[PRCo] Re: OT: Muni to test double-deckers!!!! YAY!

[Jim Holland]

wolfgang heinle <wolfgang_heinle at ...> wrote:

The single main reason why DDs survived in the UK was the 9m rule for 
buses (max length restriction of 32ft - a regular 40' coach easily 
exceeds the capacity of those DDs). That rule's only purpose was 
industry protection. Similar in Berlin, BVG got the cash to buy theirs 
out of a local-industry protection fund during the cold war.  All these 
protective regulations got scrapped in the late 90s. Ever since the 
trend goes away from the DDs for city transit.

Yes, its a cool thing to get an upper deck seat in a lightly loaded DD 
coach for a long commute run, but for heavy city traffic they are just 
not practical: no standing room in the upper deck (5'7" ceiling 
upstairs, less than 7' downstairs), very little but cramped accomodation 
(standees and seats) in the lower deck due to the staircases and engine 
compartment (huge waste of floor space).    Extended dwelling time on 
stops, esp when crowded. Even the 3 wide doors on Rome's beautiful old 
Vibertis didn't help. (They managed to put in some standee room upstairs 
as well).  Also, they are usually reported as high maintainance, hard to 
oversee for the driver.

One of the few good points: occupy less street space ( = more room for 
cars), and always good ada-access (had to be low-floor constructions 
from the beginning).

Thinking of it, the only DD design I remember that really worked for 
heavy city transit were the Routemasters with their large rear platform 
and "outside" staircase. Safety-regulations outlawed those, very 
unfortunately..

thanks,-w

--- John Rowe johng_rowe at ... wrote:

> > Double-deck buses are used throughout the British Isles,
> > not just in London!!Also, the majority of trolleybuses used in
> > Britain were also double-deckers - in fact the few single deck
> > trolleys that were built were only operated by a handful of
> > operators, and at least one of those (Rotherham) later rebodied
> > them as double-deckers. The use of double-deck vehicles in Britain
> > goes right back to the earliest days of public transport, when
> > horse-buses and trams had an open top-deck.
> >
> > One advantage of using the upper deck is that you always get a
> > seat as standing is only permitted on the "inside" (lower deck).
> > All types of people, not just children, prefer to sit upstairs as
> > you get a better view, and before smoking was banned on public
> > transport, it was only the upper-deck where it was allowed.
> >
> > Maybe SF could even have a double-deck cable car! (London and
> > Edinburgh had them)

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
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Jim  Holland
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Studying Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo)
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..............................From 1930 -- 1950
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Pennsylvania  Trolley  Museum  (PTM)
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http://www.pa-trolley.org/
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N.M.R.A.
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http://www.nmra.org/