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Buses
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baggydave


Posts: 390
Joined: May 2004
Post: #41
01-12-2008 10:59 PM

Tomorrow I'm going to try the 185 during rush hour. I'll report back.

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junegapi


Posts: 106
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #42
02-12-2008 09:16 AM

BD I think you mean The Greyhound, aka The Dog and The Grove Tavern. The Grove Tavern and The Harvester are the same place?

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Applespider


Posts: 285
Joined: Feb 2006
Post: #43
02-12-2008 03:26 PM

Much quicker taking the 185/176 to Denmark Hill and hopping on a train to Victoria - especially since some of the 'fast' trains started stopping at Denmark Hill so that there's a train every 10 minutes or less between 8 and 9.

I'm sure the P4's problems are school-related since during holidays, the trip magically takes less than half the time. I guess the trouble is that with very few buses going through the Village, not many trains and lots of non-catchment kids, many people feel driving is the only option.

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baggydave


Posts: 390
Joined: May 2004
Post: #44
02-12-2008 09:40 PM

The 185's are supposed to be every 8 minutes or so. Waited for 40 minutes this morning, four 176s, four P4s, three 363s and three 197s. One 185 after half an hour and that was full. Jumped on a 176 and got a bendy bus at Camberwell. Not impressed. Bus journey time to Vauxhall only 40 mins, pity about doubling that due to the wait. Any readers know what was wrong with the 185 from 8 this morning?

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junegapi


Posts: 106
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #45
02-12-2008 11:15 PM

Now you should believe that the P4 is an excellent way in to Central London. It connects with Victtoria line at Brixton. It rarely takes me longer than 40 minutes to get to the Victoria area. You could also take the 363 to the Elephant and then the Bakerloo lone to the Piccadilly area. There are many possible routes from the FH area - the 185 should only be used for short journeys.

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baggydave


Posts: 390
Joined: May 2004
Post: #46
12-12-2008 09:12 PM

Those of you such as myself and junegapi who like nothing more that a good chat about the relative merits of the P series buses and the double deckers will no doubt want to check out this site:

http://www.togetherforlondon.org/discussions.php

When I say double deckers I am not talking about the early 70s kids programme featuring him from Aswad, the 'Russian' from Letter to Brezhnev (and I just found out Spooks), and the one in drag from it ain't half hot mum: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066669/

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junegapi


Posts: 106
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #47
14-12-2008 11:32 AM

A double decker is something one used to buy in a sandwich bar? Hurrah for the P4 buses and the route.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #48
14-12-2008 03:00 PM

certainly the P4 seems to have a fan club on this Forum. Must be a super bus. Only seems to serve the fashionable areas of SE 23, I assume the children are much more polite and stand up for older people,

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voyager3


Posts: 29
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #49
15-12-2008 09:57 AM

Actually, I find the P4 in the opposite direction (towards Lewisham) awful in the morning, at least during term time. It is usually packed full of school kids, many of whom for some reason refuse to move down, even when asked. It is also really unreliable with large gaps between buses, much longer than the timetabled 10 - 12 minutes. I got sick of standing for ages at the stop only for one to sail past without stopping, despite there being loads of room at the back. So I now walk over to Stanstead road and get the 185 or 122 which generally works out ok. I contacted TFl about the overcrowding and they referred me to their Network Development Team, who apparently deal with comments about the capacity of a specific route. Have not heard anything back as yet. A single decker during peak times isn't really sufficient with the current timetable.

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junegapi


Posts: 106
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #50
15-12-2008 10:39 AM

I saw a Double-Decker P4 coming down Honor Oak Road, towards London Road last week, Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. Maybe a one-off and it wasn't a sandwich!

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T and C


Posts: 22
Joined: Mar 2008
Post: #51
07-01-2009 12:26 PM

There should be more P4s going to Lewisham - this bus is always a packed single decker and so infrequent during the rush hour.. I think only twice an hour between 8:00 - 9:00 am.. full of school students and people getting to lewisham.. they need to add another 1 or 2 at least between the hours of 8:00 - 8:30am in my opinion.

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gingernuts


Posts: 505
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #52
07-01-2009 12:46 PM

School students should have to pay to use buses, then you'd be able to use the service. A lot these kids are obese or verging on the unhealthy and should be setting off for school on foot anyway. "It never did me any harm to walk a few miles a day!" Same for the afternoon - you can never get a bus to Lewisham after 3pm as it's packed with lazy school kids.

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shzl400


Posts: 729
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #53
07-01-2009 02:05 PM

Quote:
There should be more P4s going to Lewisham - this bus is always a packed single decker and so infrequent during the rush hour.. I think only twice an hour between 8:00 - 9:00 am.. full of school students and people getting to lewisham.. they need to add another 1 or 2 at least between the hours of 8:00 - 8:30am in my opinion.


This post particularly resonated with me, following my journey this morning. I don't know where gingernuts gets on the P4, but I catch it outstide Fairlawn school and it's usually quite regular at about 8:15, 8:25 and just before 8:35, but woe betide you if you miss the 8:35, because then there's a 20 min wait for one just before nine.

Today, after one such 20 min wait (and I swear I was there well before 8:30) the driver decided to wait for 5 mins at the last but one stop outside Brixton police station, because he was "running early" - how after such a long wait, I can't imagine! And why not just go on one more stop to the last stop and wait the five minutes where they usually do when they turn around. And why do they always leave the doors open while they wait - in sub-zero temperatures??

As for being packed with school kids, most of them pile off just before lights at the bottom of Honor Oak Road (leaving just a few - and more civil - children headed for Dulwich).

OK, rant over. I feel much better having got that off my chest.

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Applespider


Posts: 285
Joined: Feb 2006
Post: #54
07-01-2009 04:49 PM

Another set must pile on between Honor Oak Road and Wood Vale then since I've given up on the P4 as a route to work during term time as it's usually too crowded to get on or, on the few occasions, you can, it takes an age to get through the Village since there's so many school-run traffic.

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dita-on-tees


Posts: 46
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #55
07-01-2009 05:03 PM

Oh it is terrible and hate to be thought of as one of those miserable child haters - I really like children, honest - but the kids on the bus on the P4 are monsters. I go via Lewisham to get to work and they just dont seem to have any concept of how loud they or their ipods are. Dont even get me started on the absence of queuing. After a 20 min waiting the freezing cold some vile child rocks up and stands in front of me.... wahhhhhh not even my own mothers oh I am so disapointed with your behaviour stare (which I have been practising and perfecting since I was 25) seems to have an impact. Maybe I am getting old, maybe I am losing touch with youthful enthusiam or maybe at 31 it is just outrageous to be intimidated by a loud girl gang.

I went to quite a rough school so we had our own bus to spare the general public.... I think this would be a good thing.

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rbmartin


Posts: 1,074
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #56
07-01-2009 06:25 PM

The P4 should really be a double decker by now. Even the 202 bus in Sydenham which recently changed operators from Selkent (who run the P4) to Metrobus now has double deckers which seem to be packed, especially during school hours. This would solve many of the waiting time problems during the peaks.

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shzl400


Posts: 729
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #57
07-01-2009 09:42 PM

Despite the rant earlier, I'm very fond of the P4 hopper and think it would be ruined by being a double decker. All they need to do is get the timetable sorted so that they run often, regularly and on time (even with school run traffic conditions). Oh, and for them to stop wheezing and vibrating.

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rbmartin


Posts: 1,074
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #58
07-01-2009 09:50 PM

Longer single deckers may be a solution, although it seems along with our other hoppa bus the 356, it's the shorter the bus, the more we'll pack them in.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #59
08-01-2009 09:09 AM

I agree 100% with Gingernuts.
Obese kids are riding the bus for 1 or 2 stops.
Out former Fuehrer has a lot to answer for giving them free tickets carte blanche.

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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #60
08-01-2009 12:05 PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/educa...080950.stm

We really need these! On pilot in the UK so I don't know how they have been received.

I have noticed in London that there seem to be few school buses other than those collecting children with special needs and some of the private schools which run their own minibus service. Perhaps its something to do with more limited geographical catchment areas ie denser population hence more schools around, or its meant to encourage them to walk( ha) however it would be interesting to know more information.
Not everyone can walk to school and some parents have to do drop offs at different schools/childcare settings in the mornings so they clearly have little option other than to drive. Having a really good system of school buses would surely cut down on the school run traffic jam and also free up spaces on buses like the P4 and keep the charming youth of today in one place. I travelled by a dedicated school bus when younger and I remember us all being lectured for getting out of the control- the driver always had to stop and threaten to throw us off. And this was a girls grammar school. I think problems are inevitable at least on the way home.

PS I am a fan of the walking bus arrangements , I just don't think it will be practical for everyone.

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