🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <37g29f18bn.fsf@edmonds.home.cs.ubc.ca>, edmonds@cs.ubc.ca
(Brian Edmonds) wrote:

>  Perhaps George knows this one.

He's here and as always, has a comment :-)

> Ed> 1) I don't feel safe sitting in the bus.  The construction of the
> Ed> side of the bus does not look like it can withstand the impact of
> Ed> another vehicle, and does not look think enough to act as a cushion.
> 
> That's nice, but given the choice between impact testing (which I'm
> assured has been done, and the buses stand up to as much abuse as the
> old style) and your feelings, I'll take the test results any day.

I understand when you say you "feel" more exposed.  It certainly looks
like that.  However the data does not support that conclusion, and these
"new" busses are not in fact new.  They have been in service in Victoria
for several years already, and in major metropolitan service all over
North America as well.  There is no data that supports increased mortality
or injury on this design.

> Ed> 2) There is no leg room for those of us with long legs.
> 
> Buses are typically designed to maximize useful seating, and providing
> room for the outlying longer legged people would reduce the number of
> seats, and thus the carrying capacity.  My knees often rub on the seat
> in front of me too, but you've always got the option of standing.

I have the same problem on every bus and Skytrain too.  If I weren't
driving the bus, I would chose to stand or sit in the side facing seats.

> Ed> 3) There is much less seating in the new bus than on the old ones.
> 
> You would seem to be contradicting yourself.  You want less seating so
> there will be more leg room, then you complain there is too little
> seating?  I haven't seen any numbers for passenger loads, so it's hard
> to comment more. 

I counted, and there are 2 less seats in the low floor.  The standard New
Flyer D40 in the Vancouver configuration has 39 seats.  The Low Florr (if
I remember correctly) has 37.  Derek pointed out that this is due to the
wheel wells in front now occupy space.  That can be good or bad.  As a
driver, I do not miss the "chatter box" seat on the front right hand side
of the bus.  The closest seat is now almost 5 feet away.

> Ed> 4) There is an irritatingly long delay in the mechanism for opening
> Ed> the rear doors.
> 
> Funny, I had no trouble with it.

It works, but it is agonizingly slow.  It's a complaint with the operators too.

George

=====================================================================
George Johansen - johansen@portal.ca

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily the official 
platform or policy of any political party or company.
=====================================================================