To UTSG members:

Pls note reply from Stephen Walker, London Buses to Nick Horley.
Nick circulated his original to UTSG, so I'm also copying you in.

Dave

"Solvitur Ambulans"
Dave Wetzel; Vice-Chair; Transport for London.
Windsor House. 42-50 Victoria Street. London. SW1H 0TL. UK
Tel: 020 7941 4200
Windsor House is close to New Scotland Yard. Buses 11, 24, 148, 211 and N11
pass the door.
Nearest Tube: St. James's Park Underground station.
Nearest mainline stations: Waterloo and Victoria (Both a short walk or bus
ride).


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Walker Stephen
> Sent: 01 April 2004 09:18
> To:   'Nick Horley'
> Cc:   'Sam at Save the 73'; [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: Will articulated buses make congestion worse in London
>
> Dear Nick
>
> I hope you are well. A copy of your e-mail below was received by Transport
> for London (TfL) and I have been asked to provide a response on behalf of
> TfL.
>
> I note the change in emphasis of the 73 campaign from questioning the
> appropriateness of articulated buses on the 73 to questionning the
> appropriateness of artics in general. It would also appear that your key
> concern has changed from the issue of the number of seats to the issue of
> traffic congestion. I would like to take the opportunity of making some
> points with regard to this.
>
> 1) TfL are committed to tackling the issue of congestion in accordance
> with the Mayor's Transport Strategy. To this end, London has bucked the
> global trend of greater congestion through an integrated approach to
> transport policy. Measures such as the introduction of congestion
> charging, better enforcement of parking restrictions and a greatly
> improved bus network providing a genuine public transport alternative to
> the car has meant reduced congestion. Clearly more still needs to be done
> and the recently created Director of Traffic Management  tasked with
> traffic signal improvements and better co-ordination of roadworks is one
> such way we are continuing to tackle congestion.
>
> 2) Articulated buses, through their greater carrying capacity, provide the
> opportunity to operate bus services using less vehicles than would be
> required were the service to operate using double deck buses. With less
> vehicles on the road, the scope for reducing congestion increases.
>
> 3) With regard to the issue of bus stops, one of the key benefits of
> articulated buses has been that shorter dwell times at bus stops can be
> achieved. Therefore articulated buses represent a means of minimising the
> impact you describe compared to the alternative of more buses spending
> longer at bus stops.
>
> 4) Primarily highway capacity (with implications for congestion) is
> determined by the capacity of junctions rather than the road links between
> junctions. The efficiency of a junction (or any transport network) is
> improved by increasing the occupancy of vehicles thereby reducing the
> overall of number of vehicles. Consequently the ability for one vehicle to
> carry over 100 people through a junction is clearly more efficient than
> the equivalent number being carried in cars. Any traffic model would
> therefore demonstrate that the cause of congestion on London's roads is
> not really attributable to  buses - whether articulated or not - and in
> fact buses represent a means of reducing congestion.
>
> I hope this is of use.
>
> Regards
>
> Stephen Walker
> Service Change Advocate
> London Buses
>
>
>
> ----Original Message-----
> From: Nick Horley [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 23 March 2004 17:11
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Will articulated buses make congestion worse in London
>
>
> 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
>
>


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