Fly over!

Hi again. It's me.

Not a full return of any sort, but irregular uploads whenever I feel like it.

So I thought about flyovers some months ago and started writing.

I will be taking a break

Self explanatory.

I have no idea how long it will be, but for the foreseeable future, no posts. Thank you for reading my posts until now, bless you, stay safe.

Trolley-wired electric buses on roads || Extended-range battery bus

Extended-range battery bus: A mostly battery bus with a small diesel engine that will kick in when the battery is low

Or trolleywires on corridors, like Streatham High Road, for buses to operate like trolleybuses. Then when off the corridor, they operate as battery buses.

Why I bring them up?

Power losses.

So let's explore.

The Art of Car War

I am modern transport scientist incarnate of Sun Tzu who bestowed upon us his The Art of War which saw little use by outsiders until the leading up to the Great War, and I shall bestow upon you the knowledge 

2024 postscript; you have over £6000 you can spend. Which would you go for?

Local routes - more or less?

The less philosophy seems to have won by TfL; the 346 and 497 have been fused into one Harold Hill-Upminster route - the 346 serving locally from Upminster to Upminster Park Estate with minimal stand time. Likewise the 497 used to serve Harold Hill to Harold Wood with only up to 2 minutes of relief time at the Elizabeth Line station bus stop.

R6, as part of the recent Orpington bus consultation whose report has been concluded, suggests R6 may still be on the cutting line for withdrawal, with the other changes to routes R1/R2/R3 not happening as initially planned.

Is our traditional "circular" services, up to 60 minutes of round-trip time, a failed model?

Could we do with more?

Could we do with less, such as the withdrawal of 497 and R6?

Should the 291 be changed?

Let's explore.

You can support me by donating to me, buying from my store, or perhaps order from my Fiverr!

100% serviced buses

Diversions due to badly parked cars are common in the network.

Permanent reroutings due to parking issues have been done now and then.

Even a bus could be the cause of diversion...

Frequency/route trials - why we should do more

I did cover trials in a post, regarding technology Quirks Trials and Improvements.

Therefore I will not be covering those. I'll also stay away from trials to do with drivetrains (hybrids/hydrogen/electric).

Bakerloop bus service from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham - brings forth the Bakerloo Line extension in the flesh early but in bus form. Standard practice in France and Germany with metro extensions.

But...

Evening frequency balance

Recently the 97 was upped in evening frequency from every 12-20 ranging between early evening and late evening; to a blanket every 12 frequency until the last bus. I had a long hard think about 63/363.

News Flash 2024 :)

News! :O

Manchester-style London tender

Recently, Andy Lord did mention something about London's tendering system not being ideal, and a potential shift to Manchester style model.

I've suspected this and came to the conclusion some form of area-wide tendering was better, but was slightly hesitant on Manchester's model being replicated as a copy-paste. I'm aware area-wide contracts exist in, say the Netherlands, nothing seems to have collapsed, therefore might be better.

Alas, I will explore, together with you.

You can support me by donating to me, buying from my store, or perhaps order from my Fiverr!

Expressa - Superloop

Edited my own map including two suggestions of mine

Today's Expressa 4; 

   the 4th edition of my Expressa - where I analysed other express bus services across the developed world, then incorporated some of that into a fictional map in London.

This time, it's about comparing my years old Expressa map with the current Superloop, now that all routes (bar SL4) has been complete along with the fixated loop of doom that can't be perfectly looped.

Unorm vs TfL

Who has done it better?

Paris has,
they've gone a step further and decided to have an automated light-rail (think DLR-style)

Metro Line 15 (Grand Paris Express) do the orbital loop to go around the city centre.

Tidbit; TfL chose SL prefix instead of X(insert relevant parallel route) as the typical Joe and Jenny passenger don't pay attention to route numbers or destinations FOI request link clicky.

Updated spreadsheet of all express/limited-stop bus routes in London history
(now includes Superloop routes)

Spreadsheet link

Kindly before beginning, I'd like for you to refresh (or read for first time) my initial 

Expressa post (covering express buses around other world cities) and; 

Expressa 2 post (improving London express buses).

Every express bus route created in London as of 2021

Also I swear SL2 is remarkably similar to my... 

You can support me by donating to me, buying from my store, or perhaps order from my Fiverr!

2nd March 2024: 455 dead, SL2 to life

Not often two prefix routes with the same numerical digit start on the same date.

S2 and SL2.

This day could've gone swimmingly with only two things focussed on, after everything else executed to some quality...:

Publicity

Displays.

Many blind display issues across operators, though a lot worse at one operator.

Before going into 455, it is worth noting it's two routes in one.

Of course, as a result, it's an indirect route. So indirect you can walk from Wallington to Purley and just about beat the actual 455 bus.

Overground names - my thoughts

I'd draw a Superradial map if I had the passion to
SL11 (X84) Potters Bar - Barnet - North Finchley
SL12 (215 turned X) Walthamstow - Lee Valley - Waltham Abbey - Waltham Cross
SL13 (X173) North Woolwich - Dagenham - Rainham
SL14 (180 turned X) North Greenwich - Woolwich - Thamesmead - Erith
SL5 Woolwich - Bromley - Croydon
SL15 (402 ish) Bromley - Green Street Green - Sevenoaks
SL16 (166 to Epsom turned X) Croydon - Banstead - Epsom
SL6 stop at Elephant; Oval; Brixton; Tulse Hill. Made every 12 Mon-Sat every 15 Sun, hours 0500-2400

Lately I've been sick, which is why I've not made posts lately, though I am alive, now a bit better.

Quick short post to show I'm still about, and something for me to put out.

Right, the Overground.

Please have Windrush serve Brixton, for the love of God.

Funny the last time Overground were to receive names, ex-Mayor Boris Johnson cancelled the project - like he cancelled orbital bus links (which Khan brought back as the weirdly named Superloop)