My sister and I are trying to halt the introduction of articulated buses
in London and we need help from an authority on traffic flow.

Our campaign, at www.savethe73.com, began simply as an attempt by an
enraged commuter (my sister) to prevent the replacement of double deckers
by articulated buses on her route to work. It seems we have tapped into
some strong feelings; we have gained support from a wide range of
politicians, passenger groups and road user groups and our campaign has
mushroomed into an attempt to ban articulated buses from London
altogether. We are starting to believe we can win!

We suspect that the widespread introduction of articulated buses would
cause a severe worsening of London's congestion problems, so we want to
use the media to put pressure on Ken Livingstone and TFL to perform a
microscopic simulation before buying any more buses. Can you help us by
talking to the media about why a simulation is necessary and how much it
would cost? Who knows, somebody might even come up with a budget for a
simulation and pay you to perform it!

We have observed that articulated buses have some very unusual effects on
the traffic around them:

- the buses are driven very slowly and cautiously. Not surprising given
that they are 60 feet long, sway dramatically on corners and contain up to
85 standing passengers
- other drivers are often scared to overtake them even when they have a
safe opportunity to do so
- cyclists also struggle to overtake them

The result is that a slow moving snake of traffic builds up behind the
bus. At bus stops the length of the bus often prevents it from pulling
into the kerb. So it straddles two lanes, preventing the "snake" from
overtaking. Even the most determined motorcycle couriers can find it
impossible to get past - no other type of vehicle in London has ever
beaten them before! And so the snake grows longer and longer. I believe
that if many more double deckers are replaced by articulated buses the
effect on average traffic speeds in London could be dramatic.

Who wants to get involved? Please call me on 07788 410331.

Thanks,

Nick Horley