Morning:
8°c
Boris: Bendy buses will be gone from streets by 2015
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor23.09.08
The Mayor today hit back at critics of his plan to scrap bendy buses by vowing to implement a "timetable of doom" that will see the last one disappear from London's streets by 2015.
On a BBC Radio London phonein, Boris Johnson said the first bendy buses would be removed next year.
His pledge follows a warning by some London Assembly members that the change could lead to passengers facing more crowded and slower journeys, higher costs and increased carbon emissions.
Mr Johnson has already rejected such claims and said he was only staggering the abolition to ensure taxpayers were not "ripped off" by suppliers if replacement vehicles had to be ordered too quickly. "There is a timetable of doom up in my office," he added.
A consultation on bendy buses on three routes - the 38 from Victoria to Clapton, 507 from Victoria to Waterloo, and 521 from Waterloo to London Bridge - has begun and new vehicles are to be introduced on the routes.
The Mayor is expected to announce the winning design for a new generation of Routemaster buses in November.
Reader views (3)
On days like this morning, when Victoria station had to be closed because of congestion, a single or double decker bus simply won't cut it. Victoria station seems to close at least once a week because there are simply too many people at once trying to get away from there.
London simply needs a large people carrier, or we will simply have gridlock.
I also wonder about this consultation. I, too, have looked for it in vain.
- K Williams, London
Who is being consulted? It doesn't seem to be the passengers and there is no mention of a consultation on the tfl website. Bendy buses have been a huge success on Red Arrow routes 507 and 521 and replacing them with smaller vehicles makes no sense whatsoever.
- Hughie, Surrey, UK
What is the purpose of the consultation if they Mayor has already decided the outcome?
What if the consultation were to say that passengers won't be too chuffed with slower, more crowded services?
What if it were also to say that drivers won't be best pleased about greater levels of congestion that result from the replacement buses having to spend longer at each stop (as they have less doors for people to get on and off from), blocking the road?
The mayor is making a mockery of the consultation process by pre-judging the results. Where is the democracy?
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall
