London's 7.1mph average bus speed 'no faster than jogging pace'

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-s-average-bus-speed-jogging-pace-expert-transport-for-london-b1281560.html

20 points · 8 comments · view on lemmy.world

8 Comments

rbos@lemmy.ca · 12 pts · 108d (1 reply)

They'll blame anything but cars, won't they.

okwithmydecay@leminal.space · 3 pts · 108d

They do blame congestion but yes, you're right, they do not explicitly blame cars.

VibeSurgeon@piefed.social · 11 pts · 108d (5 replies)

Congestion, roadworks, 20mph speed limits, and the expansion of cycle lanes and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), have all been blamed for the decline.

Man, what a privilege to be dumb enough to believe this.

vrek@programming.dev · 3 pts · 108d (4 replies)

Wait... Buses typically go 7.1mph but a leading cause is they have a speed limit of 20mph?

Jason@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 108d (3 replies)

7.1mph on average. That doesn't mean they never reach the speed limit.

In theory, increasing the speed limit will also increase the average speed ( as long as they are able to make use of the extra limit).

vrek@programming.dev · 2 pts · 108d (2 replies)

True, but if the average is about 1/3 of the limit the issue is likely not the issue. To increase the average by increasing the upper limit would require a massive increase. If many buses are being slowed by a 20mph limit, how many must be less than 3mph to get a 7.1mph average? If we fix those 3mph and bring them to 6mph imagine how much the average would increase...

Jason@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 108d

I wasn't suggesting that increasing the limit would be a solution to the issue, only that it could (mathmatically) increase the average speed.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that 20mph limits are solely to blame, and certainly not a "leading cause".

On a side note - Is 7.1mph average in a busy city even that slow for a bus? Considering they have to be stopped for several minutes to let people on/off and stop regularly for red lights.

I'd be interested to compare to the bus' average speed to a car taking the same route.

Zorque@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 108d

Its an issue, not the issue. There are multiple factors mentioned.