Whatcha mean it's not supposed to work like that?

[caddyman]

For the first time in some months, those drivers that insist on visiting central London during the day time must be pleased. I don't know how much the Congestion Charge is these days, but in the Victoria area at least, it's gridlock. Finally, the congestion they've spent all this money on, and it's clearly worth every penny. I assume that organising proper traffic congestion has become more expensive and that the GLA have been saving up so that they can organise a really good one.

Well, it's worked. I'd be dead chuffed if I was visiting the city today by car. I would have every penny's worth of congestion I could ever have wanted. There have been days when the level of traffic and the speed of movement was such that I thought that drivers should get some kind of rebate. Not today. Today's a corker.

And bless!

In an attempt to include pedestrians in the fun (and we get it for free, too. What a bargain!), the increasing number of 'bendy buses' traveling in convoy means that vast swathes of road are blocked in their entirety, so that just crossing the street is a major adventure, even when the traffic is at a standstill. Just crossing Wilton Road this morning entailed walking an extra couple of hundred yards up and down the length of several parallel and stationary bendy buses like some horrible mobile maze in the middle of the road.

I never did understand what the problem was with the old Routemaster buses every one liked and which everyone in the rest of the world still thinks we have.

Still, can't have everything, and as I say, it's free to pedestrians. As long as the drivers are getting the congestion they're paying so handsomely for, can't complain.

Comments

[westernind.livejournal.com]

Disabled access. That was the problem.

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Ah, of course.

Makes sense. I still miss them, though.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

Me too. Particularly hanging off the pole on the platform, and the way you could get off and on anywhere, if brave enough.

[fractalgeek.livejournal.com]

Well, there's stil some "Heritage routes" running (eg the 15), and in the interests of "inclusion" about 1 in 3 bus on this route is a regular one.

I reproduce a rant I wrote to the ES recently, but I don't believe this one was published.




The congestion charge was never about reducing overall pollution, it was an attempt to improve speeds in central London at the cost of worse traffic around the boundary and slightly higher pollution across the whole of London. Traffic planning was also to keep speeds down at their previous level so that the severity of accidents didn't increase.

The larger than expected traffic reduction has been accompanied by -

New traffic lights with an increasingly larger time on uncontrolled pedestrian cycles or deliberate desynchronisation;

a systematic concentration of traffic onto longer and ever-more tortuous routes at the same time as eliminating feeder routes;

Lane narrowing and the introduction and widening of traffic island preventing other traffic (including buses) from passing even a single stopped vehicle;

The introduction of bendy buses without reconstruction or resiting their stops so they end up blocking junctions - and particularly box junctions, queuing for stops or waiting for cycles to pass up their whole length;

Preventing black cabs from using "key" bus lanes, ....

The list goes on and on, like the queues.

The result is slower traffic with the same level of pollution. I want to move around Central London quickly, and my usual modes of transport are to walk, take a bus or cab, or take a tube. The increased congestion charge could only be justified to prevent more traffic coming in if flows were improved. As it is, it is damaging the character of specialist shops, while not helping journey times, pollution or our quality of life. Thanks, Ken.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Disabled access and really grimey diesel engines - the Routemasters were chucking loads of particulates all over London, and renovating the engines to bring them up to modern standards was going to cost more than they were worth.

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

There be lots of Soldiers and Marching Bands, parading, neigh, 'quick marching'down Whitehall.

They have obviously heard of said congenstion in the Victoria area and are off to provide the gridlocked motorists some well needed entertainment.


....of course on the other hand...they may just be an ickle bit responisble for it.

Rant Rant Rant

[romney.livejournal.com]

Disabled access is all well and good, but the old Routemaster, apart from being the London Bus, actually seated more people in geater comfort. I recal reading somewhere they were also more fuel-efficient.

The REAL reason is to do away with the conductor to save money and remove any possibility of assult against them. Now, the old conductor would collect fares, help people out, boss people into making room. etc. He (or she) also acted as a deterrent againt bad behaviour. Yes, of course a few got assulted, but now the busses are unregulated, bad behavour is unchecked, and the "Bendy bus" is known as the "Free bus". They have, I suspect, discovered that ticket inspectors get thumped even harder.

They should have kept the Routemasters on the busy routes at busy times alongside the new ones. Yes, you need a conductor and they are not disability friendly, but on the busy route there is another bus along soon. Discrimination? Well, at busy times even a disabled traveller is going to have to watch full buses wizz past, so they might as well be Routemasters. No discrimation there, and even LT are not loony enough to favor positive discrimation and insist people get off a full bus to make room for a disabled person - although mmay commuters would do and do do this anyway.

If disabled access or no access is everything, we will have to knock down the Monument because you can't get up it in a wheelchair.

culturally ignorant...

[bluesman.livejournal.com]

"bendy" buses?
"congestion charge"?

I either need to visit London jolly soon, or stay the heck away. If I do turn up, I should time it to when romney takes a bloody big mallet to the Monument.

Re: culturally ignorant...

[romney.livejournal.com]

More likely to jump off the thing when Londin has finally become unbearable.

Latest scheme here means it might actually be cheaper to post our domsetic waste to you in California than to pay for it to be collected locally.

If you miss the sights and smells of home, we can arrange delivery!

Re: culturally ignorant...

[bluesman.livejournal.com]

The neighbours will be envious of our international rubbish.