Discuss.
― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:21 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:22 (7 years ago) Permalink
― ambrose (ambrose), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:28 (7 years ago) Permalink
*maybe not if you use the northern line
― terry lennox. (gareth), Monday, 13 February 2006 21:30 (7 years ago) Permalink
― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:07 (7 years ago) Permalink
And the Hammersmith&Shittyline.
― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:17 (7 years ago) Permalink
It's surely more balanced to compare London with Tokyo, New York, Paris etc rather than Basildon, Letchworth, and Chorlton-cum-Hardy.
― Bob Six (bobbysix), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:22 (7 years ago) Permalink
Transport in London is LOTS better than transport in New York.
Basically, transport in London is far from shit.
That's been my primary line for about 4 years now and I'm not complaining, it's fine.
― JimD (JimD), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:22 (7 years ago) Permalink
― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:25 (7 years ago) Permalink
International competitiveness studies highlight the expense of transport, crumbling infrastructure, and historic lack of investment as a negative factor in London's economic position.
― Bob Six (bobbysix), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:30 (7 years ago) Permalink
― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:33 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Bob Six (bobbysix), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:35 (7 years ago) Permalink
Not, of course, that it's the government's responsibility nowadays.
― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:39 (7 years ago) Permalink
That said, anyone who lives in London who DOESN'T buy a monthly travel card is either an asylum seeker or mad.
Public public public money money money is what is needs.
― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:42 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Bob Six (bobbysix), Monday, 13 February 2006 22:54 (7 years ago) Permalink
but i only really use buses and not even daily -- i reckon so far i am up on the deal by some way though given the fierceness w.which they are policin the bendies now this will probbly have to change :(
― mark s (mark s), Monday, 13 February 2006 23:00 (7 years ago) Permalink
― theantmustdance (theantmustdance), Monday, 13 February 2006 23:03 (7 years ago) Permalink
I still have trouble understanding why/how Virgin charge £75 return to Manchester (with other return options reaching over £400) when you can fly several times the distance for half the price. And why does it take twice as long coming back? Can trains not tilt southbound?
― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 13 February 2006 23:04 (7 years ago) Permalink
we all know you arrived here just a few days ago from Kabul. the game's up, sonny chief.
― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 13 February 2006 23:07 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 13 February 2006 23:12 (7 years ago) Permalink
I don't know about the tube, but the rail companies apparently make over £100m profit a year in London, and the cost for providing staff is estimated to be between £2m to £4m a year.
― Bob Six (bobbysix), Monday, 13 February 2006 23:14 (7 years ago) Permalink
― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Monday, 13 February 2006 23:15 (7 years ago) Permalink
I don't find them comfortable in the slightest. They seem much harder than the seats on most other buses * and, into the bargain, the poor suspension on those vehicles gives a very bumpy ride in my experience.
* the notable exceptions to this that I've found are a few of the buses used on the 341 route which have purple seats with ridiculously thin upholstery; but these are not to be confused with some others on the same route which also have purple seats but which are wonderfully comfortable.
― Oak (small items), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 00:18 (7 years ago) Permalink
Very true. Resolving as I did about 4 years ago not to travel on it any more was one of the best decisions I have ever made, in a number of ways.
― Oak (small items), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 00:22 (7 years ago) Permalink
― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 00:27 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Rotgutt (Rotgutt), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 01:38 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Wiggy (Wiggy), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 01:53 (7 years ago) Permalink
Is this actually true? I'd always thought received wisdom said the exact opposite.
Public transport in London is good, but wasn't really designed to serve a city that's growing this fast - seems to be where all the problems stem from.
Oak - are you the person I think you are? Something rings familiar here.
― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 09:15 (7 years ago) Permalink
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 09:18 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Dom iNut (donut), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 09:19 (7 years ago) Permalink
kings cross - south wimbledon, last thursday, circa midnight = 100 minutes
but yeah, mostly its good. 24 hour tubes would be nice.
― i am not a nugget (stevie), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 09:24 (7 years ago) Permalink
outside london you can, you know, walk or cycle places.
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 09:26 (7 years ago) Permalink
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 09:44 (7 years ago) Permalink
you can do those things inside london too, you know.
― i am not a nugget (stevie), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 09:48 (7 years ago) Permalink
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 09:50 (7 years ago) Permalink
Eh? How many people do you reckon they employ?
― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:06 (7 years ago) Permalink
i cant see train travel getting much cheaper as a result of competition from air travel. maybe we should read my friends dissertation about rail/air competition for business travel between leeds and london. isnt the problem partly that franchising to an extent creates kinda flabby uncompetitive practice, where profits can be made in relative safety from predatory activity, if there isnt strong enough contractual arrnagements or tight enough regulation on the performance of the franchisee?
eg "we award you this contract but will continue to allow you to increase fares/reduce penalties for poor performance, and you can do this for the next 10 years" as opposed to "you have a guaranteed revenue stream for the next 10 years but oyu must ensure to do X Y Z and not do P Q and S"?
i dont really know anything about this anyways.
i guess in a sense i dont really compare london to other cities in europe so that gives me a warped sense of how good transport is in comparison to other UK CITIES (dear sirz, outside of london there are population sizes larger than Basildon, Letchworth, and Chorlton-cum-Hardy). but then again what other european cities are comparable? how does paris do? it might be hyperbole but what euro cities are comparable in terms of geograpohic spread, density of developemnt, population etc etc?
moscow was pretty awesome but they run everything on vodka there, or something. actually it was sort of shit outside the metro, but it depends what your criteria for "good public transport" are
― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:09 (7 years ago) Permalink
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:13 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:15 (7 years ago) Permalink
When it comes to the 'after midnight' bit, in London that usually means walking through the rain then freezing at a bus stop for half an hour then sitting on a very slow nightbus full of nutters, or paying twenty-five quid to a random ex-convict with a 'taxi' who'll drive you home (eventually, after getting lost) while spouting reactionary nonsense at you the whole way. In New York there seem to be five yellow taxis waiting for you immediately at any time, they don't cost much, and with the grid system they don't get lost.
― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:16 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:18 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:26 (7 years ago) Permalink
again, its hard not to laugh when you are subject to the whims of a properly deregulated market outside of london. First Groups bus fares went up 4 times in a year in s yorks, now its 1.50 a single on first buses. still 1.20/30 in london?
as for tube fares, what is expensive about a 2.50 tube fare? in comparison to previous prices? or are you assessing the cost of labour, infrastructure, distance travelled etc etc and concluding that it is overpriced?
― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:30 (7 years ago) Permalink
-- ambrose (ambrosewhit...), February 14th, 2006.
what's expensive is, it's expensive! let someone else do the math. but yes 'distance travelled' being about 2-3 miles, it does seem out of proportion.
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:33 (7 years ago) Permalink
still 1.20/30 in london?
It's now £1.50. Considering that, what 4 years ago(?), local journeys were 70p, I'd say that is somewhat above the rate of inflation.
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:33 (7 years ago) Permalink
another factor to consider might be the *vast fucking profits* made by the operator too?
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:34 (7 years ago) Permalink
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:35 (7 years ago) Permalink
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:36 (7 years ago) Permalink
Yeah I used to go to Piccadilly Circus and take the Bakerloo line to Oxford Circus rather than try and get into Oxford Circus when I worked in Soho to get around that problem.
― The Eyeball Of Hull (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 12:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
still reeling from my commute home today. kensington to hackney overground - 12 minutes late (WHY?) hence completely sardine-packed, and the air con was broken (WHYYYYYY?). tfl continues to be intent on ruining my life. is it that fucking hard for things to RUN SMOOTHLY?
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 22:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
I am more pro than anti-Olympics, but fuck these Games Lanes and the "Games Family" that cruise them. http://bit.ly/L1OIoG
― stet, Tuesday, 12 June 2012 08:37 (11 months ago) Permalink
So. Bus strike, huh?
I'm a child of the 70s and all, but even I don't remember this many strikes under Mrs T. :-/
― White Chocolate Cheesecake, Friday, 22 June 2012 07:28 (11 months ago) Permalink
Got up extra early (partly because I overslept yesterday and really didn't want to be late again today) but my bus was running a normal service, luckily.
― The Eyeball Of Hull (Colonel Poo), Friday, 22 June 2012 07:52 (11 months ago) Permalink
I feel so stranded without buses :(
― salsa shark, Friday, 22 June 2012 10:25 (11 months ago) Permalink
Same! Never really occurred how much I rely on them
― sktsh, Friday, 22 June 2012 12:16 (11 months ago) Permalink
http://twitpic.com/aoec96
:(
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 28 August 2012 10:53 (8 months ago) Permalink
not transport but rodent related. a colleague of mine was coming into work for a night shift at about nine pm, walking through the car park (this is London btw) and a f'ing RAT ran up his trouser leg and bit him on the knee!
He ended up contracting something from this (not the black death or rabies - I think the doctor actually called it rat flu - is that really a thing) and he was laid up for about a week with the sweats.
― Fizzles, Tuesday, 28 August 2012 18:13 (8 months ago) Permalink
Beware: the rodents are rising up against us!
― I've been to Suffolk (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Tuesday, 28 August 2012 18:34 (8 months ago) Permalink
'rat flu' could well be weil's disease - scary stuff. afaik the symptoms are exactly like the flu, until you die.
― ledge, Wednesday, 29 August 2012 10:43 (8 months ago) Permalink
was told on the 1st aid course that I took before the summer that if you get physically sick i.e. vomit on Weil's disease you've had it. It's likely to be fatal.
There used to be & possibly still is a warning sign up on the side of the pillar on the corner of the O'Connell bridge in Dublin about the stuff. & there was still an annual Liffey swim. I think people were advised to shower thoroughly as soon as they got back out.Also that swim cost thousands when the millenium clock was in the river, apparently cost 10,000 punts to have it moved to facilitate the swim. Could never see the face of the thing through the water as it had been designed because the Liffey was so dirty. Clock was apparently designed by the drummer of the Whipping Boy's sister.
But yeah transport in London is shite innit? Though i do like taking long bus rides across town so I can see how areas interconnect.
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 29 August 2012 12:25 (8 months ago) Permalink
http://wharferj.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/underground-guerilla-signs/
i haven't seen any of these in person but i might have a look out
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 26 September 2012 10:40 (7 months ago) Permalink
They popped up before the Olympics, I chuckled at the lap-sitting one.
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 26 September 2012 10:42 (7 months ago) Permalink
i liked the sloths one
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 26 September 2012 10:48 (7 months ago) Permalink
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 26 September 2012 11:50 (7 months ago) Permalink
brilliant stuff
― Mountain Excitement (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Wednesday, 26 September 2012 15:29 (7 months ago) Permalink
http://www.lookforlonger.com/GameDesktop.aspx
― lex pretend, Thursday, 11 October 2012 16:51 (7 months ago) Permalink
yeah i know it's weird posting that on the day of the deadline at a time when most brits have logged off but OH WELL
i have ONE LEFT
― lex pretend, Thursday, 11 October 2012 16:52 (7 months ago) Permalink
lambeth north is really kind of pushing it
― suare, Thursday, 11 October 2012 17:02 (7 months ago) Permalink
i rolled my eyes so hard at that
― lex pretend, Thursday, 11 October 2012 17:26 (7 months ago) Permalink
Are you still missing one, the Lex? Which one?
― Tim, Friday, 12 October 2012 10:04 (7 months ago) Permalink
it was the one that was a false clue (and doesn't count towards the score) (my missing one was actually a tiny but easy clue i hadn't seen)
― lex pretend, Friday, 12 October 2012 10:11 (7 months ago) Permalink
Don't think I've had a morning train that was on time once in the past two weeks.
― stet, Tuesday, 27 November 2012 09:05 (5 months ago) Permalink
In five weeks time, the London Overground goes orbital. The South London link from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction opens on Sunday 9th December, and suddenly it'll be possible to ride round the capital via only orange trains.
[...]
This creates the tantalising prospect of being able to ride the entire orbital route from Highbury and Islington to Highbury and Islington via Clapham Junction in only two trains. All the most hardcore London train geeks will be doing it, although the rest of you might give it a miss because it is essentially pointless.
http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/outer-circle.html
― ledge, Thursday, 29 November 2012 10:58 (5 months ago) Permalink
ooh i had no idea about that! i keep ending up having to travel from hackney to clapham junction these days, will prob give the new route a try just for some variety...
― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Thursday, 29 November 2012 11:11 (5 months ago) Permalink
The lack of a sensible or easy way to travel from SE to SW London has been a fucking nightmare for so long that I thoroughly approve of this. Shame I don't really have any reason to go to SW London.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 29 November 2012 11:18 (5 months ago) Permalink
There's been a pretty strong influx of 30-something hipsters and/or startup geeks moving to the Brockley-Honor Oak-Forest Hill axis since the orange line opened up, guess they'll start migrating west now as well.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 29 November 2012 11:22 (5 months ago) Permalink
This gives me an alternative route to work (I work nearish Clapham Junction) but this new train takes longer than just staying on the Victoria line to Vauxhall and getting a train to Clapham Junction from there unfortunately.
― Just noise and screaming and no musical value at all. (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 29 November 2012 11:50 (5 months ago) Permalink
Alternatives are great news though, right?
This is good news for me in so far as it will enable easy getting back to Peckham when I'm coming back into London on the slow line from the South West.
A likely decrease in trains to Victoria (where I work these days) is probably bad news.
But alternatives! Good!
― Tim, Thursday, 29 November 2012 11:53 (5 months ago) Permalink
Dunno, they seem to love redirecting trains to Victoria and there'll probably be even more of that when the really hardcore work at London Bridge gets going.
Yer commute may be slower on the overground but it might be more bearable, although the great thing about alternative routes is that they take the pressure off the main one.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 29 November 2012 11:56 (5 months ago) Permalink
What will make a huge difference to my commute will be the extension of the Northern line to Battersea, but that's not going to be done for 4 years so I probably won't be working here then.
― Just noise and screaming and no musical value at all. (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 29 November 2012 11:57 (5 months ago) Permalink
Commuting via Victoria line is totally fine for me cos I live at the end of it = virtually guaranteed seat unless I'm running v late.
― Just noise and screaming and no musical value at all. (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 29 November 2012 11:58 (5 months ago) Permalink
This makes it a single train commute for me, which is great, but pisser about losing the direct Victoria trains (especially at weekends, when there seem to be none).
― stet, Thursday, 29 November 2012 12:20 (5 months ago) Permalink
I had no idea that the inner loop (South London line) from Victoria to London Bridge was closing. Bit of a pain for regular users of Wandsworth Rd and Clapham High St. Also, the once-a-day parliamentary train that runs up to Kensington Olympia is finally being withdrawn from those stations too.
I've now downloaded a spreadsheet of station usage. Someone stop me.
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 29 November 2012 12:40 (5 months ago) Permalink
Peckham Rye gets more than Aberdeen!
― stet, Thursday, 29 November 2012 12:44 (5 months ago) Permalink
I'm assuming the closure of that inner loop means fewer trains from London Bridge down to Crystal Palace (and beyond) as well? That's going to fuck up my commute if so.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 29 November 2012 12:49 (5 months ago) Permalink
Not sure the inner loop closure will affect LB-CP, and there's no increased capacity on the stretch south of New Cross (as there was when the original extension came into service), so it should be OK. When Overground services first started between Palace/West Croydon and Dalston, there was a reduction of trains in/out of London Bridge along the Forest Hill/Sydenham line, leading to the dreaded 25min hole in southbound rush hour services from LB which I still occasionally find myself falling into.
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 29 November 2012 13:02 (5 months ago) Permalink
Yeah I got my loops mixed up, this is the one that goes through South Bermondsey and Peckham Rye and places, right?
― Matt DC, Thursday, 29 November 2012 13:26 (5 months ago) Permalink
The wikipedia journey starting at Parliamentary trains is fab. Eg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainsborough_Central_railway_station - managed to have fewer passengers than a station which was closed and had no tracks.
― stet, Thursday, 29 November 2012 14:34 (5 months ago) Permalink
We followed the same route, Stet!
MDC: yep.
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 29 November 2012 14:38 (5 months ago) Permalink
Anyone else get caught out by the arriva bus strike this morning?
― sktsh, Thursday, 29 November 2012 15:42 (5 months ago) Permalink
the extension of the Northern line to Battersea
I had no idea this was even being considered
― all the people on the right, boogaloo (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 29 November 2012 16:29 (5 months ago) Permalink
I thought I had escaped bus strike troubles, but then I waited 25 minutes for my bus only for it to drive past me. RIP evening plans.
― Shane Richie Junior (Merdeyeux), Thursday, 29 November 2012 17:37 (5 months ago) Permalink
Ah, this explains why somebody who was supposed to meet me this morning waited 50 minutes for a bus which never came. I thought he was exaggerating.
― all the people on the right, boogaloo (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 29 November 2012 17:52 (5 months ago) Permalink
again with my annual commute i find myself asking how this shit is acceptable or even possible
clapham junction to high st kensington - FOUR stops - has just taken me 70 MINUTES
i stayed in battersea to make the commute easier and it would have taken less time to do it from hackney FFS
― lex pretend, Thursday, 7 February 2013 10:48 (3 months ago) Permalink
i've heard many reports that the new southern overground line is a bit of a shambles, journeys involving it invariably taking 30 mins longer than they should and such.
― hot young stalin (Merdeyeux), Thursday, 7 February 2013 10:51 (3 months ago) Permalink
also, inexplicably doesn't allow you to indicate that you're avoiding zone 1 by using it.
― hot young stalin (Merdeyeux), Thursday, 7 February 2013 10:52 (3 months ago) Permalink
oh you motherfucker
victoria station is where the party is right now
― imago, Thursday, 7 February 2013 11:27 (3 months ago) Permalink
Overground has been punctual whenever I've used it, which has only been in extremis because the thousands of stops make it too damn slow and infrequent even if it's on time.
― stet, Thursday, 7 February 2013 12:14 (3 months ago) Permalink