please empty your brain below
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Sad to say that all this feels like no one is in charge.
100andthirty | 04.10.15 - 7:16 a.m. | #
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Somebody throw a sack over the bus stop plate, PLEASE !
None of this is Rocket Science, is it ?
petras409 | 04.10.15 - 8:46 a.m. | #
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But it's TFL, what do you expect. When they move to Stratford next year they might be close enough to sort it aaaaahhrt!
Agent Z | 04.10.15 - 9:14 a.m. | #
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Does the newly introduced legislation that allows class actions apply to bus passengers?
| 04.10.15 - 9:39 a.m. | #
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Did anyone else spot DG quietly appearing in a Hitchcock-style cameo role yesterday?
In the middle photo, he's the person nearest the flagpole marked 'M' !
Gerry | 04.10.15 - 10:09 a.m. | #
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This is not just about Bow Road bus stops. There are more direct channels by which DG could inform those responsible and try and get it fixed. (The channels may not work, and/or they may be blocked by call centres which don't answer, but that's by the way).
This is about using a popular blog to give wide publicity to an organisational shambles. The target is not just to get Bow Road fixed (though that would be nice). Nor is it just to entertain and/or infuriate readers (though both are happening). It is to speak up for the poor end-users, the bus passengers, who are being badly let down by a dysfunctional system.
Malcolm | 04.10.15 - 10:59 a.m. | #
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Typical,
You wait for ages, then three bus blog posts arrive at the same time.
IanVisits | 04.10.15 - 11:37 a.m. | #
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"big society" not really working is it?
Working Class Hero | 04.10.15 - 11:40 a.m. | #
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I'd be tempted to get a bin liner, a roll of sticky tape and a marker pen...
Blue Witch | Homepage | 04.10.15 - 12:49 p.m. | #
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I worked on the buses, admittedly many years ago (pre TFL) so things have probably changed, but quite often the first we knew about such things was when we were out driving. Sometimes notices would be pinned up at the garage saying something along the lines of, "From such and such a date please stop at bus stop X and no longer at Y." Obviously this depended on all drivers reading said notice and / or a manager pointing it out when you booked on; this seems to be similar to the case here. Gradually word spreads and things settle down. Far better to back this up by someone on the ground as well actually covering the stops and applying official notices.
Another thing used to be temporary roadworks etc; you'd go out and see a stop "bagged up" but with no obvious obstruction and people still waiting, you'd stop regardless. Otherwise you'd seek for the relacement "dolly" stop if indeed there was one. These though were (and presumably still are) prone to being moved by various pranksters; I knew someone once (non bus driver) who had two in his garage!
| 04.10.15 - 1:24 p.m. | #
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Sunday afternoon update... no change.
Still a total organisational mess with passengers running from one stop to the other, and buses stopping mostly at G, sometimes at E, and occasionally at both.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 04.10.15 - 5:07 p.m. | #
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What I friend and I noticed on watching the situation of buses stopping by the 2 bus stops by Bow Church for a 20 minute period this Sunday around 2.00pm.
All buses went straight to the new bus stop and only the 488 stopped at both bus stops. As we want to get on the No8 bus later today, having seen your blog,we have decided the new stop after Noor Hairdressers is the one to wait at. Hopefully this observation will save us the sprint between stops when the buses ignore the temporary stop outside the hairdressers.
Karen | 04.10.15 - 5:32 p.m. | #
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The new stop is an old stop, upgraded, but it's new for the number 8 which always used to stop outside the hairdressers. And seemingly no longer does. Most of the time.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 04.10.15 - 5:36 p.m. | #
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When you pointed out a spelling mistake on a name sign at a tube station (that inconvenienced no-one, would go unnoticed by most, but would mildly amuse the rest) it was changed within hours.
You've pointed out an error at multiple bus stops, that is really inconveniencing people, three times now, and nothing has been done.
It's all about how things look these days, isn't it? If one ever needed a demonstration of style over substance, this must be it.
Blue Witch | Homepage | 05.10.15 - 7:15 a.m. | #
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4
Geofftech | 05.10.15 - 8:29 a.m. | #
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Monday morning update: a lady waiting at Bus Stop E looks up at the sign reading ALL BUSES STOP HERE and wonders why the last three didn't.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 05.10.15 - 9:07 a.m. | #
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DG wrote: "All that's needed is for any bus stops that are closed to actually look closed, either through the removal of street furniture or the addition of a big sign. Could somebody official possibly pop down and sort this mess out?"
An even quicker fix would be for bus drivers to stop at any stop that looks open. I would want TFL to prioritize that, as it should be doable within an hour.
Barney | 05.10.15 - 10:04 a.m. | #
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As I may have said before, it looks like TfL really 'values' it's bus passengers!
Just be thankful you have buses that come more frequently than one or two per hour!
Bronchitikat | Homepage | 05.10.15 - 11:50 a.m. | #
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Parochial is my word du jour.
bert the builder | 05.10.15 - 1:43 p.m. | #
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@ Bert the Builder
Demand a refund of your subscription !
On the contrary, the issue has much wider significance. Unlike, say, a rude remark by an individual driver, these ongoing multiple failures show that TfL's Quality Control procedures relating to a large project are clearly not working. Identifying what went wrong and correcting the organisational shortcomings will deliver benefits far beyond the parish of Bow.
Meanwhile, do you have anything positive to contribute?
Gerry | 05.10.15 - 2:10 p.m. | #
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Anyone bothered enough to phone TfL or pop down to the offices? Maybe that be a positive contribution.
E | 05.10.15 - 2:34 p.m. | #
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DG, your blogs WERE read by TfL and things started happening this morning (Monday October 5th).
I arrived to have a look at 11.45 and a guy in a TfL hi-viz was there to have a meeting at midday with a couple of people from the Cycle Superhighway project. While he was waiting, I mentioned Diamond Geezer and his somewhat lengthy reply made it plain that you were the reason that he was there.
He explained that the CS people have been doing work ahead of the date that had been agreed and scheduled, with the result that Tfl were not aware when changes had been made around bus stops.
Judging by the vehemence of his explanations and his determination to show that TfL were in no way at fault, it would seem that your blogs have been rattling around the command structure.
The CS people arrived at midday and I left, as it had started raining.
Hopefully, if you check this evening, the problems with the bus stops will have been sorted.
RayL | 05.10.15 - 3:46 p.m. | #
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5 days for a meeting to be convened about this problem? TfL, hang your heads in shame.
When Project Management fails, blame the contractor.
Ho hum.
Blue Witch | Homepage | 05.10.15 - 7:28 p.m. | #
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@ Blue Witch - I see your point but there are possibly a whole pile of related actitivies happening in the background to a pre-agreed schedule. These should include opening / closing the relevant stops, changing the I-Bus / Countdown info on the buses, in the central system and on the TfL website as well as the API used by APP developers. There may also have been spider map updates and driver / garage comms messages all produced. There are also likely to be bus schedule changes given the way all TfL's computer systems work and are linked together. The public sees none of this except when they are sat on a bus looking at the Countdown display, at a stop or using web info. They've no idea about the lead times and linkages in the background.
I'm not using this as an excuse but all the CSH contractors had to do was make a call to say "we're a bit ahead of schedule can someone come down and put a "stop closed hat" over the new stop, close the one near the roundabout and keep everyone using stop E". Provided that was done then all of this could have been avoided and the switchover made on the appropriate day with all the systems clicking through in the background seamlessly.
Obviously I can't prove what has happened at Bow but someone at TfL did kindly take me through (a couple of years ago) how the various systems work together and the time constraints that exist to make changes. This partly explains why some changes may appear to take ages but to do them properly may take many weeks of carefully scheduled effort. Trying to force the pace may end up with a mess in the short term with various bits of info out of kilter.
Still it is interesting to see "the power of DG" stretching to TfL Towers. I wonder if he accepts commissions for other areas of London where we need other transport issues fixed?? ;-)
PC | 06.10.15 - 12:41 a.m. | #
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PC - yes, I know that this sort of project is complicated! BUT my point was that a good PM would be on top of this sort of thing. And, as DG first pointed it out last Thursday, would have done something before Monday.
Blue Witch | Homepage | 06.10.15 - 7:41 a.m. | #
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