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> London is a mix of inner London where public transport is very good and outer London (Zone 5+) where you are car dependent but you absolutely can get away wit
by bhickey 15y ago
> London is a mix of inner London where public transport is very good and outer London (Zone 5+) where you are car dependent but you absolutely can get away with using car rental when you need it most of the time. The problem is public transport largely stops at midnight (apart from night buses).
Not to mention that automobile traffic strangles the bus lines. Bank (Zone 1) and Manor House (Zone 2/3) are approximately 5 miles apart. The 141 bus runs a direct route between them. On a good day, the journey takes 45 minutes. Taking the tube (Northern Line -> Piccadilly) will hardly shave any time off the journey and turn it into an unpleasant, claustrophobic experience.
The decision to cut down the congestion zone and divert a lane from an East-West artery for the Olympics is sure to make public transport just peachy.
- jrockway 15y agoManhattan has the same problem, especially considering how narrow the streets are (due to "free" parking) and the lack of crosstown subway lines. It looks like the MTA has started a new program where some busses have police-car-like flashing lights and dedicated lanes. I haven't had the occasion to use the bus yet, but it doesn't look like it does anything. Taxi drivers make it their goal to use the road as rudely as possible, and there are a lot of taxis in Manhattan.
- iron_ball 15y agoThe new express busses are faster, but not by enough. Getting crosstown is still a hassle. I walk from 2nd Ave to 7th Ave every day for work, and find that it's generally nearly as fast to make it a brisk walk -- healthier and cheaper, too. That said, taxis aren't the problem. At least they're always on the move and always picking up passengers. The parking lanes on the major streets should absolutely be turned into dedicated bus lanes -- but it's not taxis that are using that parking.