Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

suffering from bus rage!!!

Hi All

Am not generally a moaner but need to get this one off my chest.

I regularly use the 144,231,217 and 444 bus services going up to the Roundway, I am totally appalled at the behaviour of some of my fellow travellers - and no I am not just talking about young people, all too often the queue for these buses at Turnpike lane turns into a scrum as people push their way onto buses instead of queuing up to get on - twice I have acted as a human shield to make sure that two elderly ladies were not squashed in the rush. I am a regular bus user all over London and I am going to be honest and say that some - not all users of these services are without doubt the rudest and most ignorant people I have ever encountered. I have pretty much given up using the bus service as I have also been pushed and shoved out of the way by people - they even do it as you are getting on the bus, I have had a go a few times and asked people to stand up to give others less able to stand their seats - This does not seem to go down well - clearly they would much rather see someone older or a pregnant woman stand whilst they sit. Or you end up in a situation where everyone stands downstairs blocking the entrance and exit simply becasue they can't be bothered to walk upstairs meaning the bus leaves half full.

this leads me on to my second point - sorry its a long rant this one! Clearly if you go to Turnpike lane and look at this bus stop at anytime of the day it is the busiest, yet there are no where near enough buses - if you are daft enough ot even waste your time waiting for one of these buses to turn up between 7:45am and 9am you have next to no chance of getting on one, I don't understand why there are not more buses laid on, even judt at peak times, it would make life a lot easier for everyone and perhaps stop the constant barging and poor behaviour.

Right ok rant over - but seriously am I the only one that has noticed this!!!

Tags for Forum Posts: buses, public transport

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Permalink Reply by Tammy Palmer on January 22, 2010 at 14:41

really interesting stuff- our obsession with queuing is fascinating and it is true very little gets my back up but a queue jumper is the most annoying person in the world - its the very british sense of fairness that is instilled in us - as with Kate Foxes experiment the thought of jumping a queue would bring me out in a cold sweat!
I used to work with lots of Dutch people and was asked to give them some training on English culture - very patronising I know but basically customers and other staff found them really rude. they actually totally didn't get why we felt the need to queue up for everything and why we apologised for everything and why we had to say please and thank you so many times in a conversation, they had a point!!!!

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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on January 22, 2010 at 14:46

Queuing means first come, first served. Not queuing means the meek are a long way away from inheriting the earth. I'm not English but I think queuing is a good thing.

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Permalink Reply by dubmill on January 23, 2010 at 13:33

It's funny how formal queueing for buses has more or less died out. There used to be a line up on the kerb with the front of the queue being directly by the bus stop. People now just stand wherever they feel like standing, but nevertheless there's a vestige of politeness. A lot of people, including me, will attempt to make a mental note of who was there first and allow them to go ahead when boarding.

I don't like the attitude of those who just ignore bus queues and stride in front of people already waiting to board. It's not as if they don't understand the concept - they have to queue in banks and Post Offices like everybody else. They just think they can get away with it when it comes to getting on the bus.

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Permalink Reply by Malcolm on January 26, 2010 at 10:10

Possibly caused by the fact that buses seem to stop at random positions near the bus stops these days, so the concept of a "head" of the queue near the door is lost?

Lines on the curb marking the door, and showing where the queue should form might well be a good, cheap and successful "nudge" back towards proper queuing. It seems to work well on the tubes.

Permalink Reply by StephenBln on January 26, 2010 at 11:05

Good point Malcolm.. Believe it or not, Bus Stops are supposed to be positioned so that the buses don't get in the way of or hinder other traffic..
When London's buses were converted from two person to one person operation, some stops needed to be moved because it wasn't possible to fit the front of the bus at the stop (opo) instead of the back of the bus (tpo)...

Boris' plan for buses with open platforms will cause the same problems again, although it has now been decided to opt for three doored/two staircased buses that can used for both opo & tpo.. bascically what we talking about on HOL on other threads..
Berlin buses in London :o) !!
http://www.isarsteve.de/wp-content/uploads/w8-dl3144_01.jpg

Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on January 24, 2010 at 15:32

Queuing is a greatly overrated virtue. Some of us up here on the Ladder's commanding heights have been queuing for a bus for 124 years - and look where it's got us. Yes, you're all right: we're suffering and we're bloody raging.