Bendy buses taken out of service

[Dan B]

Bendy buses usually have a sign on the back saying "This vehicle is 18m long".

Which is helpful, if you thought you were about to overtake an ordinary-length bus, but would be far more use on the dashboard for use when the double-length vehicle driver is about to pull in after starting to overtake you.

That said, according to the numbers the practical road safety impact of these things is as nothing compared to, say, left-turning HGVs. On which subject Boris seems much more reluctant to get involved

 

[Tynan]

'This vehicle uses rear steering' still makes my blood

I was reading that once wondering what it meant on the back of on HGV, while preparing to start undertaking it (I was young and foolish)

at that moment the whole bloody trailer moved smoothly to the left as the trusk started to shape up for a left turn

 

[Brains]

Something that people forget:

In the late 1980's I was involved in moving the 100+ bendy busses that the GLC (Greater London Council) had bought at the time to Thailand at a knock down price.

The reason why the GLC were selling the brand new, never used, bendy busses to Thailand is because they werre found to be unsuatable for the London streets

I was amazed when they re-appeared in the early 2000's and not al all suprised they are all going less than a decade later.

Whilst I am in the St Ken/BorisIsSatan camp, this was one error that was totally predictable.

 

[domd1979]

Nope, you still haven't substantiated your claims.

Killing/very seriously injuring people just standing on street corners because they are totally unsuitable for terrain is something only a retard could defend.

 

[domd1979]

Wasnt the reason for Bendy Buses in the first place being due to TfL having to comply with a disablity laws?

Not specifically, no. Disability Discrimination Act requires all buses to be fully accessible by 2015. Obviously Routemasters and other step entrance vehicles don't comply. Artics are well suited to shifting high volumes of people and they load/unload very quickly compared to double deckers.

 

[jonesy]

Your analysis has far exceeded your IQ.

Having seen people mashed against the railings twice by these - once at the end of Waterloo bridge and once at the High Holborn/Southampton Row corner - both very large streets in London terms, it takes the intellect of a field mouse to work out that they were thoroughly dangerous hunks of crap.

Hmmm. Well the plural of anecdote isn't data is it...

No doubt, given your great intellect, you can quickly point me to a suitably reputable study that has looked at the safety record of bendy-buses, both in London and in other cities where they are used, analysed the accidents, looked at their causes, considered what else might be done to resolve any problems identified (e.g. changing routes, removing railings, remodelling junctions, improved driver training etc), evaluated costs and benefits and concluded on the basis of the evidence that all the buses should be withdrawn...? I'm assuming you are aware of such a study, because without that sort of evidence, your opinion is merely... opinion.

 

[tdr1nka]

The only 'problem' I have with bendy buses is drivers pulling out/away without indicating when I'm halfway through overtaking, then again double deckers do this from time to time as well, I'm simply more cautious around the bendy ones.

I still remember when at least two of the first fleet of bendy buses caught fire(owing to Mercedes making parts of the fuel line out of highly flammable materials), I happened to cycle alongside one of the burnt out buses being 'taken away' on a low loader.

There was surprisingly little left except the chassis and the hoops in the articulated middle looking like the ribs of a skeleton.

Shame if BoJo has to manufacture reasons to bin them, especially when it's made to look like he's making a serious contribution to the welfare of cyclists, when he(still) isn't.

 

[tdr1nka]

I posted before I read your previous post.

 

[jonesy]

BoJo isn't 'manufacturing evidence'. He's quoting TfL's own peer reviewed research.

Is it? Can you give us a link?

Edit...

You see, these people, TAS Partnership, are experts in buses. And they don't agree with Boris:
http://taspublications.co.uk/blog/?p=87

 

[jonesy]

As I'm sure you will appreciate, it depends on the measure used. The measure used by TfL is the industry standard - incidents per million miles operated.

The 'research' (which was basically knocked up for a Channel 4 programme) you refer to uses a unique measure and also does not look at the totality of the non-bendy bus routes which will, as I'm sure you will acknowledge, affect the million miles operated measure.

Its very easy to get misled by statistics if you don't understand what you're looking at.

Indeed! And that's why TAS looked at them in more detail.. a simple comparison of incidents per million miles operated isn't very helpful if they are being used in different environments. It is like the misleading comparison that can be made between cyclists and motorists on casualties per billion km when they are undertaking journies in very different places (is motorway mileage a valid comparison with the risk of cycling?). So this simplistic measure should not be used as the sole basis for making a policy decision about which sort of vehicles to operate. Not only do you need to be able to do like for like comparisons relevant to the routes operated, but you also need to take account of what you will replace the bendy buses with if you take them off. And as you need more rigids to replace the bendies, then even if the risk per bus is lower, the total risk could be higher. This is the sort of analysis TAS has done, but I've not seen anything equivalent from TfL. You also need to look in detail at the circumstances of the accidents and consider whether there are other things that could be done to mitigate them- like changing routes, altering junctions etc. Sorry, but this is a very expensive policy decision being taken and I'd expect it to be supported by proper, robust studies evaluating all the options and providing an evidence based recommendation. Where is it?

 

[bigjim]

Got them here in Manchester. Find them a nightmare. They block their own stops with the back end sticking out so the driver has not a clue whats behind him/her when they pull away from the stop. Usually without signalling and you have twice the length to pass on the bike, often getting stuck half way down the thing when they decide to pull away. They bloc the roads in rush hour and add to the chaos. I think they are a dangerous nightmare, unsuitable for our overcrowded roads ans a PC sop to the very vocal [quite rightly] disability lobby. It would have been cheaper to provide the disabled with a free/subsidised taxi service and free them from having to sit in the cold and rain waiting for a bus that often does not bother to turn up. On buggys. When my kids were small we had a McClaren buggy that folded up like a brolly and was not problem to board the old double decker. These days they are more like MTBs.

 

[Fnaar]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Bendy buses would be much better if they made a concertina noise whilst going round corners.

 

[summerdays]

They haven't sold them to Bristol have they ... news in the paper today:

Bendy buses' could be on the streets of Bristol by 2012

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/homepage/Bendy-buses-201/article-1195284-detail/article.html

 

[hackbike 666]

I don't find bendy buses too bad.If you accept their limitations and use this to your advantage it can be useful.Im not the fastest cyclist in the world but I do find bendy buses do pull away slow obviously which can be used to an advantage.I'd hate to think how good it would be if I was fast.

Double Deckers are worse as they can tend to pass at a faster speed causing a slipstream (Waterloo Bridge and the Leyton High Road being an example)

 

[domd1979]

They haven't sold them to Bristol have they ... news in the paper today:



http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/homepage/Bendy-buses-201/article-1195284-detail/article.html

Nah, they'll be nice new ones.