Dear N16

I'm glad you enjoyed Cal's induction service at the Unitarian Chapel (News in Brief, Issue 23). But since by your own admission you're not in the habit of going to church, how the hell would you know that all the other churches in North London are shrinking? I think you need a bit of fact checking: for a starter, you could come along to St Mary's (you know, the one with the tall spire). 10:30 Sundays. See you there.

Jonathan Clark, Rector, St Mary's

Dear N16

I like the bendybus! I have spent years watching the 73 Routemaster go by and not being able to get on it because I have children in a buggy (just try folding a buggy and wrestling it onto a Routemaster and then carrying on two children before either of them run or roll out into the road!).

And if you think getting onto a bus is hard, imagine tackling the escalators at tube stations and the stairs leading down to them. The arrival of the 476 suddenly opened up new horizons for us, meaning that we were no longer restricted to within a 2 mile walking radius of home. But space was so limited that we would wait for 3 or 4 to go by before we could fit on one.

Now the bendybus has arrived, we can get in and out of town easily and it has made a huge difference to us. I understand the frustration of commuters who have even worse journeys than before - I have long relied (or not) on the 73 to get me to work on time. But spare a thought for the many many parents of young children in N16 whose lives have improved as a result of the disabled access and increased buggy space.

Fran, N16

Dear N16,

Thank you for consistently interesting reading. I write in response to the unhappy outburst of correspondents (issue 23) regarding bendy buses. One of the reasons I decided on settling in Stoke Newington after leaving Australia 6 years ago was the friendly, relaxed and inclusive atmosphere created by its locals. So I was disappointed encountering the black bile overflowing your letters page. I think I know what locals would call the pommie who wrote from down under.

My enjoyment of these marvels of innovative engineering grows each journey. The gusset at the omnibus's articulation provides novel posterior sensations, a certain risqué thrill which I notice I'm not alone in preferring to the ordinary sedentary relief. Though when the flexi-chamber is full, the arrangement of seats makes allowance for long legs like mine, an almost unique feature on public transport. Perhaps Einstein can explain how your letter writers perceive less space relative to the DVT-inducing Routemaster.

My most significant new experience was seeing a person in a wheelchair decline the offers of confused, surprised, flapping passengers concerned she was attempting to board a back door. She informed them the driver did know she was there and that having pressed a button, she'd board perfectly well without them. She promptly rolled in over an effective ramp mechanism.

The sight of people with mobility problems on London streets is incredibly rare compared to Sydney and other cities in my experience. I know of one family who left London solely because their growing child, being a wheel-chair user, would not be able to access here the active and social life she has a right to. London's notoriously inadequate transport provision seems to be finally under effective consideration.

I don't use a wheelchair and in no way speak as a representative: my experiences, however, make me question one writer's rhetorical criticisms of bendy busses: 'And disabled access? Buggies? Don't make me bloody laugh. There's no room.' She concludes by asking for the return of Routemasters, but I recall they only had room for those who could negotiate either one big step, or many awkward ones when it was crowded downstairs, as it often was. With a bit of thought, I think we can all get into the groove of the BBs, truly omnibuses, 'for all'.

Sincerely, Russell Ward, Walford
Rd N16

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