Local council must really hate drivers...
Discussion
All this within the last three months, around where I live.
1. Two lane busy main road reduced to one lane and a cycle path. (Cost £170,000 I'm told
)
2. Only road in/out of our estate reduced in width so two cars cannot fit abreast to exit at the same time (ie: used to get one turning left and one right at the same time, queue now back into estate)
3. Main road narrowed by replacing single middle white line with large chevrons painted down middle
4. Right filter lane to turn into station car park removed, traffic has to block carriageway now.
5. Right filter lane to turn right into estate reduced to length of one car. Others have to block carriageway.
6. bus stop filled in so bus now stops in main road carriageway blocking traffic
7. large bus stop outside station has been halved in size by building concrete barriers to stop cars waiting to dropoff/collect people from station.
This is getting beyond a joke.
(could post photos if anyone's interested...)
1. Two lane busy main road reduced to one lane and a cycle path. (Cost £170,000 I'm told
) 2. Only road in/out of our estate reduced in width so two cars cannot fit abreast to exit at the same time (ie: used to get one turning left and one right at the same time, queue now back into estate)
3. Main road narrowed by replacing single middle white line with large chevrons painted down middle
4. Right filter lane to turn into station car park removed, traffic has to block carriageway now.
5. Right filter lane to turn right into estate reduced to length of one car. Others have to block carriageway.
6. bus stop filled in so bus now stops in main road carriageway blocking traffic
7. large bus stop outside station has been halved in size by building concrete barriers to stop cars waiting to dropoff/collect people from station.
This is getting beyond a joke. (could post photos if anyone's interested...)
page3 said:
6. bus stop filled in so bus now stops in main road carriageway blocking traffic
You know what thats for don't you, it's a copy of London's doing where the nasty drivers wouldn't let the buses out, so the buses now block the road up
Bus Drivers make me mad, they are terrible drivers (in way of safety to other drivers), yesterday I saw one accelerate towards a group of people crossing the road tooting his horn. Then at the last minute he did an emergency stop... Terribel.
Stefan
Noticed the latest craze for placing pedestrian islands just before a filter to turn right from the main carriageway?
The filter isn't long enough to fit a full car, so the back end sticks out into the middle of the road.
Also, last week, I timed how long I sat at red traffic lights with nothing coming the other way - 5 mins and 35 secs in seven days worth of driving.
p.s. the stopwatch was started when I actually stopped moving and was not used if there was a car actually waiting or in the act of crossing the carraigeway.
The filter isn't long enough to fit a full car, so the back end sticks out into the middle of the road.
Also, last week, I timed how long I sat at red traffic lights with nothing coming the other way - 5 mins and 35 secs in seven days worth of driving.
p.s. the stopwatch was started when I actually stopped moving and was not used if there was a car actually waiting or in the act of crossing the carraigeway.
page3 said:
3. Main road narrowed by replacing single middle white line with large chevrons painted down middle
If this has a solid white border then bugger, but if it's a dashed white line bordering the chevrons, it just means that you're only allowed to enter if it's safe to do so. Like you're going to drive down the middle of the road if it's not safe?
Well, actually scrap that. Some of the drivers we all seem to drive around everyday probably would.
page3 said:
6. bus stop filled in so bus now stops in main road carriageway blocking traffic
something they've done around south west London... who can we complain to? it's just plain stupidity. do the bus companies pay off councellors? (and before anyone complains about this last comment being childish, i'm allowed to make such a comment given the time I've wasted sitting behind a bus! :P )
Byff said:
Also, last week, I timed how long I sat at red traffic lights with nothing coming the other way - 5 mins and 35 secs in seven days worth of driving.
p.s. the stopwatch was started when I actually stopped moving and was not used if there was a car actually waiting or in the act of crossing the carraigeway.
highly likely a detector has gone PD (permanent demand) on one of the side roads and is making the lights change even though there is no vehicle waiting.
most likely cause is the hot weather or a badly worn road surface.
edit to add: either that or they have messed with the timings to justify whatever dastardly schemes they can devise next
>> Edited by chief-0369 on Wednesday 13th August 14:24
docevi1 said:
page3 said:
6. bus stop filled in so bus now stops in main road carriageway blocking traffic
You know what thats for don't you, it's a copy of London's doing where the nasty drivers wouldn't let the buses out, so the buses now block the road up
Bus Drivers make me mad, they are terrible drivers (in way of safety to other drivers), yesterday I saw one accelerate towards a group of people crossing the road tooting his horn. Then at the last minute he did an emergency stop... Terribel.
Stefan
The current practice of filling in bus layby's is because 9 times out of 10 the bus can't get into them due to parked cars.
I'm sure the bus drivers deliberately go out of their way just to annoy you!
You really have not got a clue what it takes to drive a bus or as to how they might handle differently to a car.
For a start they are usually around the 10 ton mark and therefore need a lot of power to get them moving. Due to the mass of moving parts they don't react very quickly. From removing your foot from the accelerator to the engine coming off power can take upto 5 seconds.
Could you drive your car with those reaction times?
Assuming the bus's average speed to be 20mph, it could have traveled over 140 feet before it stopped accelerating. It would then seem like the driver slammed the brakes on.
Maybe you should go on a Bus drivers (or lorry) training coarse and then you might appreciate the conditions, difficulties and considerations that others have to put up with.
It is easy to judge, but it takes a little more to understand!
Shadowninja,
In an ideal world every bus stop would be a layby and motorists would allow them to pull out. In real life this doesn't happen.
The Bus companies are at the beck and call of the local councils and not the other way round.
The councillors narrow minded attempts at reducing traffic involves trying to force people onto public transport. The idea of bus lanes in theory is good, but in practice is a disaster.
Busses are not the causes of traffic jams, but the victims as well, and if you were not stuck behind the bus where would you be, stuck behind the car in front of the bus! Just because the bus stops to let on and off passengers a lot of motorists get frustrated because there is a gap in front of it. A gap that disappears when the bus then pulls back into it.
OK I'm waffling, but I get annoyed at people singling out certain drivers to take their frustrations out on when their biggest problem is usually that they don't like being behind something they can't see past.
>> Edited by Spyderman on Wednesday 13th August 15:05
Spyderman said:
From removing your foot from the accelerator to the engine coming off power can take upto 5 seconds.
erm.....bollox!
As soon as the throttle is released, the engine is off power, but if it's been revving hard previously, momentum will keep the engine spinning but idle. Due to the semi auto box's, the engine will not experience any braking effect through the drive train.
Byff said:
From removing your foot from the accelerator to the engine coming off power can take upto 5 seconds.
erm.....bollox!
Seconded!
I've seen them react much faster than that.
Do you really expect us to believe, by your own words, that you CANNOT stop a bus accellerating for 120feet after you release the throttle?
Spyderman said:yeah - that's true and that's why I don't like being behind buses, vans, lorries, SUVs or MPVs.
their biggest problem is usually that they don't like being behind something they can't see past.
The other reason is the million cubic metres of carcinogenic particulates their cruddy old diseasal engines chuck in my direction evey minute I'm behind them - hence I overtake such vehicles at any possible opportunity.
CarZee said:
The other reason is the million cubic metres of carcinogenic particulates their cruddy old diseasal engines chuck in my direction evey minute I'm behind them - hence I overtake such vehicles at any possible opportunity.
"Coughs and sneezels
spread diseasels."
excerpt from "Duck and the Diesel Engine", Rev W Audrey, ca. 1955.
Just showing off my immense literaryness.
Carry on.
Do you live in Stockport? They are doing almost identical traffic "management" schemes here too. I think the local council just want to make the town feel busy. For a review of Stockport go here
www.idler.co.uk/html/frontsection/craptown/towns/stockport.htm
www.idler.co.uk/html/frontsection/craptown/towns/stockport.htm
XM5ER said:
Do you live in Stockport? They are doing almost identical traffic "management" schemes here too. I think the local council just want to make the town feel busy. For a review of Stockport go here
www.idler.co.uk/html/frontsection/craptown/towns/stockport.htm
I've given up driving into Stocky during the day - just no-where to park and the traffic- mashing 'systems' just make you feel like you're driving through the equivalent of a toothpaste tube.
There's no doubt in my mind that the weasel control freak council brain is programmed to create as much congestion as possible. Good flow is not their aim.
P.S. I agree with the point above about the need to get past a fume-pumping bus at the earliest opportunity. It's not always possible to switch on air recirculation quickly enough before getting a cabin full of particulates.
P.S. I agree with the point above about the need to get past a fume-pumping bus at the earliest opportunity. It's not always possible to switch on air recirculation quickly enough before getting a cabin full of particulates.
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