Bendybuses

Roger Thorpe said:

A cyclist was killed by a bendybus in the city where I live this week.
There's a lot more experience of these in London, and I haven't come
across many myself so can I ask;
What (in general, without trying to blame anyone) causes this. Is it an
inexperienced cyclist trying to filter or is it a distracted driver
trying to overtake? Is the problem caused by the silent approach?
Are there any solutions in prospect, (putting a conductor onboard for
instance) or is there any hope of getting rid of the [censored]? Is it
even an 'issue' in transport planning circles?
Roger Thorpe

I believe Boris made getting rid of them one of his manifesto promises.

In article <[email hidden]>, roger.thorpe4
@pleasenospamthankyouverymuch.ntlworld.co.uk says...

Quoted message said:

A cyclist was killed by a bendybus in the city where I live this week.
There's a lot more experience of these in London, and I haven't come
across many myself so can I ask;
What (in general, without trying to blame anyone) causes this. Is it an
inexperienced cyclist trying to filter or is it a distracted driver
trying to overtake? Is the problem caused by the silent approach?
Are there any solutions in prospect, (putting a conductor onboard for
instance) or is there any hope of getting rid of the [censored]? Is it
even an 'issue' in transport planning circles?
Roger Thorpe

TfL has data that shows that bendy buses cause twice as many injuries as
normal buses to vulnerable road users but it hasn't stopped them
continuing to use them.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23399737-details/Bendy%
20buses%20-%20the%20fatal%20facts/article.do

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

Nick said:

Roger Thorpe said:

A cyclist was killed by a bendybus in the city where I live this week.
There's a lot more experience of these in London, and I haven't come
across many myself so can I ask;
What (in general, without trying to blame anyone) causes this. Is it
an inexperienced cyclist trying to filter or is it a distracted
driver trying to overtake? Is the problem caused by the silent
approach?
Are there any solutions in prospect, (putting a conductor onboard
for instance) or is there any hope of getting rid of the [censored]?
Is it even an 'issue' in transport planning circles?
Roger Thorpe

I believe Boris made getting rid of them one of his manifesto promises.

He can promise whatever he likes - it makes no difference as Ken will
obviously be re-elected.

Paul Rudin said:

Nick said:

Roger Thorpe said:

A cyclist was killed by a bendybus in the city where I live this week.
There's a lot more experience of these in London, and I haven't come
across many myself so can I ask;
What (in general, without trying to blame anyone) causes this. Is it
an inexperienced cyclist trying to filter or is it a distracted
driver trying to overtake? Is the problem caused by the silent
approach?
Are there any solutions in prospect, (putting a conductor onboard
for instance) or is there any hope of getting rid of the [censored]?
Is it even an 'issue' in transport planning circles?
Roger Thorpe

I believe Boris made getting rid of them one of his manifesto promises.

He can promise whatever he likes - it makes no difference as Ken will
obviously be re-elected.

I'm not so sure. We shall see.

Nick said:

Paul Rudin said:

Nick said:

Roger Thorpe wrote:
> A cyclist was killed by a bendybus in the city where I live this week.
> There's a lot more experience of these in London, and I haven't come
> across many myself so can I ask;
> What (in general, without trying to blame anyone) causes this. Is it
> an inexperienced cyclist trying to filter or is it a distracted
> driver trying to overtake? Is the problem caused by the silent
> approach?
> Are there any solutions in prospect, (putting a conductor onboard
> for instance) or is there any hope of getting rid of the [censored]?
> Is it even an 'issue' in transport planning circles?
> Roger Thorpe
I believe Boris made getting rid of them one of his manifesto promises.

He can promise whatever he likes - it makes no difference as Ken will
obviously be re-elected.

I'm not so sure.

Well - if you truly believe otherwise then you can make good money
betting against.

Quoted message said:

We shall see.

Indeed.

Tony Raven said:

TfL has data that shows that bendy buses cause twice as many injuries as
normal buses to vulnerable road users but it hasn't stopped them
continuing to use them.http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23399737-details/Bendy%
20buses%20-%20the%20fatal%20facts/article.do

Unlike the situation in rail travel where when a crash kills people
millions are spent upgrading systems. Can you imagine a ral operator
being allowed to continue using equipment that caused increased
deaths?

What was wrong with double decker buses?

Iain

In article <[email hidden]>,
iarocu
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

What was wrong with double decker buses?

The stairs.

Iarocu asked:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What was wrong with double decker buses?

and Rob Morley suggested:

Quoted message said:

The stairs.

What's wrong with stairs?

Double deckers have problems with low bridges, but are there many of
those in London?

--
Danny Colyer <http://www.redpedals.co.uk>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"The plural of anecdote is not data" - Frank Kotsonis

Danny Colyer said:

Iarocu asked:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What was wrong with double decker buses?

and Rob Morley suggested:

Quoted message said:

The stairs.

What's wrong with stairs?

People fall down them, and then sue the transport company.With a bendy
bus it's easier to shrug shoulders and say "It's an accident" when a
cyclsit gets KSI

Roger Thorpe said:

A cyclist was killed by a bendybus in the city where I live this week.
There's a lot more experience of these in London, and I haven't come
across many myself so can I ask;
What (in general, without trying to blame anyone) causes this. Is it an
inexperienced cyclist trying to filter or is it a distracted driver
trying to overtake? Is the problem caused by the silent approach?

Without knowing what kind of accident we are talking about it is
impossible to say. All my bad interactions with bendy buses have been
due to driver error. I get on just fine with articulated lorries but
the drivers of bendys I've had words with just don't seem to care.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Danny Colyer said:

Iarocu asked:

Quoted message said:

> What was wrong with double decker buses?

and Rob Morley suggested:

Quoted message said:

The stairs.

What's wrong with stairs?

People fall down them, and then sue the transport company.With a bendy
bus it's easier to shrug shoulders and say "It's an accident" when a
cyclsit gets KSI

People fall off bendy buses and get dragged to death for over a mile.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23416238-
details/The+bendy+bus+that+grated+a+man+to+death/article.do

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

marc said:

Danny Colyer said:

Iarocu asked:

Quoted message said:

> What was wrong with double decker buses?

and Rob Morley suggested:

Quoted message said:

The stairs.

What's wrong with stairs?

People fall down them, and then sue the transport company.With a bendy
bus it's easier to shrug shoulders and say "It's an accident" when a
cyclsit gets KSI

It's very easy to say "It's an accident" when someone falls down some
stairs. It's also more likely to be true.

Cheers,
Luke

--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire <http://www.shrimper.org.uk>

"Nick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Roger Thorpe said:

A cyclist was killed by a bendybus in the city where I live this week.
There's a lot more experience of these in London, and I haven't come
across many myself so can I ask;
What (in general, without trying to blame anyone) causes this. Is it an
inexperienced cyclist trying to filter or is it a distracted driver
trying to overtake? Is the problem caused by the silent approach?
Are there any solutions in prospect, (putting a conductor onboard for
instance) or is there any hope of getting rid of the [censored]? Is it even
an 'issue' in transport planning circles?
Roger Thorpe

I believe Boris made getting rid of them one of his manifesto promises.

Of course, that will only help in London. How do they cope with bendybuses
on the continent where they came from in the first place?

David Lloyd

On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:03:53 GMT

(Ekul Namsob) said:

marc said:

Danny Colyer said:

Iarocu asked:
>> What was wrong with double decker buses?

and Rob Morley suggested:
> The stairs.

What's wrong with stairs?

People fall down them, and then sue the transport company.With a
bendy bus it's easier to shrug shoulders and say "It's an accident"
when a cyclsit gets KSI

It's very easy to say "It's an accident" when someone falls down some
stairs. It's also more likely to be true.

We still have double-decker buses. Twice weekly from here,
and passing within six miles every day. Doesn't anyone else?

Those passengers for whom stairs might be a problem sit downstairs.
Meanwhile, those who want the best views can sit upstairs.
It's called "choice".

--
not me guv

Nick Kew said:

On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:03:53 GMT

(Ekul Namsob) said:

marc <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Danny Colyer wrote:
> Iarocu asked:
>>> What was wrong with double decker buses?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> and Rob Morley suggested:
>> The stairs.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> What's wrong with stairs?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

People fall down them, and then sue the transport company.With a
bendy bus it's easier to shrug shoulders and say "It's an accident"
when a cyclsit gets KSI

Quoted message said:

It's very easy to say "It's an accident" when someone falls down some
stairs. It's also more likely to be true.

We still have double-decker buses. Twice weekly from here,
and passing within six miles every day. Doesn't anyone else?

Those passengers for whom stairs might be a problem sit downstairs.
Meanwhile, those who want the best views can sit upstairs.
It's called "choice".

I have noticed that a combination of pretty nippy acceleration from a
stop along with stairs sloping down towards the back of the bus can
increase my susceptibility.

Tony Raven said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Danny Colyer said:

Iarocu asked:
>> What was wrong with double decker buses?

and Rob Morley suggested:
> The stairs.

What's wrong with stairs?

People fall down them, and then sue the transport company.With a bendy
bus it's easier to shrug shoulders and say "It's an accident" when a
cyclsit gets KSI

People fall off bendy buses and get dragged to death for over a mile.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23416238-
details/The+bendy+bus+that+grated+a+man+to+death/article.do

I feel sick.

Is it fair to say that the buses are unsuited to London's streets or are
they inherently dangerous? Much of Europe seems to cope with the things
successfully.

Cheers,
Luke

--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire <http://www.shrimper.org.uk>

Nick Kew said:

On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:03:53 GMT

(Ekul Namsob) said:

marc said:

Danny Colyer wrote:
> Iarocu asked:
>>> What was wrong with double decker buses?
>
> and Rob Morley suggested:
>> The stairs.
>
> What's wrong with stairs?

People fall down them, and then sue the transport company.With a
bendy bus it's easier to shrug shoulders and say "It's an accident"
when a cyclsit gets KSI

It's very easy to say "It's an accident" when someone falls down some
stairs. It's also more likely to be true.

We still have double-decker buses. Twice weekly from here,
and passing within six miles every day. Doesn't anyone else?

We still have them in Preston. I'd be astonished to see a bendy bus
complete the necessary turns to manage the number 16 route round here.

Cheers,
Luke

--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire <http://www.shrimper.org.uk>

Ekul Namsob said:

Is it fair to say that the buses are unsuited to London's streets or are
they inherently dangerous? Much of Europe seems to cope with the things
successfully.

Here in Germany probably one third of all city buses are
"bendybuses" (17.5 meters long or so). I don't think they
are inherently dangerous. We have lots of them since the
70ies and I can't remember any safety discussion about
their usage. However for some cities, those largish buses
require some additional planning efforts from the transport
service companies since on some lines they simply cannot
be used due to small road crossings or roundabouts.

In the last few years we had much more trouble with those
(non-bendy) 15-meter-buses that have been taken into service
recently. Bus drivers used to the standard 12-13 m standard
buses sometimes didn't take care about the length of those
new vehicles and damaged roundabouts etc.

Greetings from Germany...
Daniel

Quoted message said:

Iarocu asked:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What was wrong with double decker buses?

and Rob Morley suggested:

Quoted message said:

The stairs.

What's wrong with stairs?

and Danny Colyer contributed:

Quoted message said:

Double deckers have problems with low bridges, but are there many of
those in London?

Not on the routes that used to have double deckers that now have bendy
buses.

It's faster to get passengers on and off bendy buses, apparenly.

~PB