no seriously bus drivers are bloody awful in most part
My subjective experience in London, South of the Thames is that most bus drivers are observant and tolerant, as a sweeping generalisation.
It might be of help if Bus lanes were better named (Bus, Bike and Taxi) lanes? And made 24/7 universally with a 24/7 20mph limit? And opened to vehicles carrying 7 adults?
-- Charles Brompton P6R-Plus; CarryFreedom -YL, in Motspur Park LCC; CTC.
no seriously bus drivers are bloody awful in most part
My subjective experience in London, South of the Thames is that most bus drivers are observant and tolerant, as a sweeping generalisation.
It might be of help if Bus lanes were better named (Bus, Bike and Taxi) lanes? And made 24/7 universally with a 24/7 20mph limit? And opened to vehicles carrying 7 adults?
-- Charles Brompton P6R-Plus; CarryFreedom -YL, in Motspur Park LCC; CTC.
Would you rather cycle down a road with bendy buses, or a road with all the bendy bus passengers driving cars?
But those are not the only options. E.g. why not have double decker busses instead of bendy busses?
The bendy buses have their advantages. They have 3 doors for getting on and off so they don't have to hang around so long at each stop, which speeds things up no end. They kneel down to make it easier for the less athletic or those with buggies to get on and off, as does being all on one level. Also the stairs on a double-decker are a safety hazard e.g. a bloke died of back injuries falling down them last month:
Would you rather cycle down a road with bendy buses, or a road with all the bendy bus passengers driving cars?
But those are not the only options. E.g. why not have double decker busses instead of bendy busses?
The bendy buses have their advantages. They have 3 doors for getting on and off so they don't have to hang around so long at each stop, which speeds things up no end. They kneel down to make it easier for the less athletic or those with buggies to get on and off, as does being all on one level. Also the stairs on a double-decker are a safety hazard e.g. a bloke died of back injuries falling down them last month:
The bendy buses in Glasgow have only 2 doors and only the one at the front is usable.
After cyclist Bridgette Panormo was killed in Portsmouth by being dragged across a roundabout by a bus that drove over her, a passenger has now been killed after being dragged under a bus for a mile. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7035041.stm
Yeuch. But how? Surely the wheels would have rolled over the bloke. Well, obviously not, but it seems a bit odd unless the reporting is less than accurate.
Roll over then lift up as you come out the other side - jammed in the arch. Gonna be unpleasant.
Would you rather cycle down a road with bendy buses, or a road with all the bendy bus passengers driving cars?
But those are not the only options. E.g. why not have double decker busses instead of bendy busses?
The bendy buses have their advantages. They have 3 doors for getting on and off so they don't have to hang around so long at each stop, which speeds things up no end. They kneel down to make it easier for the less athletic or those with buggies to get on and off, as does being all on one level.
Hmm. The latest generation of Berlin double-decker buses has three doors, kneeling, air-conditioning, low floors, space for two wheelchairs (or four or five buggies), wheelchair ramps at the front & middle doors, two staircases (one at the front for going up, one at the back for coming down) and can transport 128 people, 82 of whom get seats. So you can have the best of both worlds...
It might be of help if Bus lanes were better named (Bus, Bike and Taxi) lanes? And made 24/7 universally with a 24/7 20mph limit?
Can't see the point of the latter: why have a bus lane that sits empty outside the hours that buses run?
Bus lanes are only or any real use for buses when there is a lot of traffic on the road. When there is little traffic on the road and buses don't need them, then neither does the other motorised traffic.
There are some bus lanes in Bristol used for on street parking out of hours, but some people try to cycle in them at the same time. (two inches from the parted cars, other vehicles overtaking two inches to the right).
It might be of help if Bus lanes were better named (Bus, Bike and Taxi) lanes? And made 24/7 universally with a 24/7 20mph limit?
Can't see the point of the latter: why have a bus lane that sits empty outside the hours that buses run?
Because it annoys drivers. And it lets the local council say "we have X miles of 24/7 bus lanes, aren't we wonderful".
See also the bus lane across the Downs in Bristol, among many others.
-- I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? [...] As for me, give me a fixed gear! -- Henri Desgrange
cars every time! no seriously bus drivers are bloody awful in most part,
Highly variable IME. Locally there are 3 flavours and my anecdotal, unquantified assessment is Stagecoach drivers are more likely to pass bothersomely close than Travel Dundee or Strathtay, and while there are exceptions TD and ST are both pretty good at giving me space and consideration.
sure, it's like inspite of the fact that nr my folks bikes on the road are rare site, you get a lot more room than on the edge of london, but then the roads are fairly light traffic even at rush hour.
I was in Edinburgh last night. It's quite staggering how many more cyclists you see in Edinburgh than in the west of Scotland - and how much better, on average, the bikes and lights are.
> cars every time! no seriously bus drivers are bloody awful in most > part,
Highly variable IME. Locally there are 3 flavours and my anecdotal, unquantified assessment is Stagecoach drivers are more likely to pass bothersomely close than Travel Dundee or Strathtay, and while there are exceptions TD and ST are both pretty good at giving me space and consideration.
sure, it's like inspite of the fact that nr my folks bikes on the road are rare site, you get a lot more room than on the edge of london, but then the roads are fairly light traffic even at rush hour.
I was in Edinburgh last night. It's quite staggering how many more cyclists you see in Edinburgh than in the west of Scotland - and how much better, on average, the bikes and lights are.
Cycling culture is amazingly patchy.
you don't see many round my folks place, i suspect as it's rual so distances are larger, and being a gorge the hills are steep, quite a few of the roads up and down get into the 30% range.
do get the odd MTB bike and sustrans wanderer. but thats about it.
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
Quoted message said:
Simon Brooke said:
in message <[email hidden]>, Roger Merriman
(') said:
Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote:
> Roger Merriman wrote: > > > cars every time! no seriously bus drivers are bloody awful in most > > part, > > Highly variable IME. Locally there are 3 flavours and my anecdotal, > unquantified assessment is Stagecoach drivers are more likely to pass > bothersomely close than Travel Dundee or Strathtay, and while there are > exceptions TD and ST are both pretty good at giving me space and > consideration.
sure, it's like inspite of the fact that nr my folks bikes on the road are rare site, you get a lot more room than on the edge of london, but then the roads are fairly light traffic even at rush hour.
I was in Edinburgh last night. It's quite staggering how many more cyclists you see in Edinburgh than in the west of Scotland - and how much better, on average, the bikes and lights are.
Cycling culture is amazingly patchy.
you don't see many round my folks place, i suspect as it's rual so distances are larger, and being a gorge the hills are steep, quite a few of the roads up and down get into the 30% range.
do get the odd MTB bike and sustrans wanderer. but thats about it.
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
Quoted message said:
Simon Brooke said:
in message <[email hidden]>, Roger Merriman ([email hidden]'😉 wrote:
> Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote: > >> Roger Merriman wrote: >> >> > cars every time! no seriously bus drivers are bloody awful in most >> > part, >> >> Highly variable IME. Locally there are 3 flavours and my anecdotal, >> unquantified assessment is Stagecoach drivers are more likely to pass >> bothersomely close than Travel Dundee or Strathtay, and while there are >> exceptions TD and ST are both pretty good at giving me space and >> consideration. > > sure, it's like inspite of the fact that nr my folks bikes on the road > are rare site, you get a lot more room than on the edge of london, but > then the roads are fairly light traffic even at rush hour.
I was in Edinburgh last night. It's quite staggering how many more cyclists you see in Edinburgh than in the west of Scotland - and how much better, on average, the bikes and lights are.
Cycling culture is amazingly patchy.
you don't see many round my folks place, i suspect as it's rual so distances are larger, and being a gorge the hills are steep, quite a few of the roads up and down get into the 30% range.
do get the odd MTB bike and sustrans wanderer. but thats about it.
> cars every time! no seriously bus drivers are bloody awful in most > part,
Highly variable IME. Locally there are 3 flavours and my anecdotal, unquantified assessment is Stagecoach drivers are more likely to pass bothersomely close than Travel Dundee or Strathtay, and while there are exceptions TD and ST are both pretty good at giving me space and consideration.
sure, it's like inspite of the fact that nr my folks bikes on the road are rare site, you get a lot more room than on the edge of london, but then the roads are fairly light traffic even at rush hour.
I was in Edinburgh last night. It's quite staggering how many more cyclists you see in Edinburgh than in the west of Scotland - and how much better, on average, the bikes and lights are.
Cycling culture is amazingly patchy.
just a thought, Edinburgh's streets are for most part fairly narrow? ie they haven't put multy lane roads though it.
it's been a good few years since i've been up that way.
i certinaly notice the differnce with regard to richmound and kingston upon thames. in that Richmound has retained the shape of it's old streets, unlike kingston. thus no multylane traffic to play chicken with. means one can cross the street more easly on foot, or ride though etc.
Imagine that lot were all in cars - there'd be total gridlock.
-- [email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ Ye hypocrites! are these your pranks? To murder men and give God thanks? Desist, for shame! Proceed no further: God won't accept your thanks for murther -- Robert Burns, 'Thanksgiving For a National Victory'
Imagine that lot were all in cars - there'd be total gridlock.
There often is!
There is partial gridlock in the video but if you examine it, it is all caused by motor vehicles blocking each other while the cyclists move freely in and around each other and the stationary motor vehicles.
-- Tony
" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong." Bertrand Russell
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
Quoted message said:
Simon Brooke <[email hidden]> wrote:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
in message <[email hidden]>, Roger Merriman ([email hidden]'😉 wrote:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
> Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
>> Roger Merriman wrote:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
>> > cars every time! no seriously bus drivers are bloody awful in most >> > part,
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
>> Highly variable IME. Locally there are 3 flavours and my anecdotal, >> unquantified assessment is Stagecoach drivers are more likely to pass >> bothersomely close than Travel Dundee or Strathtay, and while there are >> exceptions TD and ST are both pretty good at giving me space and >> consideration.
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
> sure, it's like inspite of the fact that nr my folks bikes on the road > are rare site, you get a lot more room than on the edge of london, but > then the roads are fairly light traffic even at rush hour.
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
I was in Edinburgh last night. It's quite staggering how many more cyclists you see in Edinburgh than in the west of Scotland - and how much better, on average, the bikes and lights are.
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Cycling culture is amazingly patchy.
Quoted message said:
you don't see many round my folks place, i suspect as it's rual so distances are larger, and being a gorge the hills are steep, quite a few of the roads up and down get into the 30% range.
Quoted message said:
do get the odd MTB bike and sustrans wanderer. but thats about it.
Impressive - almost looks like the cyclists are swarming like flies. A lot of cyclists seem to be riding right up close to the kerb though.
Yes.
Unfortunately this means that those of us who prefer a more sensible road position get aggro from idiots who think we shouldn't be "in the middle of the road".
-- Ian Jackson personal email: <[email hidden]> These opinions are my own. http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~ijackson/ PGP2 key 1024R/0x23f5addb, fingerprint 5906F687 BD03ACAD 0D8E602E FCF37657
