Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Meet the new London routemaster
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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But only in English... Take a 41 from Tottenham Hale to West Green Rd and you'll see what I mean.
I think the only people who post on here are the ones who like to sit at the top above the driver...
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Permalink Reply by Germana on
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This is all really depressing and such a waste of our money. They are really dangerous. I certainly have seen at least 3 people getting hurt by getting on or off at the wrong time. One tourist in central London seemed particularly hurt and I will never forget that. All she did was try to get off between stops, but hit a lamp-post instead. And I know various people who very nearly killed themselves by trying to catch them on the run.
There's no doubt these buses are more beautiful than the bendy bus but they will get more crowded, there's much less space for prams compared to the bendy buses they replace - and incidentally those of us who have small children will have to wait for several buses before getting on, which never happens with bendy buses. Many parents will end up buying a car/using it more, and adding to the horrible traffic and pollution in this area....
I am actually really upset about all this to be honest. I think it's just a disgrace that there hasn't been much more of an uproar about it - I haven't read one single article mentioning the issue of the prams. The only faintly reasonable argument I heard in their favour (apart from aesthetic ones) is that fewer people will ride without a ticket. But more spot checks on bendy buses would have solved that, or conductors, as someone else said. It's just really appalling.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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All she did was try to get off between stops
How does this differ, materially, from attempting suicide? I ride a motorcycle but I wouldn't dream of taking an insane risk like dismounting a moving bus. There are idiots in this world. The Darwin Awards chronicles those who take absurd risks.
Many parents will end up buying a car/using it more
Is there any evidence for this? Buying and owning a car in London is becoming ever more expensive.
I'm excited about the new bus and look forward to using it; I doubt it'll be deployed widely for commuters and pram pushers, but I think tourists in central London will love it.
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Permalink Reply by RuthE on
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Clive, is that a good reason to get rid of the bendy bus and spend all this money on the new buses just to appeal to the tourists and a train-spotter style nostalgia for the route master?
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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What has always impressed me is how popular the articulated buses seem to be with women.
It's also an eye opener to read Clive writing without qualms about squandering money.
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I would have thought that London was a big enough city, indeed the biggest in Europe, that it was large enough to accommodate more than one type of bus. I can see that from one view (economies of scale), it would be most efficient to have a single kind of bus throughout London. But I can easily think of some stretches where the ultra-long bus is highly suitable – and equally, intersections where it would end up jack-knifed.
The W5 route runs past my door (and stops near Harringay railway station, near Stroud Green library) but this even this small bus is close to its limits on some intersections.
The merits of different bus types might be controversial, but generally speaking the bus services in London are excellent.
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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1. Old routemasters were always full up top. The stairs to the upper deck, located at the back of the bus on the old and the new routemasters make it essier for people to quickly get to top deck, rather than having the stairs located in the middle of the ground floor as they are in current double deckers.
2. The development monies for any product design project are always high. This one also involves relatively new engine technology. £8m is certainly not unusual and to be expected. The monies are recuperated from sales to private bus companies who buy dozens at a time.
3. London and the UK have often led with art & design whether it be in fashion, architecture, music. A Brit designed the new Reichstag after all. Adding a new routemaster to London's roads fits perfectly in with the city. It's functional as well eye catching. The bendy buses are shall we say rather germanic; all function and no flare. But of course there's room for many bus designs in Europe's biggest city.
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4. Another problem with the old routmaster was for those standing in the narrow isle on the lower deck. When it was full, those standing at the front near the driver would have to squeeze pass a long line of people, shopping bags and dogs etc to get off at the back of the bus. With all the fat people nowadays it wouldn't be practical.
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> With all the fat people nowadays it wouldn't be practical.
Ah now I understand why they've created more aisle room and provided more doors. Those designers really are somethinkg
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Norman Foster isn't the only British architect who makes more money abroad than at home, because there just isn't the same investment in the UK.. The Neues Museum in Berlin another example.
Just one small point Matt.. Open Platform buses are now illegal in the EU.. so Boris was/is intending to provoke EU law and is going to have to look further afield for his export sales.. which I doubt will be forthcoming..
The dig about Germany I'll ignore.. just would say that we manufacture & export more goods than the rest of the EU, Norway and all the other non EU European countries put together..
In fact most other countries need German made precision machine tools to build anything - growth in Germany this year 3,5%, exports back to 2008 level, unemployment is at a 20 year low.. the unification blip is over..
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To clarify my point - I think new Open Platform buses are illegal.. The RMs had/have a dispensation I think, being all built pre-1970
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