Why does everybody - even RM-enthusiasts - concede that the risk of injury among passengers who alight or board between stops is a problem? On the contrary, danger to life and limb is one of the great joys of Routemaster travel.
Nobody is forced to leap while the bus is moving, but anyone can choose to. It's fun. It's like getting onto a moving ski-lift. It sorts out the plucky from the feeble among Londoners.
I myself have been applauded by the entire lower deck of an accelerating number 77 after a running jump while sprinting alongside carrying a briefcase. You just have to catch the pole.
Yes, a few perish in the attempt, but isn't that what natural selection is all about? Nobody who isn't a risk-taker should be a Londoner in the first place.
printable version
