55:07 GMT
Regarding the N35 you've just reminded me, 'cattling punters' with LTs is what I had in mind when there were a few W3s at Alexandra Palace absolutely rammed with masses of people shoehorning their way through the front and rear doors after a concert last Saturday night (which was great ). LTs popped up in my mind with their 3 doors which would be effective in these situations, obviously I'm not advocating converting the W3 to LTs! There were extra buses being used as shuttles but it would've helped if they consisted of a few LTs, the W3 should also receive a temporary frequency boost when large events occur. So pretty much every event then lool. Went to a concert there last month with around 12,000 other budding fans and come kick out time, everyone flooded to the nearby bus stops and shuttle buses. Luckily with my intensive bus knowledge I walked the few minutes down the road to get the alternative W7 to head to Finsbury Park. The only problem with a W3 increase is that sets the ball rolling to ask for the same service on non-event days; but in my opinion W3 deserves the extra services as sudden waves of passengers anywhere along the route can hinder reliability. That's precisely what I've done last Saturday night, walked down Alexandra Palace Way, enjoyed the scenery, caught the W7 then commenced on my enjoyable night bus ride home, it certainly doesn't hurt being smart The W3 would benefit from extra buses on event days, but it would be a tad selfish of those who ask for a similar service on normal days!
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 15, 2016 17:31:57 GMT
Is it still as rough now as say, maybe a decade back? Because some routes strike me as 'dangerous' if they are routed through certain areas/estates, through sheer intuition and no persuasion of others. Back in those times it really did put me off going to new places if I wasn't too sure if it was a safe area to be in. Don't take this too harsh; I come from east London where we had (have!) more of our fair share of troubles lool. And even then I was put off by certain areas. For example, the 376 was regularly withdrawn from Windsor Park Estate a few years back, particularly at weekends and I thought nothing much of it. And then to speak to a friend who lives there saying "someone's been stabbed again" it really does come out of the blue to think some streets of London partake in such violence. It's MUCH quieter now, believe me haha. One explanation for diversion amused me; the army bomb disposal unit was called in to remove a penionser's stash of grenades (from the war) and as well as the 376 staying well clear of Windsor Park, 1 street had to be evacuated if the worst was to come during the extraction of the devices. Never a dull day eh? It's Calmed down a bit but there was a accidental shooting down the road from there last week. How do you shoot someone by accident? Its not Call Of Duty. I suppose when you live in an area you are just accustomed to the troubles that happen there and you just shrug it off or its just "oh this has happened again." From an outsiders point of view you just wouldn't find yourself there unless you REALLY had to. Pensioner with a stack of grenades! ? My Gosh. I suppose in densely populated areas you do need to supply the people with some sort of transportation which is why buses go through these areas. It's only when it affects driver safety that other drivers say "I'm not going in there" and then it becomes depot wide and route is temporarily withdrawn. I tend not to think it's the area it's the small minority of bad apples that live on that tree. I remember when the 206 used to run through there but at times it wouldn't due to anti social behaviour, I would say it has calmed down now in comparison. As for the 'accidental' shooting, too much COD could be a reason, or it could be that playing with guns is how the locals roll and someone got a bit too trigger-happy!
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 15, 2016 13:44:52 GMT
I also nearly had my cash tin stolen there. He tried to open the front door and threaten me but when he realised I went school with him be quickly changed his tune and asked if we had any vacancies and if you needed a driving licence to drive a bus...... You killed me How can...I just...Loooool
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 15, 2016 12:22:53 GMT
Said it so many times the 56 is highly unlikely to gain LT's. It would more be the 48 than the 56. The same goes for the 205, they would have taken the opportunity at the recent tender to convert it - they did not. Maybe in years to come what we may see is LT's being allowed to make odd workings on other routes, i.e. on route 56 or the 205; using the 55 and 8/15 batch respectively.
A few LTs on the night element of the Friday/Saturday night 35 would be useful for 'cattling' punters out of the Shoreditch/Liverpool Street area (may as well utilise the type's most (or only) redeeming feature). Buses could be allocated to certain running numbers that are likely scheduled to feel the load... the rest of the route using regular hybrids ('somewhat' similar to mixed operations seen on the weekend N68). Regarding the N35 you've just reminded me, 'cattling punters' with LTs is what I had in mind when there were a few W3s at Alexandra Palace absolutely rammed with masses of people shoehorning their way through the front and rear doors after a concert last Saturday night (which was great ). LTs popped up in my mind with their 3 doors which would be effective in these situations, obviously I'm not advocating converting the W3 to LTs! There were extra buses being used as shuttles but it would've helped if they consisted of a few LTs, the W3 should also receive a temporary frequency boost when large events occur.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 15, 2016 2:36:08 GMT
The all red is growing on me, but still think they're ugly. However, having taken two rides on them this morning, overheard lots of favorable comments from regulars. Particularly on the interiors. The interior is nice no doubt but the red headlights surrounds and red bits on the upper deck deck are horrible imo. Personally I think the LU VHs look the smartest of all regardless of the facelift, they got it right with the design as it looks much neater without the black surrounds connecting the windows between the side and rear/front of the bus. Don't get me wrong the other examples look good too, just a personal preference. Also black headlights surrounds would've been nice, but it doesn't bother me much as these VHs get away with it.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 14, 2016 17:24:55 GMT
My favourite bus stand is South Grove, Highgate Hill for the 271. There is a particular charm about it that I can't quite put my finger on, maybe it's the 'villagy' feel of the area coupled with the fact that double decks use a relatively confined space as a destination and turnaround point. It's a shame that it won't exist anymore, I would keep it for the prospect of a new route to use in the future.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 14, 2016 12:24:56 GMT
Yes and I can't forget them for specific reasons. They were constantly loud, smelled of strong gas, somewhat sluggish, had terribly dull interiors, they were also immensely cavernous inside due to the lack of seats. The ELSs were more refined in all respects bar sound, which wasn't too bad. Despite this, I would've liked them to stick around for longer given they received some much needed enhancements.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 13, 2016 20:52:18 GMT
New Route 239 Edgware Bus Station Mill Hill Boradway Via 240 till Mill Hill East Via 221 till North Finchley Then Route 263 Untill Barnet Terminates at Barnet, The Spires Operated by Metroline (EW) Enviro 400 (TE) Enviro 400 MMC (EM?) London Sovereign (BT) Volvo B7TL Scaina Omindeka (SLE) Scaina OmniCity (SP) Wright Gemini 3 B5H (VH?) Every 18 Mintures Providing Links between Edgware and Barnet via Mill Hill and Totteridge. This will help routes 240,221,263 when schools turn out. I wish I knew the area of all your knew bus routes as they sound interesting. One thing though, you can't really call it 239 for a bit of respect, on the post right above yours theres a new route called the 239. Respect? You do realise it is alright for anyone to use any available number to their ideas regardless of whether it has already been mentioned or not, otherwise everyone would just run out of numbers to use lol. Regarding the op's new route idea, it could've been posted in the 'New route ideas' thread as it's quite feasible rather than a fantasy.
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Post by rmz19 on Mar 13, 2016 1:16:48 GMT
All these proposals that aren't going through gives me hope that the 436 won't be re-routed towards Battersea... Let's very well hope so, because the 436 idea is too stupid to even be called a proposal...more like a debacle waiting to happen.
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