Boris Johnson Nonsense

mikec I find motorcyclists have the most courteous attitude towards cyclists, probably cos they respect the dangers we face.

Exactly, they see it from our point of view.

Simpson79 whats with 'if i was in basinstoke' and you live in london but bendy buses you 'haven't really encountered them' you sure your in london?

I've never been on the road with a bendy bus, simple as that. My commute to South Kensington for uni - no bendy buses, all double deckers. When I ride west towards Putney for drinking/cinema/whatever, no bendy buses. Ride to Sheperd's Bush for Morrisons - no bendy buses. The only time I ever see them is round Piccadilly, and I never ride there, always on the bus because I'm heading out for an evening. So, yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm in London. Either that or I'm on one fucking massive trip.

No one has answered why they're such a pain in the arse though.

From http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/sep/16/london.media:

'We should, on day one, act one, scene one, hold a competition to get rid of the bendy bus,' he [Boris] told the hustings last week, adding that there were 'many cyclists killed every year' by them. Interesting for a couple of reasons: first, as the Livingstone camp was swift to point out, no cyclists have been thus killed; but, as at other times in the life of Boris, the actual facts can matter less than perception, and simplicity; by telling it, with verve and playful directness, like it is. Even when, actually, it isn't.

As far as I can find online, no cyclists have yet been killed by bendy buses. (The article wasn't that recent, so I checked briefly)

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6729963.stm:

Pedestrians in London are twice as likely to be hit by a bendy bus than any other bus, the Liberal Democrats have claimed. The Transport for London (TfL) statistics also showed that cyclists were almost three times as likely to be injured by a bendy bus.

As TfL spokesperson points out, by definition, bendy buses are larger and encounter more road users. So it's hardly surprising. They only operate in the busiest areas too.

She [TfL spokesperson] added that the figures relating to cyclists' injuries were not broken down to show the severity of the incident.

But Mr Pope said: "We have had claims from cyclists that they have been terrified to find themselves crowded against safety barriers by bendy buses making left turns.

"Both pedestrians and cyclists find it hard to judge the line the bus is going to take."

What the hell are they doing down the left hand side of the bus anyway?! You should do that to a moving car with barriers on your left, let alone a lorry or bus. I just think people don't like them because they want a reason to bash Ken.