4 ms·

IMHO the UK is not as bad as described by the OP, but it has certainly some issues that should be addressed ASAP. I am an expat that has been living in Oxford

by nextos 8y ago

IMHO the UK is not as bad as described by the OP, but it has certainly some issues that should be addressed ASAP. I am an expat that has been living in Oxford & Cambridge for many years, after living in many other countries. Upon arrival, I was shocked at how bad the public transport was in Cambridge. Different bus companies, incompatible tickets, unreliable schedules and extortionate prices. Trains are a bit better, but nothing to be proud of. Second shock comes from car commutes. South & East England is pretty flat. But the road network really needs an upgrade. For example, highway interchanges are often roundabouts (!) leading to absolutely massive jams. Thus, what would be a regular commute to work in mainland Europe by either public transport or car (say Buckingham to Oxford) is a bit of a nightmare and thus something nobody does. Third thing is housing. Bad quality, and land controlled by a few leads to really high prices. Plus, low density and the aforementioned transport issues make it really hard to buy in cheap places that are a bit far away. Lastly, education is expensive and there is a lot of elitism. In the US, I think it's not so difficult to get into e.g. Stanford if you come from a poor background as long as you work hard and get really nice SAT scores. However, in Oxbridge admissions are heavily biased towards high end schools. The only students from poor backgrounds I have personally met had exceptional achievements in their CV (e.g. IMO medals).

lewis1028282 8y ago
> Second shock comes from car commutes. South & East England is pretty flat. But the road network really needs an upgrade. For example, highway interchanges are often roundabouts (!) leading to absolutely massive jams. Roundabouts are actually way more efficient than junctions (and a lot safer) because of the low speed. I can imagine it must have been a big shock coming from the US tho. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4PW66_g6XA&t=507s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4PW66_g6XA&t=507s > Third thing is housing. Bad quality, and land controlled by a few leads to really high prices. Plus, low density and the aforementioned transport issues make it really hard to buy in cheap places that are a bit far away. I mean the UK is a small place and supply/demand tells us the land is going to be expensive.
- barrkel 8y ago
  Roundabouts are fine for cars on slow to medium speed roads - 20 to 40mph at a push. But they are a lot less efficient for longer trips. You don't get roundabouts on motorways or big dual carriageways. Slip roads and grade-separated junctions - often grade-separated roundabouts - are more efficient for time. Grade separated junctions also take up a lot of space and divide communities, so I'm not 100% in favour.
  - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
    Not true. Motorway exits are normally a roundabout, with busiest exit slip roads traffic light controlled. Sometimes the roundabout is broken up with more extensive lights. A defining characteristic of motorways is the absence of junctions on the actual motorway. Dual carriageways sometimes adopt a motorway approach, with traffic light controlled slips, but are mainly roundabouts for junctions. It's been a while, but even on the A1, outside the A1M bits.
    - barrkel 8y ago
      It is not true that motorways go straight into roundabouts. They normally use sliproads to grade separated roundabouts.
      - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
        There's a slip road on and off the motorway and a roundabout at the end of motorway restrictions. That is straight into a roundabout. There are no junctions on motorways themselves. That was the whole point.
nvarsj 8y ago
> highway interchanges are often roundabouts (!) leading to absolutely massive jams A common quip in the UK is that the solution to any traffic problem is to build a roundabout. I agree they are terrible in congested areas, but I think Brits have a certain fondness (or stubbornness) for them. > Lastly, education is expensive and there is a lot of elitism. In the US, I think it's not so difficult to get into e.g. Stanford Stanford is far more elite than Oxbridge - I don't know how you could think otherwise. The price of admission makes it so, plus extreme competition. It's a poor comparison.
- whycombagator 8y ago
  > Stanford is far more elite than Oxbridge Anecdotally, I know several people unable to crack Oxbridge that walked into Standford. That being said, both are elite and I don’t think a sane case can be made for either being “far more elite” than the other.
- mncharity 8y ago
  > The price of admission makes it so Stanford, like most first-tier US universities, is both need-blind admission and full-demonstrated-need financial aid (for US students).
  - lewis1028282 8y ago
    Same here, and no one ends up paying back their tuition fees. It’s basically a graduate tax on earnings over £25,000

by nextos 8y ago

lewis1028282 8y ago

> Second shock comes from car commutes. South & East England is pretty flat. But the road network really needs an upgrade. For example, highway interchanges are often roundabouts (!) leading to absolutely massive jams. Roundabouts are actually way more efficient than junctions (and a lot safer) because of the low speed. I can imagine it must have been a big shock coming from the US tho. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4PW66_g6XA&t=507s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4PW66_g6XA&t=507s > Third thing is housing. Bad quality, and land controlled by a few leads to really high prices. Plus, low density and the aforementioned transport issues make it really hard to buy in cheap places that are a bit far away. I mean the UK is a small place and supply/demand tells us the land is going to be expensive.

barrkel 8y ago
Roundabouts are fine for cars on slow to medium speed roads - 20 to 40mph at a push. But they are a lot less efficient for longer trips. You don't get roundabouts on motorways or big dual carriageways. Slip roads and grade-separated junctions - often grade-separated roundabouts - are more efficient for time. Grade separated junctions also take up a lot of space and divide communities, so I'm not 100% in favour.
- NeedMoreTea 8y ago
  Not true. Motorway exits are normally a roundabout, with busiest exit slip roads traffic light controlled. Sometimes the roundabout is broken up with more extensive lights. A defining characteristic of motorways is the absence of junctions on the actual motorway. Dual carriageways sometimes adopt a motorway approach, with traffic light controlled slips, but are mainly roundabouts for junctions. It's been a while, but even on the A1, outside the A1M bits.
  - barrkel 8y ago
    It is not true that motorways go straight into roundabouts. They normally use sliproads to grade separated roundabouts.
    - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
      There's a slip road on and off the motorway and a roundabout at the end of motorway restrictions. That is straight into a roundabout. There are no junctions on motorways themselves. That was the whole point.

nvarsj 8y ago

> highway interchanges are often roundabouts (!) leading to absolutely massive jams A common quip in the UK is that the solution to any traffic problem is to build a roundabout. I agree they are terrible in congested areas, but I think Brits have a certain fondness (or stubbornness) for them. > Lastly, education is expensive and there is a lot of elitism. In the US, I think it's not so difficult to get into e.g. Stanford Stanford is far more elite than Oxbridge - I don't know how you could think otherwise. The price of admission makes it so, plus extreme competition. It's a poor comparison.

whycombagator 8y ago
> Stanford is far more elite than Oxbridge Anecdotally, I know several people unable to crack Oxbridge that walked into Standford. That being said, both are elite and I don’t think a sane case can be made for either being “far more elite” than the other.
mncharity 8y ago
> The price of admission makes it so Stanford, like most first-tier US universities, is both need-blind admission and full-demonstrated-need financial aid (for US students).
- lewis1028282 8y ago
  Same here, and no one ends up paying back their tuition fees. It’s basically a graduate tax on earnings over £25,000