The New Balcony at Waterloo
I went to Waterloo station today to see how the new balcony was progressing.
It will be used for shops and eateries and according to one personable young lad in Marks and Spencer, it should be open by the end of this month.
Stonewall’s Bus Adverts
It would appear that the hated Wonga adverts seem to have all but disappeared, but another group has replaced them from Stonewall.
Stonewall’s Bus Advert
I have no objection, as being gay is just another facet of our many-faceted society, especially as I think that they are promoting same sex marriage in the adverts. I was lucky enough to have a very good marriage, that lasted nearly forty years, so who am I to deny anybody the same happiness, just because their sexuality is different from mine.
I should say that I was only intending to take a picture of the bus on the right, but when your eyesight is dodgy, pictures don’t turn out how you expect them!
Defibrillators on Buses
If you search for defibrillators on buses, you will find that some companies do have them on buses and train staff to use them.
So perhaps where you have a two-man bus, like the New Bus for London, they should be carried and staff should be trained. Note that some of the newer buses have got bigger, so I suspect there might be a space to store a defibrillator.
Guess Who?
On my trip on the New Bus for London, I sat by the rear platform for a time. I took this picture.
Guess Who?
Who is it? I should say that Health and Safety regulations, do not require all passengers to wear a parachute on the rear platform of the New Bus for London. There is always a helpful conductor or as I prefer a Bus Captain there to ensure good behaviour.
I should say, that I had a brief chat with the Bus Captain, who very much liked the bus. I suppose acting as a Rear Gunner chatting to passengers, is better than being shut behind a Plexiglass screen with the money, driving the bus.
If you haven’t identified him yet, here’s a picture after he got off the bus.
Boris on the Stump
It’s only the second time, I’ve ever come across a politician on the stump. The first time, I was under a car fixing the brakes, when I was called out by a lady canvassing for her local party. I voted for her, as she apologised for interrupting me.
The New Bus for London and the Standard Wright Bus Compared
I travelled today from Victoria to Piccadilly on a New Bus for London or NBfL and then an hour or so later, I went from Bank to my home on a 2009-vintage standard Wright Bus or SWB.
So how do they compare and are there any features of the new bus could be fitted in the next generation of buses?
- The sculptured seats of the NBfL are a lot more comfortable and after a quick look under the seats of both buses, it would appear that something similar could be fitted to the SWB. I suspect though that they are a bit more expensive.
- The stairs seem to the top deck easier on the NBfL than the SWB and because there are two sets it gives you a choice when you get on and off. Remember that the two staircases on the NBfL are used to hide the engine and the batteries. Hybrid bus designers will get more and more ingenious about where they hide the drive train, which will reduce weight and make the buses more fuel efficient.
- The ride is much better in the NBfL in my opinion as I said here and lessons learned in the design, might well be able to be employed to improve the ride of the SWB.
- Everybody seems to like the conductor or are they now a Bus Captain? I’ll always remember the look on the faces of an elderly couple as they got on a NBfL at the rear in the Balls Pond Road.
- I think too, that the Bus Captains enjoy their new role. But then responsibility is always a great motivator to everybody.
- I also like the colours of the NBfL better, as they are calming and seem to bring out the best in everybody. You can definitely have too much yellow.
But I suppose the biggest difference, is that a NBfL has a presence, that makes it stand out from the crowd. I thought today with its curved front and the TfL roundel on the front, that it reminded me of the trolleybuses of my childhood. The SWB may be a nice bus, but they don’t stand out.
The only definite thing we can say, is that in ten years time, buses will be more stylish, passenger and crew-friendly and of course more fuel-efficent and quieter than they are today. Let’s hope that those buses are still designed and made in the UK.
Offering Pineapple on the Tube
Coming back from Oxford Street today, I took a bus to Euston, where I picked up my supper in the Marks & Spencer there.
I had read somewhere that pineapple chunks are good when you have a dry mouth like I have, so I bought some to have with my supper and keep in the fridge to snack on.
There were signalling problems when I got to the Victoria line and by the time the train moved off it was very hot. So I took out the pineapple chunks and ate a few.
I offered them round and there were no takers.
When I got home, I then had a thought that they might react with my warfarin. They don’t.
The Scheduler Strikes Again
After yesterday’s problems getting to Ipswich, I have vowed that I’ll always travel in a proper train again.
However next Monday, Ipswich play Leicester at home and guess what. It is the usual Newbury Park detour with a coach. So that’s a match I’ll miss unless I want to have a very bad arm after the journey.
On the other hand, they’re putting on another train for Norwich supporters to get to Tottenham.
First Time on a Bus in Years
Not me, but an old friend of mine, who came to visit last week.
After an hour or so of pleasant conversation and a couple of drinks, he needed to get to Ealing and I wanted to go to the Olympic site to have a look.
So it was a walk to the 141 bus and from there to Bank, where he got the tube to Ealing and I got the DLR.
From the look on his face, I think he quite enjoyed the experience. He did remark that he was surprised at the comfort.
So buses must be getting better.
Drug Gangs New Vehicle of Choice
According to The Sunday Times today, it’s the Motability scooter. No tax, no insurance and ideal for tranbsporting drugs.
Not the Best of Days
Yesterday, I went to the football at Ipswich.
Before I left, I checked on TfL’s excellent Countdown system to see how long I’d have to wait for a 21 or 141 bus and it said that there would be three within the next five minutes and then a ten minute wait. I just missed the last of the three and so I thought I’d text the bus stop to find out how long I’d have to wait. But of course, I now had my Blackberry, instead of my Nokia 6310i and I couldn’t send the simple message of just 5 digits. Another reason for chucking the sodding F*ckberry. So no information. The first 141 was obviously in a hurry and drove straight past, despite five of us flagging it down. I then walked to the next stop, where other buses for Liverpool Street also depart. In the end, I caught another 141 and the driver apologised for his colleague.
One of the pleasures of going to Portman Road by train, is that if you pick your trains right, you get a Norwich train, with comfortable Mk. 3 coaches and a real engine to push you all the way. But today, no trains were running to Norwich, so it was one of the old multiple units, with no tables or arm-rests.
So by the time I got to Ipswich my left arm was really giving me gip, as there was no place to rest it.
Ipswich did win a rather scrappy game by the only goal of the game, which was the highpoint of the day.
But going home was a repeat of the journey down in an old dirty train. I needed to go to the toilet and the conductor apologised before I went. It was one of the dirtiest I’d ever seen on a train.
At least, I got back to Liverpool Street on time and then I walkked through to Moorgate to get a 141 home. Because of Crossrail, the area is in total chaos and I had to walk a long way, as the normal bus stop was closed.
TfL should have thought out how they do the buses in that area better! The chaos will go on for years.
At least I was able to have a decent drink in the Northgate.
The first thing I did when I got home, was to put my Sim-card back into the Nokia 6310i
The Anonymous Widower 