switchlogic:
Surely you don’t need me to answer that? Think about it…… I fear it being decades since you sat in a truck may be showing
Think about what.Higher the line of sight the further you can see down the road and over more of the roofs of more of the traffic ahead ?.I’m sure that plenty of modern day trucks have higher driving positions than what was around in my time.
Although admittedly many modern day amateurs often seem like to put their seats as low as possible with the steering wheel facing them at chin level to go with the auto box.
You missed the point entirely. It’s about pedestrians, I.e people you carry and people around the vehicle in built up areas, which coaches obviously spend a lot of time in. That visibility. How did you not realise that? It was a fairly basic observation
switchlogic:
You missed the point entirely. It’s about pedestrians, I.e people you carry and people around the vehicle in built up areas, which coaches obviously spend a lot of time in. That visibility. How did you not realise that? It was a fairly basic observation
I don’t remember London’s population being massacred in droves by the obviously higher driving position of RT and RM buses and that was with the laughably tiny mirrors that their drivers relied on.
Certainly not enough to make it worth the risk of carnage on our motorways and trunk roads caused by lack of driver forward visibility and driver vulnerability in the resulting crashes, to solve a non existent city driving problem.
IE not many pedestrians on the M4.
Where was the passenger entrance on RM and RT busses? Exactly.
What carnage on our roads? You’ve zero facts to back up that daft claim, quelle surprise.
You base this expert knowledge of buses and coaches on what exactly? Rhetorical question. I base mine on years driving them, extensively in London (my first job away from home was for The Londoners, then Clarke’s of London) then across Europe in cities from Rome to Paris to Berlin to Prague to Budapest. I probably drove more buses and coaches in the first year of my driving career than you’ve been on in your entire life. But what do I know eh?
There seems to be a certain amount of double standards creeping into this issue surrounding the height of driver’s seat in coaches, with it being viewed as OK for a coach driver to sit that low, but protests at pictures of future compliant lorry designs seating the driver equally low down.
The Ergomatic cab was only 8 ft high but not considered excessively low at the time, even though it was up to some 18 inches lower than some other makes. From pictures, the driver’s knees seem to have been at roughly trailer rear deck level. Vehicles with this cab were not primarily city vehicles.
As for the passenger entrance on buses/coaches in both instances: front/rear there is little structural strength in either. Both RT & RM " chassis" stopped at the rear spring hangers, designed deliberately that way to prevent rear impact collisions buckling the chassis but allowing the staircase to absorb the worst deformation.
Wasn’t referring to strength re rear passenger entrance, but rather that passengers will be around back not the front unlike modern buses and coaches.
For what it’s worth I actually think high driving position is overrated, yes you can see further but that doesn’t really make much difference most of time. I prefer low seating positions myself. I think the safety improvement when in towns and cities from a low driving position far outweighs the supposed benefits of a high driving position. But maybe that’s because I started my driving career on buses and coaches.
switchlogic:
For what it’s worth I actually think high driving position is overrated, yes you can see further but that doesn’t really make much difference most of time.
Gotta stop…
You there Switchy. The only advantage lorry drivers have is height. I can’t begin to recall the number of times I’ve been bimbling away, minding my own business, to see something way ahead in the distance that say’s to me, cruise off.
I know it’s a coach related discussion but, height is the only advantage we’ve got, use it.
Where was the passenger entrance on RM and RT busses? Exactly.
What carnage on our roads? You’ve zero facts to back up that daft claim, quelle surprise.
You base this expert knowledge of buses and coaches on what exactly? Rhetorical question. I base mine on years driving them, extensively in London (my first job away from home was for The Londoners, then Clarke’s of London) then across Europe in cities from Rome to Paris to Berlin to Prague to Budapest. I probably drove more buses and coaches in the first year of my driving career than you’ve been on in your entire life. But what do I know eh?
So with all of your coach driving experience you’ve never heard of front entry high/er driving position buses including the front entry RM versions.
You also think that a high driving position is mutually exclusive with low down ( front corner ? ) visibility with the same problems for coach cabs as truck cabs.
Maybe my vehicle ‘construction’ experience trumps your coach driving experience on the matter of getting the right balances in vehicle ‘construction’ safety.
Putting the driver’s torso, not legs and feet, in the firing line of a coach v truck shunt or providing the same limited forward sight lines as a light van driver at best, ain’t safe.
I don’t think your lack of experience in this industry trumps anyone on this forum frankly. Even a new pass has more relevant experience than you to be fair, whatever you may have convinced yourself of. You’re very good at one thing, self delusions. Have a nice weekend
switchlogic:
I don’t think your lack of experience in this industry trumps anyone on this forum frankly. Even a new pass has more relevant experience than you to be fair, whatever you may have convinced yourself of. You’re very good at one thing, self delusions. Have a nice weekend
I refer you back to my first post on the topic.Unfortunately for the coach driver it obviously wasn’t based on self delusion. Possibly including the main contributory cause of the collision ( lack of forward visibility ).
Good luck with your crusade to put all large vehicle drivers at a car/van driver type driving position.
switchlogic:
I don’t think your lack of experience in this industry trumps anyone on this forum frankly. Even a new pass has more relevant experience than you to be fair, whatever you may have convinced yourself of. You’re very good at one thing, self delusions. Have a nice weekend
I refer you back to my first post on the topic.Unfortunately for the coach driver it obviously wasn’t based on self delusion. Possibly including the main contributory cause of the collision ( lack of forward visibility ).
Good luck with your crusade to put all large vehicle drivers at a car/van driver type driving position.
I don’t have the massively over inflated sense of my own importance that you do, I’m not crusading for anything as I have no power or influence in that respect. Maybe you should bring your own ego back down to earth maybe. Just a thought.
switchlogic:
Actually thinking about it with modern coaches there’s sort of no reason the driver couldn’t be on the top deck. If you look a 4m high double deck coach the top deck passengers are usually about the same position as most flat floor trucks so wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility. Wonder why no one has tried. Wonder if anyone has.
I would think at that height it would compromise some normal vision but who knows. Best idea for safety is for coaches to travel at a safe distance from the vehicle in front.
They are as bad if not worse than some truck and car drivers.
I understand accidents occur for other reasons however the above is more than often the cause.
Aye you do see a lot of them uncomfortably close to the trailer of trucks that are overtaking.
What are buses limited to? Is it 60ish?
Has anyone here drove for Megabus? Just wondering what the driver schedules are like.
Edit. Not wanting to become a bus driver just curious
id think the big risk is mowing down a pedestrian who doesnt hear the bus coming.That happened on the East Hill in Colchester national express was cannoning quite silently down the hill some old lady stepped out mowed down.Actually i was wondering what are the mow down statistics for these electric cars,i had a near miss in an Asda car park i was walking to the store cut over a vacant spot at same time an electric car was silently pulling in behind me .
switchlogic:
Actually thinking about it with modern coaches there’s sort of no reason the driver couldn’t be on the top deck. If you look a 4m high double deck coach the top deck passengers are usually about the same position as most flat floor trucks so wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility. Wonder why no one has tried. Wonder if anyone has.
I would think at that height it would compromise some normal vision but who knows. Best idea for safety is for coaches to travel at a safe distance from the vehicle in front.
They are as bad if not worse than some truck and car drivers.
I understand accidents occur for other reasons however the above is more than often the cause.
Aye you do see a lot of them uncomfortably close to the trailer of trucks that are overtaking.
What are buses limited to? Is it 60ish?
Has anyone here drove for Megabus? Just wondering what the driver schedules are like.
Edit. Not wanting to become a bus driver just curious
Yeah round about the 60 mark give or take. Only drove coaches for a short period but actually enjoyed the change. Don’t know anyone who drives for Megabus but some of their drivers drive like lunatics. Like trucks now, far too easy to drive and throwing them around like they are driving a dodgem.
corij:
id think the big risk is mowing down a pedestrian who doesnt hear the bus coming.That happened on the East Hill in Colchester national express was cannoning quite silently down the hill some old lady stepped out mowed down.Actually i was wondering what are the mow down statistics for these electric cars,i had a near miss in an Asda car park i was walking to the store cut over a vacant spot at same time an electric car was silently pulling in behind me .
But surely most drivers would see a pedestian stepping out or are things actually worse than I thought. You can still hear electric vehicles road noise if your lugs work properly.
you know those long mirrors that the bigger coaches have that stick out like a refuelling probe whats that all about look like a bee at the front . Dyou think anyones touched the vehicle in front with them,itd wake you up if you were dozing off!
corij:
id think the big risk is mowing down a pedestrian who doesnt hear the bus coming.That happened on the East Hill in Colchester national express was cannoning quite silently down the hill some old lady stepped out mowed down.Actually i was wondering what are the mow down statistics for these electric cars,i had a near miss in an Asda car park i was walking to the store cut over a vacant spot at same time an electric car was silently pulling in behind me .
But surely most drivers would see a pedestian stepping out or are things actually worse than I thought. You can still hear electric vehicles road noise if your lugs work properly.
the driver did see her step out but too late to even brake. That reminds me as a kid i was playing with mates on the train tracks and we didnt hear a train coming till right on us,ducked in the gap between train and wall god we were lucky ,im sure i recall reading that trains approach silently how can that be huge engines but its true we heard nothing
