Night Rationalisation

The 24-hour routes could be better utilised to make more links.

Money can be saved by removing parallels (and reducing capacity on quiet sections of the night network, like Park Lane)

To provide cross-central London links, quite valuable at night and significantly reduces wait times in various interchanges as well as reduction in stands used in the centre of the city.

I have two daring suggestions.

Night time between 23:30 and 05:00:

- Speed limits on select roads increase from 20mph to 25mph (personally would go for 30mph)

- Change in all traffic signal timings, some quiet junctions being turned off or permanently blinking yellow during the hours listed above. Other junctions with reduced wait times, either a third or a half of daytime signal timing. Significantly reduces night travel times by over 15%.

And broadly, modifications to the network

The only remaining night routes with short workings are N8 and N207. Time to address them.

N508 Ealing Broadway - Stratford (replaces N8 and N207 shorts)

N188 Willesden - North Greenwich - Canning Town (replaces N98 shorts)

Entirely new routes bringing many links

N154 Wimbledon via 164 to Morden, via 154 to West Croydon, via 157 to Crystal Palace.

Decker Trial

The 235's recent escapade inspired me...

A trial for single deck routes to use 2 or 3 double decker buses and monitor if usage has increased.

I would argue this has very much happened with route 355, its usage did increase by a notable margin. The 355 was allocated 4 double deckers due to the fire at Orpington (MB) which killed four of 358's buses.

95 is FULLY allocated hybrid double deckers temporarily... watching its usage next year would be interesting.

Would then be horrible to watch it return to fully single deck operation... again (yes this happened under First).

This would surely make a great experiment.

Year 2025

I write this in 2025 with baited breath.

"The definition of madness is repeating the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome."

So this is more so a recap of when contract changes or changes route or bus consultations happened. Anything extra is a plus.

With that out of the way, enjoy the read.

<   Year 2024 recap                Year 2026 unavailable   >

How to express on narrow route

For the foreseeable future, new posts remain text-only.

I believe I mentioned this in passing in another post to do with express buses or Superloop but I will make it the focus of this post.

To get you to understand quickly, here is the example:

- 65 leaves Kingston towards Ealing at 12:55

- SL** leaves Kingston towards Ealing at 13:03

- 65 leaves Kingston towards Ealing at 13:05

- SL** leaves Kingston towards Ealing at 13:13

- so on so forth

Note: In reality SL** will most likely be every 12. 65 most likely reduced to every 10.

See where I am going with this?

Silvertown Tunnel - Unorm way

I think we have established routes 129 SL4 and Silvertown Tunnel Cycle Bus (numbered SCS) use the new tunnel, with buses per hour at 7.5 + 7.5 + 5 respectively.

Buses per hour through Blackwall Tunnel: 5 bph

Buses per hour through Silvertown Tunnel: 20 bph

Total change in bus requirement: +36

I think we also have it established the above routes, and 108, will all be free to use for a year. To compensate for the high tolls on Blackwall Tunnel and Silvertown Tunnel.

I have uploaded this on 1st April hopefully but the tunnel opens next week on the 7th.

Postscript: Completely forgot until now (14/5/25), whoops.

Blah blah, what is my opinion and how I will achieve it and why am I so good?

(text only) Super Superloop

Images and maps delayed for the foreseeable future.

Update: Until all real Superloop routes are finalised

..............................

It's been a while since I've posted and it certainly has been years since I came up with some form of network changes of my own.

I have been inspired by looking at other bus enthusiasts' ideas, enticing myself to come out of my slumber, touch grass, and return to bring pixels on a white .PNG file to scratch my itch for map drawing. Intended to, as of 2024
It's like facing a withdrawal symptom from a harmless addiction I once had.

Alas, my previous changes focused squarely with South London and any routes that touched Lambeth and/or Southwark boroughs that I saw fit for improvement.

This time? London-wide express bus revolution, again. Come on, you've read the title!

Here's the mandatory .PNG file for you to absorb the artistic glory and to take in the madness I've created.

I am convinced I have Superloop-hysteria.

Warning: Too much Superloop may make you loopy.

Let's get started with what I subjected to plebian commoner bus routes in my quest for fast Superloop, with wordy details!

Update: 31/01/2025: Bakerloop consultation came out, SL11 is a renumber of 472 (this was just North Woolwich to Thamesmead) and SL12 is Gants Hill via Romford to Rainham Ferry Lane (cut from Leytonstone).

Update: SL15 changed from terminating at Streatham to Clapham Junction. Still terminates at Eltham on the other end.

.............................

Year Recap 2024

Same old. Year recap.

Year recap of 2024.

Better than 2022 I'd still say.

<   Year 2023 recap                Year 2025 recap   >

Necessity is the mother of invention - Greek philosopher Plato

If necessity is the mother of invention, discontent is the father of progress - David Rockefeller

Jugaad: the use of skill and imagination to find an easy solution to a problem or to fix or make something using cheap, basic items. - a word in Indo-Aryan languages

Postscript: Banditry banditry

Note: Usage of any photos on this blog isn't permitted where no name is present (meaning it's mine, ©Unorm), or an All Rights Reserved symbol © is present. If you desire to use a photo, you must contact the original author. In my case, you should contact my Flickr. 

Whereby a name is stated and no © is present, the photo is Some Rights Reserved and may be used in accordance to the license. 

______________________________________________________________________________

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)