Number 52 and Manifestations of Childhood Trauma
The number 52 bus pulled up at the stop just a few yards from my front door, and I immediately knew there would be a problem. There didn’t seem any way for the dozen people waiting at the stop to get into what little space was left.
“The driver won’t open the door”, I thought.
Less than a minute later, I was in the bus, along with everyone else who had been waiting. People squeezed to make room, and enough space was made for everyone.
The next stop was Ladbroke Grove tube station. There were at least 50 people waiting to get onto the bus.
“The driver won’t open the door”, I thought.
Unfortunately, the dejà vu didn’t stop there.
A couple of minutes later, I was becoming one with the side of the bus, as the press of bodies crushed me into the panelling below the stairs. My right hand was jammed behind my back, holding onto my laptop bag with the tips of three fingers, and I was standing far too close to a middle-aged woman with hair that indicated she had stuck an appendage into a wall socket at a young age. Possibly her tongue.
The driver didn’t bother stopping until we got to Notting Hill Gate, where most of us were freed before one of us invoked the international court of human rights.
At Notting Hill Gate, I took the Central Line into London, but that’s another story.
This journey, one which is repeated on a semi-regular basis, has me thinking that there must be a better way. However, as the London congestion charge creeps inexorably upwards in price and outwards in scope, the number of people relying on this transport infrastructure will only increase.
Some simple improvements would help: Better enforcement of no-stopping zones during rush hour, towing away of obstructively-parked cars, more intelligent timing on traffic lights (Ladbroke Grove really needs this), enforcement of bus lanes, lower-impact roadworks, intelligent and enforced timing of bus departures from depots and upgrades to the London transport infrastructure.
But efficiency gains will only allow us to use the resources we have to a greater extent – there’s a hard upper limit on how many people the current transport infrastructure can handle, and I don’t think we’re very far from that limit. An increase beyond that will require either significant new technology, or a transformation in the way in which people move around London. This will not be achieved through a new congestion charge – all that does is redistribute commuters from one overstretched method of transport to another.
In the meantime, maybe I can get more padding in my computer bag so it doesn’t quite cut into my legs so much when it’s crushed between me, the wall, and a 200-volt hairstyle.
Posted by nlvp at February 23, 2006 09:00 AM