Transport for London Bans Gay Cure Bus Adverts
I put up an article a couple of weeks ago about Stonewall’s adverts on London buses.
I thought there would be some protests and after watching them for nearly three weeks, I haven’t even seen one that has been damaged.
I usually read the Evening Standard and listen to the local news and have seen no reports of any protest either.
But now some gay cure adverts planned by an opposing Christian group, have been banned by Transport for London, as reported here.
I have read about the therapy they are promoting in serious newspapers and magazines and it is not something I believe will work. Therapy, such as that for smoking and nail-biting does work, but only because the person seriously wants to give up. So on the same basis if a person seriously wanted to stop being gay, some simple less agressive therapy might help. There is a serious article in the Guardian, that anybody who believes religious-based methods cure people from being gay should read.
But my biggest issue with the adverts, is that they mimic the ones from Stonewall.
Surely this is an infringement of copyright!
Just imagine the row if Pepsi-Cola copied an advert from Coca-Cola.
Oyster Cards for London Visitors
I have a feeling that London doesn’t do enough to publicise how a visitor to London gets an Oyster card and what the terms are. I was asked this morning by a couple of Austrian ladies and they seemed at a bit of a loss. So I asked a helpful London Underground lady at a barrier and she gave me the full rules, which include.
- To get an Oystercard you need to put up a refundable £5 deposit in addition to how much credit you want.
- You can top up an Oystercard using a credit card at machines.
- If you no longer want your Oystercard when you leave the UK, you can cash it in at certain places. Or even give it to charity!
Where’s the Oyster Information?
At
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.
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.
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 Toddler On The Bus
I went into Islington on the bus yesterday to get my supper and the bus was rather empty on the lower deck, except for a guy sitting in front of me, who had a little girl about two, sitting in a buggy in front of him.
He was eating some sort of odious processed meat pie and feeding small scraps of it to the child. I thought of telling him off, but then I restrained myself, as I didn’t want a fist in my face.
No wonder children are getting unhealthier and more obese.
By the time I got off the bus, I’d just about had enpough of the smell of that pie. So let’s tax them to the hilt for the sake of all our health!
Everybody Talks on the New Buses for London
It’s true! I’ve been on one three times now and every time, I’ve had deep conversations with complete strangers.
Poeople discuss the merits of hybrid drive, the style of the seats and the joys of old Routemasters.
This can only be good, as it’s not just the past-it like me, but young kids with a life in front of them.
I think it is true to say, that the old Routemaster and the silver tube trains of the 1960s generated the same enthusiasm.
So long live good design! Or even valiant attempts at it!
