Bendy bus tested on popular Leicestershire route

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Bendy bus tested on popular Leicestershire route

Bus operator Arriva is to test a bendy bus on a Leicestershire route.
The 18m (60ft) vehicles, which are articulated in the centre and have greater capacity than standard buses, are being phased out in London.
It will be used on the 80 service from Oadby, via South Knighton, to St Margaret's Bus Station in Leicester.
Questions have been raised over the safety to passengers, cyclists and pedestrians, but the county council said the route needed extra capacity.
Roger Lovell, from Leicester bike charity Cyclemagic, said he had shared roads with bendy buses in London. "It can be very scary for a cyclist - I can see that less confident cyclists could be put off by these bendy buses because of the size of them. We are getting up to the size of the big articulated lorries - and they are pretty scary in themselves - and they don't react in the same way as a normal bus, they move around a lot more or at least appear to."
A number of other cities in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), including Leeds and Nottingham, already use bendy buses on some routes.
Ian Drummond, Assistant Director of Transport at County Hall, said he welcomed the trial. "Arriva had these buses as part of their London franchise and because the mayor of London has decided that bendy buses shouldn't be used in London, they have become available. They are good buses, they are in a good condition, the company has them, this is a route where they need more bus carrying capacity and they are right to try it out."

[devon_metro]

If they aren't confident cycling on roads then they shouldn't really be on them!

[johoare]

I like the bendy buses in London.. I don't see (but can be corrected) the problem cyclists have with them, unless they try cycling up the inside/outside of them.. But that would be dangerous with any bus/large vehicle to be honest.. Why would bendy buses be different?

Once they are phased out in London (assuming Boris stays Mayor long enough to finish it) then we will have delays caused by people getting on one door of the bus again instead of having three doors to get on and off...

[eightf48544]

I think safety is being used a smokescreen for removing bendy buses from London. Basically the problem is they provide free travel for many users.

It is quite interesting to wait at stop served by conventianal and bendy buses over the route.
There can be lots of people waiting and a conventional bus draws up and only OAPs with Freedoim passes get on. As I usually have both a travel card (for the tube) and my South Bucks pass I get on the and usually get a seat.

The bendy bus arrives and everyone swarms on and you don't get a seat..

[johoare]

Well yes there is the problem of free travel.. It's always good when there a load of revenue staff waiting for a bendy bus at the bus stop as they stop all the people getting off (and all the people travelling for free do obviously try and get off) as well as checking tickets of everyone on board..It usually results in LOTS of names and addresses being taken..

[bobg]

Cycling along roads with bendy-buses is no different to cycling with other long vehicles. The majority of the buses that I meet on the streets in Salzburg are overhead-line bendy buses, and I haven't seen or heard of a single accident.
I totally agree that 'safety' is being used again to change something for political reasons.