jonesy said:Funny, I'm normally accused of being one of the 'rightists' on this forum...
You could of course deal with the substantive arguments rather than trying to make this a left vs right issue...
You, a rightist
jonesy said:Funny, I'm normally accused of being one of the 'rightists' on this forum...
You could of course deal with the substantive arguments rather than trying to make this a left vs right issue...
jonesy said:Bollox I'm afraid. They were introduced because they improved boarding times, leading to faster journeys. Replacing them with double deckers will increase journey times and increase costs, because you need more vehicles to provide the same service. The problem of free riders is an enforcement problem, not a fault with bendy buses per se. The claimed increased accident rate was never satisfactorily substantiated- the bendy buses were used on busier routes, so not surprisingly if exposure is higher then the number of accidents is higher. The incompetence is in their removal, not their introduction.
http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2009/07/boris-is-poor-pointer-to-tory-policies/
Origamist said:Answer from the Mayor:
As you know, there is a record of serious incidents involving cyclists
and bendy buses. TfL defines serious incidents as those where a cyclist may have required treatment, including in hospital. There was one serious incident involving a cyclist in each of the years 2005/06 and 2006/07, and two in 2007/08.
Analysis that was undertaken by TfL earlier this year showed that
bendy buses were involved in 32% more collisions in total and 36% more collisions with cyclists than non articulated buses serving a similar area, per vehicle kilometre.
simon_brooke said:Without wishing to get into a phoney political debate, to what extent is the problem with bendy buses in London a matter of driver training, and to what extent is it a matter of cramped and congested streets? Other European cities have deployed bendies successfully.
If it's basically a matter that the streets are too narrow and too busy then I can see the justification for withdrawing the buses. If, however, they're not, then I'd think the better solution would be to train - and pay - the drivers appropriately.
jonesy said:Bollox I'm afraid. They were introduced because they improved boarding times, leading to faster journeys. Replacing them with double deckers will increase journey times and increase costs, because you need more vehicles to provide the same service. The problem of free riders is an enforcement problem, not a fault with bendy buses per se. The claimed increased accident rate was never satisfactorily substantiated- the bendy buses were used on busier routes, so not surprisingly if exposure is higher then the number of accidents is higher. The incompetence is in their removal, not their introduction.
http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2009/07/boris-is-poor-pointer-to-tory-policies/
Bigtwin said:they were thoroughly dangerous hunks of crap.
zimzum42 said:Not only were they a problem on corners on certain routes (notably the 453 through Gt Portland St), they were also full of fare-dodgers (me included) and ne'er-do-wells.
domd1979 said:As has already been said, the evidence doesn't substantiate that.