Sunday Variety

Bikes Banned ...

... But Best By Bus

fbb wonders whether any of his more mature readers ever used one of these beasts. They were built on a Thames Trader chassis and the uninitiated might wonder how they were used and where.

The first bore of the Dartford Tunnel opened in 1963, a second bore in 1980 and the bridge on 1991. Cycles were banned hence the oddities above. 

Because the luxury of "low floor" loading was unheard of in 1963, there needed to be infrastructure to enable bicycles to be raised up to the level of the lower deck. Likewise cyclists need to board and alight.

To load, the bus reversed in to a platform raised to bike rack and staircase height. The extent of the platform infrastructure can be seen below ...

... either under construction or demolition.

The buses usually ran empty and an occasional cyclist is now carried by an "on request" motorway services van.

But the whole process is being re-invented for the Silvertown Tunnel etc. when it opens on April 7th.

First Bus has been contracted to provide the service.

This time, the rider carries his/her velocipede on board using the centre doors, as shown by the easy to miss bike icon!.

Waiting cyclists will now have the luxury of a shelter.

Will it be as successful (?) as the Dartford Tunnel service?

Luxury Lunch : Limited Lunch?

Dining?

It looks like a beefburger to fbb!

So not just a burger, then?

Plant based porridge? Porridge is made from oats, and when fbb last studied catering, oats were still a plant!

It still looks like a beefburger.

Overheard as the publicity shoots were being set up: "Better get something to serve, Gladys. Nip round to McDonald's and get a burger; that'll do."

Cynical, moi?

Paltry Provision for Planes

This item, based on a reader's letter, appeared in the local press at Bournemouth.

Historically, it has been a bit of a mess. 

First it was the A1 (A = Airport, gettit ?) ...

... then it became plain Bournemouth town route 14.

Then the route was contracted to ...

... an independent operator with no route number. Then came 737 ...

... with all these services attempting to offer a "proper" bus service, sometimes as frequent as hourly.

E & O E!!

But passenger numbers never materialised in sufficient quantities to justify the tender costs and so, eventually ...

...we get to today's paltry provision, effectively a works service for those who make the airport happen. Generally it is of little use for passengers who will fly or have flown.

And it stops everywhere!

Not very good, is it, for an airport with significant holiday business and a growing schedule of all year round flights?

There is no railway station.

So you can understand the headline ...

... and the comment.

But the bus to Newquay Airport is also serving the surrounding villages for non flying folk!

And More Biblical Alphabetical

And fbb did find a picture of Moses with realistic "tablets of stone" not huge gravestones with round tops to lug down Mount Sinai.

Illustrators and artistic directors often do more9 harm than good with their ludicrous interpretations of Biblical passages!

 Next First Glasgow blog : Monday 5 Mar