Boris Bus Beats Ken's Killer Bendy Bus
Boris is backing the futuristic clean, low emission, hydrogen-powered wheelchair and pushchair friendly double decker bus. So us cyclists will have two good reasons to support it, less chance of being crushed to death by a bendy bus or having to choke on diesel fumes. Autocar commissioned this design. Of course we were told by Ken that "only a dehumanised moron" would get rid of the Routemaster. Ken got rid of the Routemaster in 2004.Londoners want, and tourists especially expect, to see the famous red bus silhouette against the backdrop of the Capital of the World. Bizarrely Ken's supporters now no longer able to object on disability legislation grounds now object on cost grounds. When have they ever worried about cost before? Boris is on to a populist vote winner here...
61 comments:
Ken Livingstone objects to something on cost grounds?! Now I've heard everything.
I lived in the People's Republic of London when he first got in. He promptly spent so much money that the boroughs couldn't afford to keep the schools open. I wonder if he felt that this was a reasonable way of prioritising spending?
Then he wrote a blank cheque for the Olympics, which London council tax payers will have to pick up.
I don't like some of the things Boris Johnson has said, but London deserves much better than Ken.
Good for you Boris, let's
1. get the encumbent Cunt out and
2. have some fun for a change.
I for one am all for a rich, intelligent, posh, cunt hungry Tory in London.
It might make it worth leaving my hermitage again.
Besides we could then hear what the young Polish plumber has to say on the matter!
Stanislav - where are you?
shropshirebilly - Do you mean in your point 1 either
a) incumbent or
b) encumbrant
How much did Ken's 'hydrogen for London' campaign cost in 2004?
It promised 70 vehicles on the road by 2010 including 10 buses, police vehicles and more. Anyone seen any?
In 2004 it probably all seemed safely into the future and just looked good in the media - environmental being the in-word.
Or has Ken actually got something moving, other than setting up yet another bureaucracy spending taxpayer's money.
Remember Shropshire hillbilly, Livingstone can't be a Cunt. As the RSM would say, 'Cunts are useful'.
His public-facing antipathy to the bus is only done to give his mate Jasper time to fill his boots with the stock, before Ken surpisringly announces a U-turn and the re-birth of Routemaster. Bet you a fiver.
the great thing about hydrogen-powered vehicles, of course, is that all the pollution is made in producing the hydrogen in a big factory miles away, rather than in the vehicle itself.
this way smug greenies can claim their vehicle only produces water as emissions, and feel all good about themselves whilst blaming big business for the imaginary end of the world.
Slightly off-topic but didn't Kirsty Allsop look great on question time as opposed to that old tight-lipped crow Hazel Blears who came across like a demented hen!
Bendy buses are a powerful weapon against the lycra terrorists. Ken will keep them in his arsenal.
er, can we separate out three elements here:
1. the use of hydrogen technology (which could be done on a reborn Routemaster, bendies, minibuses or Transit vans!) - a distinctly unproven technology.
2. the use of big red double-deckers (plenty of them still around)
3. the reintroduction of open platform (yep, jump on and off in traffic jams/ at streetlights) vehicles. The family of the overseas visitor who was killed (ponder that word, killed) by a bag-snatcher who dragged her off an open platform some years ago might not be as enthusiastic.
Flagellant says,
Oh dear: Oh me miserum.
Obviously too long in the mountains!!!
Will Boris's bus mean passengers cannot dodge the fare? The Kendy Bus is designed to allow every scumbag a free ride.
cameron...
osbourne...
boris...
kirsty allsopp
there a them here...
"Posh ... Crack ... Toff"
Fuck your pedal cycle.
What about my Susuki V-Strom 1000.
These monsters from hell are not safe in Cuba, were there is virtualy no other traffic, and even less moving more then 10 mph.
They have nearly had me off several times already. At least you silly drunken clones can just jump off.
What I am supposed to do with half a ton of expensive motor bike?
busanorak - the family of the young man recently killed locally by being caught in the bendy-bus doors and then dragged a mile because the driver couldn't see him probably aren't that keen on bendy-buses.
Anorak
A. This vehicle is primarily electric drive - so the engine (which simply acts as generator) could just as easily be diesel.
b.the ability to jump and off is SO useful it outweighs the tiny extra risk.
I would completely agree with Boris except...
Except...
The triple doors of a bendy bus decrease boarding time phenomenally. The queus at Waterloo get snapped up, the bus leaves in seconds, not minutes and everything just... flows better than it used to.
I despaired at the loss of the Routemasters. But damn it if it doesn't shave 10 minutes off my commute in the morning.
The Battle of The Buses begins.
Bendy buses need wide streets. Maybe a mix would be better than just a single bus solution? Or are there no wide streets anywhere in London?
Hydrogen fuel cell will probably be fueled by ammonia NH3 (3 molecules of hydrogen linked to one of nitrogen) - a cheap, dense gas, available in industrial quantities. Hydrogen is not economical to produce from water on board vehicles yet, and it is not a dense enough gas to be a viable to store in pure form.
The NH3 cracks when heated. The nitrogen is separated, as the hydrogen rises faster. It is currently the only economically viable solution to hydrogen storage.
ONE PROBLEM - The technology to handle ammonia at pumps is not in place yet. Not are the fuel tanks in place on vehicles.
Ammonia is a highly pungent gas. Not one whiff can be lost to the air or the whole place would evacuate. It will take some advances in pump engineering before this technology becomes practical.
Nothing Boris and Ken can do will accelerate the discovery and development of these technical solutions. That's why it's nuts setting up expensive hydrogen bureaucracies as Ken has done. It's all just for the publicity.
Fuel cells that run on hydrocarbons are clean and viable now but they are not sexy enough for politicians. Rolls Royce supplies many for power generation, and could no doubt adapt them to buses. But that would be too much like common sense - using technology and fuels that are available.
BORING BORING!!
Who gives a flying fuck about Londoners and your bent buses (typical that you have bent buses for bent fuckers like you lot)
Youre all faggoty cockney bastards along with a load of freeloading third world arsewipes so fuck the lot of you.
Nobody gives a shit outside the M25
yes but pollution is Stockport give kids asthma just as much as inside the M25.
If hydrocarbon fuel cell buses were encouraged, rather than wasting all this time and money on hydrogen before it's a viable fuel, many people would have improved health.
Just thought I'd mention it.
Bendies are shite. They're wheezing Euroboxes clogging up the crapital's roads with all the grace of tapeworms.
Kenny doesn't like Routies cos they're distinctively English. Icons of Englishness. More than a hint of Gilbert-Scott about them. You see, that's not representative of Modern Brittun as anything referencing English, as opposed to "Internationalist" history could be construed as Rascist. It is non-inclusive.
I was actually fucking lectured on this very argument by a socialist not that long ago.
Whether it's bendies or routies, why not just say fuel cell buses? Drop the hydrogen until it's viable.
Then Boris can clean up London now not in twenty years time.
Fuel cell technology is what's important as their exhausts don't kill people, and destroy their lungs.
I say Basil, a bus as a symbol of racism. That's advanced thinking.
Maybe better to keep it simple for Londoners. Does the bus work? Or not?
Leave all that racism stuff to Ken Livingstone to explain. It's his hobby horse, along with fantasy technologies that cost millions and don't work yet. Boris should go for what's practical.
tapestry, nobody in Stockport or the whole of Manchester for that matter, gives a shit about cockney bastards and their bent buses . We'll stick with our trams up here, thanks very much.
And oh yes, your saveloys are shite.
From Transport For London's Hydrogen Bus website, as follows -
'We expect to have a hydrogen refuelling supplier by early 2008.'
ha ha ha!!!
10 buses costing $20 million - and no fuel!!!!
Do we detect a fiasco about to unfold?!!!
The buses claim they can also run on conventional gasoline - and will no doubt be quietly switched over, and hope no one 's noticed!
Tapestry, I'm involved in this RMXL project and it is designed to use any motor. It could easily use bio-diesel and a super-clean Californian-spec diesel engine. Or a petrol engine powered by liquid petrolium gas.
The motor is simply used to turn a generator to power up the batteries.
Even better, if powered by diesel, the engine only has to tick over and the terrible noise and vibration of an accelerating diesel bus is elminated.
It was actually designed by leading bus designer Capoco. See www.autocar.co.uk for the full feature.
I don't go to London - can't stand it - they ain't got no gurt proper zuider there, an' you're not 'lowed to marry yur zistur. However, as long as someone promises to drive one of these buses over Commie Ken's head then I'm all for 'em.
Oooh! Hydrogen!
Does that mean we'll see lots of Hindenberg-type disasters on the streets of London? The beeb would love that.
Advice to passengers - hydrogen rises, so don't sit on the top deck and you probably won't get crisped.
That I'll be voting Boris is a given, but will he get off the buses? No-one gives a toss! It's like a bad Bremner sketch.
Promising to abolish himself; get rid of the dictatorial, unaccountable un-British executive powers of the Mayor; and devolve power to the London Assembly and the boroughs - so that twats like Ken can't get into these Enabling Act-like positions again. That might be a start.
Boris is an idle clown who memorises one fact per speech and can't be bothered to campaign.
Tapestry said;
Remember Shropshire hillbilly, Livingstone can't be a Cunt. As the RSM would say, 'Cunts are useful'.
Very true, must admit that as a full-on hetro-male I am deeply ashamed of myself now.
So back to the mountain for a spot of self-flagellation. (it gets lonely up here!
"Boris is an idle clown who memorises one fact per speech and can't be bothered to campaign."
That's one fact more than most. He's been campaigning furiously in the boroughs and I don't think we've seen the half of it yet.
I wonder if the designers went to Berlin. Double-deckers (yellow) have been running continually there for about as long as they have been in London. But Berlin buses have two staircases: much better access than any UK double-decker I've been in. Anyway, please bring back the open back!
Surely it's the red colour of the bus which is racist?
I like the new bus - plenty of room for wheelchairs, plenty of seats for those with legs.
"us cyclists"? How do you cycle pissed, Guido?!
I read the autocar.co.uk RMXL post. It sounds spot-on using current technology, that will work and not cost billions that we cannot afford.
Ken's hydrogen $2 million- a pop monstrosities are typical Livingstone fantasyland.
Boris is capable of seeing wood from trees, won't waste money and will get results for Londoners. His choice of bus is a good sign that he'll be a good Mayor.
London cannot afford any more Livingstonian corruption and lack of common sense.
Go Boris.
stockport chippie owner grunted:
"And oh yes, your saveloys are shite."
You do know, don't you, that you eat them? Not stick them up your arse - they're too bendy for that.
Bring back leaded petrol for fucks sake, all this saving the planet is getting on my big fat man titties!!
We don't have Bendy buses in Vienna also because of the narrow streets. What we do have are single-deckers which "kneel" at the stops to allow pushchairs and invalid chairs easy access. Most of the buses are gas powered with low emissions. We also have new trams with the doors at pavement level. A journey across the city costs a single fare of 1 pound 30p hopping on and off either transport (as long as you are traveling in one direction.) WTF is wrong with London's transport is a mystery to me, but I wouldn't want to go back, that's for sure!
Kommisar Ken and his Kranky Kongestion Kapers.
He only gets voted in because most people paying the conjestion charge are from outside London, hence its a form of visitor tax to pay for the wingers from 'Hackney' and other self-appointed hard-done-by boroughs.
One big problem with the Borismaster is the open staircase at the back. Anyone who uses London's buses (clearly not many on here to judge from the comments) will know what it is like when some manically depressed migrant bus driver sees you about to descend the stairs from the upper deck and immediately feels the need to floor his accelerator. I know of people who have suffered quite serious fractures as a result of London bus driver's idea of 'fun'; having people spill off the stairs directly onto the street would not be very helpful methinks.
Would the open entrance be allowed under EU elf & safety rules? I thought that was why the Routemasters were abolished.
stockport chippie owner said...
tapestry, nobody in Stockport or the whole of Manchester for that matter, gives a shit about cockney bastards and their bent buses . We'll stick with our trams up here, thanks very much.
And oh yes, your saveloys are shite.
I went to Stockport once. Heard you've got an ASDA since. That'll be nice.
Lend the place a bit of tone.
This Autocar "design" is pretty lame, but then I am biased, as I have my own, which will be posted up over the xmas break.
"And oh yes, your saveloys are shite."
Whar about their black puddings? Fucking rubbish.
ayeup - t'ere's trouble in clog mill - 'appen some poncy southerner called clegg got a similar name. Where's his shawl? Th'll be trouble in Oswaldtwistle, down't chip shop.
Northerners are stupid. Several times I've asked for a wally with my fish & chips and they just give you a funny look.
PS For any northern twats reading this, a wally is a pickled gherkin.
Boy racer red is a very suitable colour for the modern London bus driver.
Julian
Good point but these psychopathic clowns that currently drive the bloody bendy buses can and do just as much criminal damage without the need for an open staircase to help them.
BTW
Why does no one seem to give a monkeys about the lives of motor cyclist, which far outnumber pedal-cyclists in London?
We do not all ride like Jihadists, most of us have a wife and children to worry about.
A majority of us are into our thirties at least and drive cars as well, usually better and more safely then the rest of you. For obvious reasons.
Boris is a lazy waste of space.
Let's try again:
SAFETY - open platforms pose a significant risk, so should be avoided. If bendies are more dangerous (evidence please) then they too should be avoided.
SINGLE or DOUBLE DECK? - endless argument. Double probably right for London.
FUEL SOURCE - whatever is practical and as environmentally friendly as reasonable. No flights of fancy please.
You London poofs wouldn't even dare shove a saveloy up your own arses, you'd get your poofy friend to do it for you, and you'd cry even though you really liked it, then you'd probably go to the theatre or something. You cocks.
Machiavelli wrote: "'us cyclists'? How do you cycle p***ed, Guido?!"
Well, he'll be in no fit condition to walk... (old Andy Capp gag)
As far as 'buses are concerned, it looks as though open-back is too dangerous (despite some people's preference for them), double staircases would be a good idea, and bendies are definitely out.
Hmm. I think we've solved it!
Mancmonkey,
I'd follow that sentiment if it weren't for the fact that lead based petrol is better for the environment than unleaded. We switched away from lead based petrol because it contained lead, which is bad for humanity, especially children... so once more humanity has chosen its own wellbeing over the environment.
And quite rightly so.
If Boris thinks his anti-bendy bus fetish is going to get him elected hes a bigger twat than he looks (not an easy accomplishment)
The vast majority of Londoners dont give a toss what type of bus it is as long as it gets them from A to B.
@ Bus Anorak,
1. Safety of open-platforms: there's a conductor there to discourage reckless behaviour. And to help those with difficulties getting up the step. But really... why the hell can't we take some personal responsibility for our own safety? The open-platform is the primary reason Routemasters are so much faster to load and unload. What's more, it is an empowering principle. I'm sick of all this automatic-door, yellow-light flashing buzzer-beeping micro-management. It shows disrespeck to the mature adults using the services.
2/ Single/double-deck. The original RM Routey is [correct me if I'm wrong] 27' long. Just two car-lengths, and capable of carrying about seventy with standing.
3/ Fuel: Personally, I like the old slow-revving diesels chucking out black clouds of clag with particulates the size of thruppenny bits. Actually safer than so-called "low emission" Euro engines which trap visible large-particles, whilst letting through the really nasty little PM10s and smaller. If you see the exhaust clagging black smoke, you make an effort not to breathe it in. But if the Bendy-Kenmaster Eurobox has a big poster on it's shoebox rump proclaiming it's "green" credentials against a backdrop of likkle childwen and fucking daisies, and you don't actually see the emissions...
LPG has been tried but it doesn't work well with converted diesels. Reliability suffers.
Petrol's a bit cleaner but less efficient.
Electric/hybrid: bland and oh-so pseudo worthy. Delocalises the pollution.
I favour steam-power. Actually not as daft as it sounds, but I can't be arsed to explain why.
When you get stuck for 25 minutes between stops in Whitehall in one of Livingstone's busojams with a driver refusing to open the doors so one can walk that;'s when I really regret the passing of the Routemaster.
As Livngstone said back in 2001 'only a moron would get rid of the Routemaster'. QED
Basil Brown -
fair points BUT how can the conductor supervise the platform if he's upstairs collecting fares? Or are we just moving to two-man buses - one to drive and one to supervise the platform? And where are we going to recruit these "platform minders" given the difficulty in recruiting anyone in London conditions?
Can anyone explain what Ken Leninstone has against the old Routmaster buses? I'm imagining that he wants London to look like some grey, dull Eurocity, with any hint of Britishness erased. But I may be wrong.
Busanorak,
Two-man buses, yes! If the massive revenue from Kennyboy's congestion-chargezone-theft is actually being spent on pubic-transport [which of course it isn't], then there's a pretty big kitty available. I mean, LT managed to run two-man services in Central London before the Ken-Tax launched...
The platform only really needs supervising at regular stops. This is where those with mobility-difficulties are most likely to be boarding. Otherwise, the principle of empowered adults taking responsibility for their own actions should hold.
To respond to another criticism of open-platforms, namely what happens when the driver is playing bus-dominos by using his skill and judgement to determine the absolute best time to floor the throttle for maximum amusement: an old RM on full-shout had all the accelerative capability of a tractor. Modern buses use jerky auto-transmissions mated to poxy little turbocharged Euro-engines which must be kept in the narrow power-band near the top of their rev-range to get through the ratios. It is almost impossible to drive such contraptions smoothly.
"the great thing about hydrogen-powered vehicles, of course, is that all the pollution is made in producing the hydrogen in a big factory miles away, rather than in the vehicle itself.
this way smug greenies can claim their vehicle only produces water as emissions, and feel all good about themselves whilst blaming big business for the imaginary end of the world."
Are you suggesting that evil Ken would be happy to sit and gas the poor inhabitants of say Runcorn so his voters could get relief from all the smoke, gas and particulates his dirty diesel buses spew out every day. Never! Ken cares. Honest.
Peace campaigner Brian Haw has been continuously protesting in Parliament Square since 2nd June 2001. Initially, Brian was campaigning against the economic sanctions on Iraq and the bombing of the country by the US and UK. After 11 September 2001, Brian widened the focus, directing messages of peace, "against the 'war on terror', the terror that the US and UK have inflicted on Afghanistan and Iraq. Brian Haw protests on behalf of those innocent people who suffer and die in other countries, as our governments seek to further their own economic, military, political and strategic interests around the world," he said.
Brian Haw has received extensive international media coverage and has had visitors from numerous countries as a result including many heads of state. Many people from the UK and from abroad have made contributions to Brian's display with their own messages of peace.
Brian Haw is now seeking election by running for London Mayor as an independent candidate in 2008.
Boris is a stupid twat.
From the Guardian backbencher column:
"Boris's flights of fancy
Relief at 30 Millbank was unbounded when Lynton Crosby agreed to help
Boris defeat King Newt. Perhaps he can repeat the fine job he did for
Michael Howard three years ago. The only problem is that he still has
a part-time job in Sydney, which is good news for Qantas but bad news
for Boris - not least because Lynton will be commuting between the
two capitals until the final stages of the campaign. Not only does
this mean that Lynton may be asleep or in the air when Boris needs
him, it makes the would-be mayor's scepticism about Heathrow
expansion plans look rather silly. Indeed, on December 27, Boris's
people put out a press release complaining about the number of
domestic flights that staff in the mayor's office were taking. That
particular document was scratched from the archive when BackBoris.com
relaunched this week. Very sensible."
Chaps and chappesses,
The Routemaster was phased out due to EU diktat about access for disabled passengers and or/EU safety nannies fears that we would all fall out of the open rear of the bus as of course hundereds of millions of Londoners have done since the Routemaster went into service.
Ken is a useless cunt, but he is only doing what the rest of the useless cunts in our so called 'government' do which is rubber stamp EU diktats into law
Boris might like to bring back a modern version of the iconic bus (and I would love to see it on the road) but he will not be allowed to do so as Peter Mandelson or some such in Brussells will not permit it. Mind you, Mandy might like the idea of a butch lad in unifrom serving him on the top deck of the bus!
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