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| Britain |
| Mayor: London's iconic buses to return by 2011 |
| 2008-12-20 |
| The mayor unveiled plans Friday to bring back the beloved red double-decker Routemaster to London's streets, but his opponents say the appeal to nostalgia throws pragmatism under the bus. Three years after the buses were all but banished from the city, Mayor Boris Johnson hopes the new versions--whose open back allows passengers to hop on or off--will be up and running by the 2012 Olympics. The last Routemasters were retired from regular service in 2005 in favor of safer and more modern models. "I promised Londoners that I would hold a competition to design a new bus for London, based on the much-missed Routemaster, and today we can unveil the fantastic winning designs," Johnson said. More than 700 entries were received. Only two won. One design by luxury auto maker Aston Martin (which produced one of the James Bond cars) and architecture firm Foster & Partners looks like a deluxe version of the old standby. Passengers sit on reconstituted leather upholstery while gazing through a glazed roof coated with solar panels to power heat and air conditioning. The rounded bus also boasts wood flooring and a saloon-like lower deck that the architect hopes will create "a tactile living room feel." A second design, from automotive designer Capoco Design Ltd., showed a more traditional-looking model with a front engine grille similar to the Routemaster style. Neither entry estimated the costs associated with the designs. The city expects to award a contract to develop and build the first new bus by the end of 2009, with the new vehicles on the street by 2011 in time for the 2012 Olympics, according to a Transport for London official. It wasn't clear how quickly the new buses would be rolled out. Cost is likely to be an issue. Ken Livingstone, Johnson's opponent in the mayoral race, estimated the plan would end up costing about $160 million a year, which he said would mean doubling bus fares. Johnson insisted the cost was much lower and could be met from the extra money collected through a crackdown on fare evasion. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 The city expects to award a contract to develop and build the first new bus by the end of 2009, with the new vehicles on the street by 2011 in time for the 2012 Olympics Silly buggers. Sadly, HERE is the design you'll need for the 2012 Olympics. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-20 08:47 |
