First And RATP - But Where?

 It Would Be Easier With A Map

As fbb has mentioned occasionally, London Transport is USELESS at useful information. There are no timetables and no network maps. These essential requisites of a bus traveller are not even on line. 

The above is a small extract from the excellent independent Mike Harris map which shows the whole red bus network.

London Transport used to publish this.

Formerly there were also quadrant maps, four off, with more detail. This extract being of the Docklands area.

"Ah, but", (Harbutt as in Plasticine?), we hear a London Buses manager cry; "you do have our much adored and really useful Spider maps."

Really?

Above is the Spider map of Harrow. Clearly it is impossible to "appreciate" this whole map in a blog; the size and scope are too big. Therefore fbb decided to take a look at the H18 and H19 routes.

RATP tells us they form a circular "via Kenton" running both ways round.

The Spider offers some guidance as to how to use this diagram.

fbb has not counted, but there might well be 100 locations marked on the map. Where to start? 

fbb decided to start with H18 ...

Central Harrow is just off the map, bottom right. The box at the end of the CYAN coloured line tells us where to get on ("from stop D") and where H18 goes. It goes to HARROW, from Harrow! But there is no mention of the route in the opposite direction.

There is, however, an H19 (in a slightly different blue) on the map.

It, too, goes from Harrow to HARROW using stops C, F, and M; it does indeed run via Kenton. But FROM Kenton to Harrow you would really need the H18.

We can see the stops in the highlighted central area of the diagram.

What do the routes look like when emphasised on the Mile Harris' map?

We can now see that the H18 and H19 are, indeed, circular routes.

A proper Harrow network map ought to be available, surely.

It Would Be Better With A Timetable!

For the record, we can use Robert Minster for timetables as Transport for London won't tell us.

H18

H19

We now know where the H18 and H19 go; we know that Monday to Saturday each runs round its circular route every 20 minutes with a half hourly headway evenings and Sundays.

By pure coincidence Ian Armstrong bus routes site has a route map as well but with an older date.

Transport for London has a sort-of geographical map. It is computer generated, Yippee!

The whole route is accurate but lacks any detailed information. But these maps do enlarge. Here is an extract.

Clicking on a tiny dot does bring up a stop name with a very tiny arrow showing direction of travel. But the road names of the H18 and H19 route are obliterated by the red lines.

So could fbb make a better route map? Could fbb make a better Harrow network map? Of course he could, but it will be diverting him from understanding more of what First has bought from RATP.

The H18 H19 route map should be straightforward but the network map will take a bit longer. See you, big map, in the New Year!

Maybe?

The sadness is that First Bus will be contracted to run the H18 and H19 with no funding to improve the publicity and thus no ability to help the perplexed passenger.

But a quick draft of am H18/H19 geographical route map has been completed by fbb.

Spot the mistake?

It is unlikely to get any further refinement for a week or so - there's something happening next Wednesday which may take up a good bit of the old man's time and energy.

The old nan will return to look more widely at what First will be running - sometime in the New Year.

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"NOT the Advent Calendar", but ...

     The      

  CHRIST -mas 

  Criss-muss  

   Confusion  

 Critique  20 

What Was CHRISTmas For?

A well known American pastor once wrote that CHRISTmas without Easter is utterly pointless.

These days people take even less notice of the true meaning of Easter than they do at Criss-muss. Which is odd, seeing that everyone wants to see the world "sorted out".

Whilst the opening chapter of John's Gospel serves as an introduction to the purpose and work of John the Baptist (as does Mark's Gospel, but in a different style). we do read a little more about the earthly purpose of "The Word", Jesus, God's Son.

He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children. They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.

John wrote some time after the end of Jesus earthly life, so he would know only too well how the Saviour of the World had been rejected by many, then crucified.

But John also knows that "becoming a child of God, would remain the offer on the table.

The long-term deal was part of the eternal grand scheme of things.

CHRISTmas was always just the start!

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  Next Variety blog : Saturday 21st Dec