Speeding buses a thing of the past ?

[SWTH]

Reminds me of the bad old days on the X5 between Shrewsbury and Telford. Limited stop service, departed Shrewsbury Bus Station at xx00, timetables to arrive at Telford Bus Station at xx29, to depart at xx30. One minute turnarounds at both ends, with a 57 seat B10M.

The only way to run on time was to throw out the Highway Code - green lights were green, amber lights were green, and red lights were green depending on how long they'd been red for. If there was a traffic issue on the M54, you were stuffed. Fortunately the B10M's were ideal for the work, the Scanias they trialled (geared to be on the rev limiter at 50mph) were useless - constantly boiling over, cooking head gaskets and incapable of keeping to time. The B10M's soon returned.

 

[F1Ken]

There is nothing better than being at the front of a double decker on country roads whilst it's being thrashed.

Can be quite scary but hey! You get their quicker!!

No reason to moan in my opinion.

 

[jon0844]

And if it crashed, you'd probably end up well in front of the bus.

 

[fowler9]

If everyone using inappropriate speed got prosecuted in any form of transport the roads would be a lot quieter.

 

[Jonny]

If everyone using inappropriate speed got prosecuted in any form of transport the roads would be a lot quieter.

That depends on how you define inappropriate speed - either as breaking the speed limit or by going too fast for the conditions (OK there can be overlap), bearing in mind that one's survival instinct can act as a sort of brake...

 

[wbbminerals]

I tend to find that drivers drive faster to the terminus when they need to use the 'facilities' there.

 

[edwin_m]

There is nothing better than being at the front of a double decker on country roads whilst it's being thrashed.

Can be quite scary but hey! You get their quicker!!

No reason to moan in my opinion.

I recall a trip from Bournemouth to Swanage one September when on the more rural bit the trees were scraping against the top deck windows. And thinking that if it had been the previous week, before they put the tops on the buses for the winter, that could have caused somebody a nasty injury.

 

[fowler9]

That depends on how you define inappropriate speed - either as breaking the speed limit or by going too fast for the conditions (OK there can be overlap), bearing in mind that one's survival instinct can act as a sort of brake...

The only overlap is where traveling at the speed limit is inappropriate. Going over the speed limit is simply breaking the law. Survival instinct seems to switch off when a lot of people get behind the wheel and turns in to "I know best even if it is over the speed limit". Seems bizarre to even discuss this on a railway forum, when should a train driver be allowed to break the speed limit?

 

[Muzer]

The other day I was on a Unilink bus in Southampton and the driver charged over a speed ramp and one of the windows upstairs shattered. Yes he was doing less than the speed limit, but as others have said it's all about appropriate speed.

Seriously? That must have been some pace


It seems to me sometimes the Unilink drivers will forget they have two sets of wheels. They'll crawl over the speed bumps by the uni interchange with their front wheels, then accelerate up to full speed for the rear wheels...

 

[notadriver]

We (train drivers) do not ever intentionally break the speed limits. Admittedly it happened a lot in the past. Record runs have had certain speed limits relaxed for that run only.

 

[fowler9]

We (train drivers) do not ever intentionally break the speed limits. Admittedly it happened a lot in the past. Record runs have had certain speed limits relaxed for that run only.

I don't know if that was directed at me or not but some motorists seem to treat the speed limit as something they ought to try and beat and then moan about as a war against the motorist if they get caught out. Surely it is the same for train drivers. I know that isn't the case but sometimes the motorist seems to think they know better.

 

[MK Tom]

Arriva in MK can go like the clappers when they feel like it

Z&S moreso. The 33 to Northampton loves to try and hit 60 on the winding country lanes around Castlethorpe.

 

[notadriver]

I don't know if that was directed at me or not but some motorists seem to treat the speed limit as something they ought to try and beat and then moan about as a war against the motorist if they get caught out. Surely it is the same for train drivers. I know that isn't the case but sometimes the motorist seems to think they know better.

Not directed at you just a general statement about the mentality of a train driver with regards to speed limits. There are even times when we deliberately go under the speed limit because a section of track or a bend is known to be a bit rough (!)

 

[TRN481V]

It's an absolute bug bear of mine though that if a driver is running late, s/he stills pooters along the road at 2mph even though getting the foot down would make up that time...

I can understand how that would frustrate you. If I am running up to five minutes late then I will try to make up time. More often than not, I manage it without breaking the speed limit. If I am running more than five minutes late then I make no attempt whatsoever to make time up. I am not going to risk my passengers' lives, and my licence, because my employers have unrealistic running times. After all, that is what dropped mileage forms are for

 

[fowler9]

Cheers for the info from bus and train drivers there folks. It was interesting to read.