Just Because a Bus Goes By 13 Mins Late.

OK. We all make mistakes, except for the boss that is, who never makes mistakes, but that is an other story. The mistake I made was made jointly with another driver who I will call Brian. Mainly because that's his name. Anyway, we had both finished work at the same time one day last week and we were walking down Regent Close from the depot to the main road to catch a number 12 into Torquay. Brian asked me what time the next bus was due and I told him 19:14 We had 2 mins to get to the stop to get the bus. Plenty of time. But at that moment a bus went hurtling by and did not stop. 2 mins early the bastard, was what we both said. So when we got down to the main road we had 15 mins to wait for the next bus. We didn't walk the 80 yards to the bus stop at this point as it was possible that an out of service bus might come out of the depot and head into Torquay to start work. So we stood on the corner where we could flag the driver down and travel into town that way.

No out of service bus turned up but we were joined at 19:25 by an other driver who was changing over with the driver of the bus we were now waiting for, the 19:29. This bus appeared in the distance at 19:26; not due till 19:29 and we all made comments about drivers running early. We began walking slowly to the bus stop, expecting the approaching bus to pull in as the driver was getting off. We were still about 30 yards away from the stop with the bus coming up behind us when a thought occurred to me just a few seconds too late.

What if the bus we had seen go by at 19:12 hadn't been the 19:14 running early but the 18:59 running 13 mins late and the bus coming up behind us wasn't the 19:29 running 3 mins early but the 19:14 running 12 mins late. And it was. And no one had put their hand out and we were still 30 yards from the stop and it went straight by at a steady 29.9999 mph oblivious to the screams being directed in it's direction by me and Brian.

The 19:29 arrived at 19:40 running 11 mins late.

There is a moral in this story some where.

If you Know What is Happening in Newton Abbot.........

Newton Abbot. What is happening in Newton Abbot? If you know please let both me and the local council know. Asda have built a new 24 hour supermarket in Newton Abbot. To do so they changed the road lay out in the town. Before, when we drove a bus out of Sherborne Road we went up to the Library turned right at the roundabout along the main road and past the Post Office Sorting Office. This has gone, as has the original road and the roundabout. Traffic going through town now goes a completely different way. For months while the road was being changed there were tempory traffic lights in operation. Now all the re building has been finished but the tempory lights are still there. The reason they are still there is due to the fact that the new road, built over months is only about 12 feet wide and on a bend. As buses are over 8 feet wide it is not possible for a bus going out of Sherborne road to pass a car going into Sherborne Road. So every time we exit the bus station in Newton we have a delay of at least 2 mins while the lights change. In the last 7 days these lights have failed several times and, as they say, chaos has ensuded with cars having to reverse out of the way of buses.(It is easier for cars to go backwards than buses and we are both bigger and are not in a great deal of hurry to get any where). I do believe that the contractors have made a mistake and made the road too narrow or who ever drew up the plans wrote down the measurements in metres and the contractors thought they were in feet. Anyway some one has made a mess of the whole thing. I went through my photos and the first photo showing the road works was taken in January and the photo I have here now was taken last month and shows what happens when the lights fail. All the vehciles you can see are stopped and remain stopped for 2 or 3 mins.



I did ask the depot Union Rep if he knew what was going on but he hadn't a clue. He did say he would find out as soon as possible but I know he has been busy going round in very small circles for the last few months and he hasn't yet been able to report back to me.

Sherborne Rd, Newton Abbot

Two items to report, both from the Bus Station in Newton Abbot. One happened last night. The local teenagers decided to add a little excitement to their other wise dull and boring lives by climbing over the railings on the footbridge and dropping down onto the roof of the bus below. I don't expect they were trying to get a free ride some where because the only other bridge we go under is the one at the bottom of Belgrave Road in Torquay and we tend to go under it at 30 mph. If they were going to get off there they would have to time their jump just right or the word would definitely have been splatter.

The second incident gave me much more satisfaction. There are signs at both ends of the bus station which state that there is No Entry to any vehicle except buses and bikes. But as I have mentioned here before nothing is ever done about the hundreds of cars and vans that use the road as a race track every day. Until to day. I was waiting time and a white car drove through at at least 30 mph. Now we have a 10 mph speed limit as there are lots of people crossing the road, mostly passengers and we wouldn't want to wipe out any passengers, would we . Then I saw him stop. Then I saw a policeman walk up to the drivers window. By the time I drove out he had reached the paper work stage. At least a £60.00 fine and 3 points on the license. 12 points and you have to learn how to catch the bus. Keep up the good work, boys in blue.

A footnote on a post about the car for sale. If you wanted to buy it, sorry its gone. Maybe the owner read the blog and took it home to fix it. Or maybe someone reading the blog decided that is was just what he wanted. It was a bit of a shock today as I drove past Oldway and it wasn't there, a bit like losing an old friend. Still there are two more in its place.

Rained a lot today, windy too. Autumn is on its way.

Mastermind

This post is dedicated to Simon Curtis who got the lowest ever score, one point, in the specialist subject round on Mastermind , the world famous BBC quiz show.

You are driving your bus towards a bus stop, there is one person standing there. They don't put their hand out. What do you do?
Pass.

There is a cyclist ahead off you but there is not much room. What do you do?
Pass.

You pull in at a stop and an off duty bus driver gets on. What should he show you but probably will not?
Pass.

If you are over 60 what should you have to get free travel on the bus?
Pass.

You are playing for the depot football team and you kick the ball to an other member of your team. What is the technical term for this action?
Pass.

On the X46 route from Exeter there is a small range of hills. The road takes a meandering path over the lowest part of these hills. What is the geographical name for this path.
Pass.

You get to the terminus and have 20 mins to wait before you leave so you read the paper. What are you said to be letting time do?
Pass.

You are driving your bus through Roselands, the bit going up a hill, round a bend and over two speed humps. There are parked cars on both sides of the road and a car appears. The driver flashes his lights. What should you do.
Pass.

If you are appearing on Mastermind and you don't know the answer to a question what do you say?
What in God's name am I doing here and why doesn't the ground open up and swallow me and what the **** are all my mates going to say to me tomorrow and for the next twenty years and why did I chose to answer questions on bus timetables.

Car For Sale

Like most towns and cities in the UK if you want to sell a car you print a FOR SALE notice listing the car's good points and how much you want for the pile of junk and a phone number and stick it to the windscreen. Then you park the rust bucket at the side of the road some where and go home and wait for the phone call from some idiot who would like to buy your car.

It is a good idea if you go and check the state of your car now and then, just to make sure the back bumper (fender) isn't hanging off. Probably a good idea not to park it some where where a passing vehicle can smash into your back bumper.

This car has been here a few weeks so far. Why not try an ad in the local paper. Or at least fix the bumper. And park it some where else.