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Journey by Journey / Bristol Commuters / Re: MetroBus
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on: Today at 12:29:28 pm
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Road pricing could be used to give buses priority but it would have to be an extremely sophisticated and sensitive system capable of making minute-by-minute lane-by-lane pricing changes. And even then it implies that the bus could share a lane with anyone willing and capable of paying. Far cheaper and easier to simply extend bus lanes, use filtered permeability and so on. An easy start would be to make the bus lanes we already have more useful for buses, by keeping them clear of parked cars (both legally and illegally parked) and eg giving the bus lane priority over the general traffic lane where the two merge, as well as making bus lanes continuous through junctions. In terms of pricing, a general congestion charge might reduce city centre traffic and speed up bus (and car and lorry, and even pedestrian) journeys, but it wouldn't be a bus priority scheme as such.
I can see that there are places where changes like these would help, but aren't they sticking plasters for a patient who needs multiple stents? Yes of course, if you're referring to alterations to or increases in bus lanes. If you mean some form of road pricing and other measures to reduce the total amount of traffic, then they might be one of a series of stents, both for patient Bus and patient Bristol. Unfortunately I think most of those stents depend on action at national or global level. |
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Journey by Journey / Bristol Commuters / Re: MetroBus
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on: Today at 10:33:54 am
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Road pricing could be used to give buses priority but it would have to be an extremely sophisticated and sensitive system capable of making minute-by-minute lane-by-lane pricing changes. And even then it implies that the bus could share a lane with anyone willing and capable of paying. Far cheaper and easier to simply extend bus lanes, use filtered permeability and so on. An easy start would be to make the bus lanes we already have more useful for buses, by keeping them clear of parked cars (both legally and illegally parked) and eg giving the bus lane priority over the general traffic lane where the two merge, as well as making bus lanes continuous through junctions. In terms of pricing, a general congestion charge might reduce city centre traffic and speed up bus (and car and lorry, and even pedestrian) journeys, but it wouldn't be a bus priority scheme as such.
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Journey by Journey / Bristol Commuters / Re: Four track for Filton Bank - ongoing discussion
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on: Yesterday at 09:56:37 pm
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I did find one map that showed a route off the MR line to the (new) Lawrence Hill Junction - it's labelled " Russian Map Bristol 1972" (presumably Soviet would be more accurate). There are other postwar OS maps (also on old-maps.co.uk) that show the MR line on an embankment and the sidings at its foot - well, you wouldn't want the sidings to slope down to the junction, would you? I can believe the OS didn't always update track changes by then - too many roads and new houses, or railway buildings coming down (as at St. Philip's), to do. But I'm sure the Soviets (GRU, I guess) had independent survey information: I have a mental image of men in raincoats deftly manipulating those tiny 16 mm still cameras. Or do you think they had help from some local university lecturers who could easily claim to be railway buffs? Does anyone on this forum live in Salisbury? <pulls down brim of hat, looks shiftily from side to side> |
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Journey by Journey / Bristol Commuters / Re: MetroBus
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on: Yesterday at 01:12:40 pm
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It might have occurred to the select committee that the higher than national average bus usage in Bristol is a result of having lower than average local rail options. I hope they are aware of this.
Note it's national average, not average of big cities. I suspect anywhere with a population over say 50,000 will have higher than national average bus usage, simply because so many smaller places no longer have any bus service. |
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: IETs into passenger service from 16 Oct 2017 and subsequent performance issues
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on: November 12, 2018, 07:30:01 pm
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The table seats seem much less cramped than on HSTs as well - not sure if anyone has done the measurements to compare?
I haven't sat at a table seat on an IET but it seemed to me that there is generally a bit more leg room, although the legs that support the seat in front of you are slightly inconveniently placed. I rather hope they don't fit padded seats. I find the IET seats very comfortable. Supportive, not squishy, plenty wide enough. Some of the best train seats I've sat on, for comfort. I shall put this as delicately as possible... You must be carrying a lot more "personal padding" around than I am...  On a trip from Chippenham to Paddington I find myself uncomfortable and fidgeting well before we get to Didcot. In my view the description "ironing boards" is well-deserved. Unfortunately you're probably correct.  Although I don't actually think this works the way you imply. |
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Journey by Journey / Bristol Commuters / Re: Four track for Filton Bank - ongoing discussion
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on: November 12, 2018, 12:22:54 pm
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I'm a bit surprised to find so much talk about the name of Clifton Down station. Some of you must have too much free time! I was really thinking that people very rarely refer to either Clifton Down or Durdham Down in speech (you do see the distinction made in print), but "the Downs". How about Bahnhof Zoo?
Animal Garden.  |
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Musical trains
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on: November 09, 2018, 02:10:41 pm
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Not very musical! 11 November this year marks the centenary of Poland regaining independence (the date is debatable and somewhat arbitrary, but that's the official date) and to mark the occasion, Lithuanian Railways have posted a video of the Polish national anthem played on train horns: https://youtu.be/QzHmGGqOwq8(Why Lithuanian Railways? Well I suppose it's a gesture of cross-border friendship and international railway cooperation, or something like that.) |
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Journey by Journey / South Western services / Re: Pigeon poo 'so bad' under railway bridge it's like 'walking the plank'
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on: November 09, 2018, 10:09:30 am
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And they're using a hawk at Waterloo - from the BBCA hawk is to patrol the UK's busiest train station in a bid to stop pigeons pinching passengers' food.
Commuters at Waterloo have complained about the avian pests swooping on their sandwiches and causing a mess, Network Rail said.
It has recruited veteran vermin repeller Aria, five, to patrol in twice-weekly two-hour shifts.
The Harris hawk has previously defended King's Cross station and the Treasury from the winged menace.
Waterloo, which boasts 27 food and drink retailers, is used by 100m people per year, according to Transport for London. This is the root of the problem. We have pigeon poo in towns and cities because we're messy ourselves. Local authorities seem to be aware of the problem, for instance Bath has special designs of litter bins along with slogans telling people (in various languages) not to feed the birds, and I know a cafe owner in Gloucester who was instrumental in persuading the council there to adopt gull-proof rubbish bags for commercial waste left for collection, but changing the habits of the human population is difficult. Birds of prey at least provide something interesting to look at while tackling the problem. It strikes me that you used to see huge flocks of starlings in big stations, but very rarely now. I think they've suffered a general population decline, I'm not sure why, but urban pigeons have taken their place. With bigger poo! |
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