Buses World News

In brief: Worldwide montly news & informations about Buses, Busmakers, Passengers' and the Transport Industry

12.2.09

WEATHER TROUBLES * UK - Snow brings chaos to transport network

As the worst snowstorm in 18 years hit Britain at the start of the week, London’s travel network came to a virtual standstill, with the entire bus fleet taken off the road and almost every Tube line either suspended or severely curtailed

London,UK -UKPRwire -Feb 04 2009: -- ... Transport for London (TfL) faced mounting public criticism over the way it handled – or rather mishandled – the crisis, especially as there had been five days of advance warnings of the blizzards. In particular, the shutting down of the entire bus network for the first time in living memory came under fire – as critics pointed out, bus services had continued running even during the Blitz, and also during much worse conditions in 1963, yet was now unable to cope with six inches of snow. The main roads used by the bus routes were mostly clear, as they had been gritted by TfL, but buses could not get out of depots since the local roads that linked to the main roads were iced up, and TfL said that these were the responsibility of the local boroughs.... But surely TfL’s contingency plans (which they claimed to have) should have taken this into account and included a coordinated strategy with the boroughs to clear those link roads with gritters and snowploughs... The Local Government Association said councils could not cope with the ongoing snowfalls which covered roads as quickly as they could be cleared, rendering the gritting ineffectual. But critics said the excuses were simply unacceptable...

Labels: weather crisis

6.2.09

WEATHER TROUBLES * UK - Boris Johnson suspends congestion charge for one day due to snow

Mayor of London's move comes after capital is hit by heaviest snowfall for almost two decades

London,UK -The Guardian, by Hélène Mulholland -2 February 2009: -- By tonight, further snowfalls could leave parts of London under up to a foot of snow... Johnson, travelled from his north London home to City Hall by bicycle earlier today... The mayor described the weather conditions as the most challenging for London in two decades... Asked why London seemed far less equipped to deal with snow than other cities around the world, Johnson said that the rarity of heavy snowfalls in the British capital did not make it worthwhile to invest taxpayers' money in snowploughs, as cities such as New York do to cope with the more regular snowfalls they experience... (Photograph: Sarah Lee - Central London early this morning)

* Rush hour buses disrupted

Basingstoke,Hampshire,England,UK -The Basingstoke Gazette, by Ben Ellery - February 2009: -- Bus passengers travelling home from work will be delayed as reduced services continue to operate across the borough following heavy snowfall... Stagecoach bosses’ decision to reduce the frequency of services by half will mean commuters will have to wait for up to twice as long for a bus... Out-of town services are operating again after they were stopped this morning in the aftermath of the severe weather conditions, although services to Alton are still not running...

Labels: weather crisis

7.1.09

WEATHER TROUBLES * USA - TriMet, Portland not communicating during storm, review finds

Portland,OR,USA -The Oregonian, by Dylan Rivera -January 6, 2009: -- Communication breakdowns among Portland-area transportation agencies left thousands of residents stranded in the cold as they waited for buses during the recent snowstorms... That was a major initial finding Tuesday, as the city of Portland led local agencies in reviewing how public services were handled during the two weeks of storms. One meeting at City Hall concerned services to the homeless, and another focused on transportation... Chief among the transportation complaints from the public was the canceling of two-thirds of TriMet's bus lines at a time when officials, including then-transportation commissioner Sam Adams, had specifically asked the public to use mass transit rather than drive... (Video from YouTube, by punkrawker4783 -December 22, 2008: "Portland Ariel Tram Ride on Snow Day" It came out ok, this is from the big snow we had in December 2008)

Labels: weather crisis

13.2.08

WEATHER CRISIS * China - More snow forecast as China gears up for post-holiday travel peak

Beijing,China -Xinhua/www.chinaview.cn -Feb. 11, 2008: -- China's transport authorities are gearing up for the post-Lunar New Year holiday travel peak on Tuesday amid forecasts of fresh snow... It warned the icy weather could cause problems during the travel peak... The travel rush began to hit China's roads on Monday, with 44.6 million people traveling by bus, an increase of 16.5 million from the previous day, the Ministry of Communications said Monday... Transport authorities have prepared more than 700,000 buses to deal with the rush. More windows and longer opening times had been arranged to allow easier ticket purchases... About 80 percent of inter-provincial bus lines had resumed after snow and icy weather caused severe disruption last week. No passengers had been reported stranded, said the ministry... The travel rush comes as China's transport systems are creaking back to life after freak cold and ice storms hit swathes of the country, causing billions of dollars in damage and killing at least 70 people... (Photo Xinhua: Passengers queue to get into Changsha railway station in Changsha, capital of south China's Hunan Province)

Labels: weather crisis