Bend it like Boris.

Bendy the Bus

London Mayor Boris Johnson's plan to scrap bendy buses will cost £60m + and is against Transport for London's (TfL) advice, opponents have claimed. Boris made an election commitment to “Scrap the Bendy Buses” and has launched a competition for a replacement design. Indeed having seen some of the entries so far the Celtic Sage is sorry he didn’t buy a new box of crayons and enter himself – although it has to be said that the artistic possibilities of drawing a Big Red Box with a wheel near each of the four corners are limited. However the Sage may be unduly pessimistic here for has not Damien Hirst achieved more with less?

Boris Johnson had vowed that his first act as Mayor of London would be to scrap bendy buses and replace them with a modern-day Routemaster. Mr Johnson said that the controversial buses were abused by fare dodgers and highly dangerous to cyclists.



Speaking at the first Tory candidate’s hustings meeting, the MP for Henley said that he would introduce a new version of the Routemaster bus that had been axed by Ken Livingstone. Their replacement would be fully accessible for the disabled and mothers with buggies. He said: "We should on day one, act one, scene one, hold a competition to get rid of the bendy bus. They wipe out cyclists, there are many cyclists killed every year by them. "It's not beyond the wit of man to design a new Routemaster which will stand as an icon of this city."
(http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/long-long-ago-ok-it-was-only-this-time.html )

Now talk (particularly election talk) is cheap but spending taxpayer’s money is another thing, especially now that we are in Credit Crunch Land. And all this begs the question of whether Bendy or not, London’s transport future should be fixed on putting BIG RED BOXES with 65% empty seats on the roads of London or if we should look for a better way?

At a time when people are being encouraged to leave the car at home, a "super bus" carrying nearly twice as many people as a double-decker would seem to be the answer. The bendy bus has had a troubled journey but it could soon be the end of the road for it in London. Does the shape of a bus really provoke such strong emotions? Enemies of the bendy bus have long been seeing red.

But in the cycling community there is a lot of anxiety about them. Some say the extra length means overtaking them at bus stops can be "terrifying" and there is the ever-present danger that drivers turn left without looking. But a spokesman for the London Cycling Campaign says while bendy buses can be awkward on narrow streets, Lorries are a far greater danger. And Lionel Shapiro, who has 60 years of cycling experience, says there is a lot of mythology about them. They actually "turn beautifully" round corners and sometimes collisions are purely the fault of the cyclist.


Bendymaster

The London Assembly Labour group said the Mayor is ignoring TfL's opinion that the buses pose no safety risk and they said that independent figures show getting rid of bendy buses on three services will cost an extra £13m a year, or £60m for all the routes.

A mayoral spokesman said Mr Johnson was not ignoring TfL advice. "TfL are currently evaluating tenders to operate services on two of the routes and trying to secure the very best deal for Londoners," the spokesman said. "This means it would be massively irresponsible to make public the figure TfL anticipate to be the cost of replacing bendy buses as it could affect the deals that bus companies have offered." He added that the mayor was determined to rid the streets of bendy buses in "the most cost-effective way".

TfL is currently consulting on proposals to remove bendy buses on three busy London routes, the 521, the 507 and the 38. Independent transport watchdog London TravelWatch, has estimated it will cost an extra £12m to £13m a year to replace bendy buses on those three routes alone. Using these figures, the assembly Labour group said to replace bendy buses on all the routes on which they currently operate would cost around £60m.

Earlier this month Janet Cooke, the chief executive of London TravelWatch, said they saw "no reason" to scrap the buses. Val Shawcross, Labour's transport spokeswoman, said Mr Johnson was ignoring professional advice from TfL officers, who earlier this year said the bendy bus was no more dangerous than any other bus in London. Ms Shawcross said: "The mayor seems determined to press ahead with his plans, no matter what the cost to Londoners.”He is letting his personal prejudice override any sense of reason and should return to the drawing board as soon as possible. It's not too late for him to change his mind."

However, whether the Mayor changes his mind or not the “Son of Bendy” competition will close at the end of this month and new designs continue to emerge. A PROPOSAL for a new electric Routemaster bus is unveiled today, complete with glass roof, optional solar panels and LCD screens showing route details. Passengers can hop on and off the German-designed e21 a crucial feature of the old Routemasters. But unlike the original, the e21 has a safety barrier that can be moved across the open doors in case of overcrowding.

The bus is also more accessible than the old model, with space for seven wheelchairs and a floor that lowers automatically by sensing the level of the kerb. Passengers on the top deck will be able to enjoy panoramic views through a transparent roof, which uses hi-tech insulation glass to protect them from heat and cold. Some sections of the roof will open like a sunroof and there will be the option of exchanging some of the panes for solar panels. To boost safety the e21 uses metal that absorbs frontal impacts and side parts made of plastics that can spring back into shape after a collision. The proposal was drawn up by designer Michael Kerz, a graduate of St Martin's design school, for a contest launched by Mayor Boris Johnson to find a 21st century version of the Routemaster. The classic vehicle was withdrawn from service by Ken Livingstone. Mr Johnson has pledged to revive it.


e21 - Der Routemeister?

The e21 can recharge its electric batteries in 10 minutes, with operating costs of a few pence per kilometre making the additional platform conductor even more affordable. Mr Kerz said: "A see-through roof or panoramic cabin is the obvious solution to satisfy tourists' needs." The e21 is one of a series of rival designs, including the H4, which boasts U-shaped seating and TV screens. Another by Foster and Partners has a glass roof. Judges are due to meet next week with a winner announced next month.

The Celtic Sage will leave himself open to accusations of using his immense influence to change the outcome but he has two favourites – The one with the smile on the front known as the “Bob the Builder” bus but which will be renamed “Bobski the Builder” if it is made in Poland. But the best of the old and new is the “Bendymaster”, a recycled (pair) of Routemasters with an articulated bit in the middle. Like looking at a Dyson Rollerball Hover (made in Malaysia) it provokes the oft asked question “Is there any end to Great British Genius?”


Smile, it is the “Bob the Builder” bus

However as the Sage has pointed out before he has an open mind on Bendy Buses as they do provide higher capacity on London’s streets and do address the very real problem of making public transport accessible for those who have impaired mobility in a country whose practical attitude to the disabled can only with kindness be described as disgraceful. The figure shows 10% of the population are classified as “mobility impaired” but, of course, this would constitute a higher proportion of the potential users of Public Transport and accessibility needs to be drastically improved to put the “Public” in “Public Transport”.

However the “Replacement Routemaster” competition may in the end may prove a non sequiter, empty sloganeering which, like the replacement bus, will end up going nowhere.

The London Tram

For there is a more fundamental problem with a combination of bus privatisation and the limited capacity of London’s streets. Bus privatisation has resulted in higher costs and differing standards as the recent strike by drivers protesting against different wages on different routes shows. The fundamental problem is the increases in bus capacity have been bought at the expense of an exponential increase in bus subsidy with some suggesting that the effective subsidy could be as high as £5 for each daily bus passenger? Also, because those who live in that great repository of Financial Genius and First Rate Minds, HM Treasury, insisted that the bus garages were sold off as part of bus privatisation so it is now difficult to have effective competition as new entrants won’t have garages. Simply put, buses are big boxes and you need somewhere to put these big boxes to sleep at night.


The route using the Kingsway Tram Subway


Tram Subway today


Tram Subway yesterday

So the solution may in part be to revive the tramway system. There is an Underground tram tunnel through Central London which directly connects with the Underground in the Kingsway Tram Subway and this could support a cross river North / South Tram connection with (say) 3 lines going north and south of the River Thames. If he Uxbridge / Shepherds Bush Tram proposal was revived to form an East / West Tramway going through Oxford Street and Holborn to Liverpool Street and Olympic East London you would have a very viable street level fixed link with modern Eco Friendly Trams which would address the capacity and accessibility problems of a bus only solution. A start has already been made as Cross River Tram is a proposal for a tram service running on-street between Euston and Waterloo, with branches to Camden Town and King's Cross in the north, and Brixton and Peckham in the south.

So the result of Boris Johnston’s “Replacement Routemaster” competition maybe a more informed and intelligent debate on the limitations and costs of moving Big Red Boxes around London. If this results in a revival of London’s Trams the Celtic Sage would regard this as a good result for London and Public Transport users!