Drumbeat For A Green Bus
An advert for Lloyds Bank doing the rounds at the moment. Did you spot the bus? fbb couldn't quite read the reg plate, but it is single door.
It shows destination "School Bus" and the company logo is clearly visible. Most of their green single deckers are dual door and can be found on service 306.
It runs every 30 minutes between Watford and Borehamwood.
fbb has not yet discovered where thee bus was filmed.
Memories Of A Mangled Map
In the 1960s Harry Beck,s wonderful map of London's Underground was summarily supplanted by one bearing the name of Harold Hutchinson. He way publicity officer at LT and his map was truly awful. Just look at the area round Aldgate ...
... and see Beck's efforts from a few years earlier.
Most cartographic commentators would suggest that the above was not Beck's finest hour, but it was vastly better than its successor. The awfulness of the newcomer is best illustrated by looking at how it added the under-construction Victoria Line ...
... wiggles galore! Beck was so incensed at what they had done to "his" map that he submitted an essay which showed the Victoria route as a tidy and powerful straight line - as would befit a splendid new bit of Underground.
It needed an extra kink in the Circle and Metropolitan lines at Kings Cross to get it to fit, but it was a quality piece of work. It was declined.
The baton passed quickly to Paul Garbutt and smooth curves returned as did at better layout in the Aldgate area.
We should soon have the Elizabeth Line to enjoy!
fbb is not sure how "official" such maps are at this stage. Lets hope that the Elizabeth Line will be better drawn that the really silly bodge adopted to include Thameslink on their current map.
Awful.
Kyiv Snippets
It is, frankly, too depressing to write much more about public transport in Kyiv. Most services are suspended, the city is under Martial Law and currently (as fbb writes) there is a 35 hour curfew.
fbb did come across a helpful graphic which shows how the Metro has developed year by year.
Two further lines are planned. Line 4 (YELLOW) offers interchange with Line 1 at the central railway station ...
... Line 3, line 2 and a new Line 5. The latter is shown as running north south to the east of the rivers.
You would expect these new-builds to be a low priority once hostilities are over as there will be so much more of the basic housing and business premises to rebuild. But maybe one day.
And Another Station
Without grappling with the language, fbb is guessing that this BUS station handles longer distance inter-urban routes.
Kiev Fast Trams
The Kyiv Tram system consists of 86.9 miles of track, including 8.7 miles of two Rapid Tram lines, served by 21 routes with the use of 523 tram cars. However, the system is being neglected, the serviced track length is decreasing at a fast rate and is replaced by buses and trolleybuses.
In 1978 the length of the lines reached 285 km, the fleet numbered 909 cars, and passenger traffic per year exceeded 396 million people.
Trams 1, 2 and 3 form a mini network of modern articulated vehicles running almost exclusively on reserved track.
Generally they call at stations with high platforms.
fbb has been forced to show these lines in two bits.
(contunuation eastbound from NAU)
Line 5 (with short workings numbered 4) is on the east bank of the rivers and performs an inverted U shape.
Again, reserved track and "proper" stations are provided.
Thes two service groups would better be described as a "light rail" system with more widely spaced stops and a definite "train" ambiance.
Once again, the future of further such lines must be unlikely for many years.
Maybe when things settle a bit in Kyiv, fbb will return to look at timetables and fares. Pointless to try at the moment. And there are trolleybuses to explore as well, not forgetting the good old-fashioned motor bus! Video dated 2017.
Next scheduled blog : Thursday 24th March
