These writhing whales of the road have swung their hefty rear ends round our corners for the final time.

On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:15:15 +0100
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
I know that, and I know how to avoid most of the problem, but tat
doesn't change the fact that bendy buses are uniquely unpleasant
things with which to share the road. 18m long, surprisingly rapid
acceleration, and especially the way the articulation works so that if
the driver cuts in too early you end up with the arse end coming
towards you at speed and nowhere to go. I hate them. I might hate
them less if the drivers could bring themselves to wait if there's a
cyclist part way past before they start off, but they don't. There is
no really safe way to get past one of those buggers.

So in other words you're only competant enough to navigate past certain
vehicles on the road. Perhaps you should consider another way of getting
around town?

Tell me , are british commuter cyclists just particularly incompetant and/or
stupid compared to european ones who've been living with bendy buses
for years or are you all - what most people suspect is the case - nothing but
a bunch of tedious whingers?

And no , not many european city centres have off road cycle paths.

B2003

On Jul 28, 11:10*am, wrote:

Tell me , are british commuter cyclists just particularly incompetant and/or
stupid compared to european ones who've been living with bendy buses
for years or are you all - what most people suspect is the case - nothing but
a bunch of tedious whingers?

I suggest you try riding a bike round some European city centres some
time. The bus routes in major European cities where bendy buses are
common typically run along broad boulevards which are straight or have
wide, sweeping bends. The narrow, twisty streets of London are one of
the main reasons the late lamented Routemaster was originally
developed.
--
Guy

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:16:34 -0700 (PDT)
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
I suggest you try riding a bike round some European city centres some
time. The bus routes in major European cities where bendy buses are
common typically run along broad boulevards which are straight or have
wide, sweeping bends. The narrow, twisty streets of London are one of
the main reasons the late lamented Routemaster was originally
developed.

What exactly is narrow and twisty about victoria embankment or oxford street
or the strand or 101 other roads I could mention? All cities have wide roads
and all cities have narrow roads. If you don't think there are narrow and
twisty roads in Paris or Madrid or wherever you've obviously never been there.

B2003

On Jul 28, 11:50*am, wrote:
On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:16:34 -0700 (PDT)
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:

I suggest you try riding a bike round some European city centres some
time. *The bus routes in major European cities where bendy buses are
common typically run along broad boulevards which are straight or have
wide, sweeping bends. *The narrow, twisty streets of London are one of
the main reasons the late lamented Routemaster was originally
developed.

What exactly is narrow and twisty about victoria embankment or oxford street
or the strand or 101 other roads I could mention? All cities have wide roads
and all cities have narrow roads. If you don't think there are narrow and
twisty roads in Paris or Madrid or wherever you've obviously never been there.

I have never seen a bendy bus on Victoria Embankment. I have seen one
around London Wall. I do not ride along Oxford Street at all, it is
impassable. I did see a bendy bus today as I was riding round Hyde
Park Corner - hard to avoid seeing it in fact as it pulled onto the
roundabout straight into my path. And with 18m of bus that left no
option at all but to stop in the middle of a busy roundabout.

I'm sure they are fine in their place, but central London is not it.
--
Guy

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:08:42 -0700 (PDT)
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
I have never seen a bendy bus on Victoria Embankment. I have seen one
around London Wall. I do not ride along Oxford Street at all, it is
impassable. I did see a bendy bus today as I was riding round Hyde
Park Corner - hard to avoid seeing it in fact as it pulled onto the
roundabout straight into my path. And with 18m of bus that left no
option at all but to stop in the middle of a busy roundabout.

So let me get this straight - you didn't see an 18m bus coming until
it was almost on top of you and then (surprise!) it went to pass you?

I'm sure they are fine in their place, but central London is not it.

Perhaps its not your place either as it appears you have tunnel vision.

B2003

On Jul 28, 12:48*pm, wrote:
On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:08:42 -0700 (PDT)
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:

I have never seen a bendy bus on Victoria Embankment. *I have seen one
around London Wall. *I do not ride along Oxford Street at all, it is
impassable. *I did see a bendy bus today as I was riding round Hyde
Park Corner - hard to avoid seeing it in fact as it pulled onto the
roundabout straight into my path. *And with 18m of bus that left no
option at all but to stop in the middle of a busy roundabout.

So let me get this straight - you didn't see an 18m bus coming until
it was almost on top of you and then (surprise!) it went to pass you?

Wrong. I was cycling round the roundabout, the bus driver entered the
roundabout in conflict with traffic already on the roundabout, he was
in the wrong not me.

I'm sure they are fine in their place, but central London is not it.
Perhaps its not your place either as it appears you have tunnel vision.

See above: your base premise is in error. Do you cycle much in
central London? I'm not the only cyclist to find bendy buses to be
disproportionately problematic.
--
Guy

wrote:
On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:16:34 -0700 (PDT)
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
I suggest you try riding a bike round some European city centres some
time. The bus routes in major European cities where bendy buses are
common typically run along broad boulevards which are straight or
have wide, sweeping bends. The narrow, twisty streets of London are
one of the main reasons the late lamented Routemaster was originally
developed.

What exactly is narrow and twisty about victoria embankment or oxford
street or the strand or 101 other roads I could mention? All cities
have wide roads and all cities have narrow roads. If you don't think
there are narrow and twisty roads in Paris or Madrid or wherever
you've obviously never been there.

Maybe the bendy routes in London should have been introduced as new routes
constrained to follow the wider roads, instead of taking over existing
routes like the 73 and expecting bendies to turn from Stoke Newington Church
St to Albion Road without causing problems.

On Jul 28, 1:15*pm, "Basil Jet"
wrote:

Maybe the bendy routes in London should have been introduced as new routes
constrained to follow the wider roads, instead of taking over existing
routes like the 73 and expecting bendies to turn from Stoke Newington Church
St to Albion Road without causing problems.

Yes, that would have been a good idea.

I think that getting rid of them all just because they are used badly
is every bot as foolish as introducing them into routes where they
cause problems.

I still don' t like sharing the road with them, though.
--
Guy

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:59:59 -0700 (PDT), "Just zis Guy, you know?"
wrote:
Do you cycle much in
central London? I'm not the only cyclist to find bendy buses to be
disproportionately problematic.


I'm sure I'm not the only London road user to find cyclists to be
disproportionately problematic.

It is difficult to imagine a group of road users who are more
anti-social, showing, as so many do, scant regard for the Highway Code
and complete contempt for other road users, especially pedestrians.

If you don't like bendy buses - tough!

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:59:59 -0700 (PDT)
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:
So let me get this straight - you didn't see an 18m bus coming until
it was almost on top of you and then (surprise!) it went to pass you?

Wrong. I was cycling round the roundabout, the bus driver entered the
roundabout in conflict with traffic already on the roundabout, he was
in the wrong not me.

Obviously the buses fault, nothing to do with the driver. Must be something
psychotic about the bendy part of it.

See above: your base premise is in error. Do you cycle much in
central London?

Why would I? I'm not an idiot. There are these things known as buses and
tubes.

I'm not the only cyclist to find bendy buses to be
disproportionately problematic.

If you can deal with a large bus then you can't deal with HGVs either so
therefor you should leave your bike at home, accept you're not competant
on the road and stop whining.

B2003