CIgarette Card In The Spokes

[Ashy]

Transport for London has taken on board the problem of quieter buses, which is that people cannot hear them coming, and can walk into a dangerous place. This is known as "Acoustic Conspicuity".

"Acoustic Conspicuity
An Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) is a system to make quiet running (e.g. electric, hybrid-electric, and hydrogen) buses as identifiable to pedestrians, and other road users outside the vehicle, as a standard diesel bus. This is intended to help Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) detect the presence of a bus and the collision risk it represents if they were to cross in front of it.

Regulation will require that electric and hybrid buses are fitted with AVAS on new models from July 2019, and on all new builds from 2021. TfL is mirroring the regulatory requirements but has chosen to implement them sooner, subject to legal review.
The current sounds that are being used are developed by motor manufacturers to reflect their individual brand and vehicle characteristics. The technology can be transferred to buses (Category M3) provided an appropriate sound is developed to characterise a unique larger vehicle. TfL is investigating the development of an"urban bus" sound. The aim of this is to harmonise the AVAS sounds across London's bus fleet, regardless of which company has manufactured the bus, thereby minimising the number of new sounds introduced into an already very busy and noisy environment, and avoid the risk of confusing VRUs."

[klondike]

Won't help the deaf. Perhaps a small diesel engine belching out stinky black smoke would do the trick.

[Ashy]

That's how things work today!

[JBR]

Interestingly, wen ah wer a lad in Bradford, we had trolley buses on some routes which, to the best of my memory, were virtually silent except perhaps for tyre noise.
For some reason, we didn't need any 'Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems'. 

We simply used our eyes.
A lost skill, perhaps?

I suppose in those days no-one had those noise-generating machines which plugged into your ears, along with mobile phones which, I understand, are designed to make you look directly down at them rather than at your surroundings!

[dextrous63]

There is a simple solution.  Put fencing along the kerb so that people cannot step onto the road at all, except at designated spots which have electric gates which open at times.  A bit like the London Underground has on some of its stations.

[JBR]

There is a simple solution.  Put fencing along the kerb so that people cannot step onto the road at all, except at designated spots which have electric gates which open at times.  A bit like the London Underground has on some of its stations.

Wouldn't work.  Some of the 'walkman types' would just walk into each other!

[dextrous63]

Wouldn't work.  Some of the 'walkman types' would just walk into each other!

What about if we make it a legal obligation for pedestrians to wear inflatable smimming rings around their waists and heads?  Sort of personalised buoys?

[JBR]

What about if we make it a legal obligation for pedestrians to wear inflatable smimming rings around their waists and heads?  Sort of personalised buoys?

No, I disagree.
It would serve them better if they continued to walk into each other, hopefully banging their heads together and knocking a bit of sense into themselves.