Richard J. wrote:
Dave Arquati wrote:

Richard J. wrote:

Mrs Redboots wrote:

Richard J. wrote to uk.transport.london on Mon, 14 Feb 2005:

I think that's a bit harsh. According to the TfL Journey
Planner,
tube via Green Park will take 9 to 12 minutes whereas walking
"fast" takes 16 minutes. Depends what your priorities are. If
the commuter preferred not to walk a mile in all weathers and got
his exercise in other ways, then why not go by Tube?

What's wrong with a 52 bus, which is how we always went from
Victoria to Knightsbridge when I was a child. We would get off at
what was then called The Scotch House, but is now Burberry, and
walk down the Brompton Arcade on to Knightsbridge, and thus to my
grandmother's flat near Harrods. The bus still runs on the same
route, as far as I know....

Yes, but it takes 12-16 minutes (including waiting) compared to
9-12 minutes on the Tube, according to the TfL JP.

I'm extremely sceptical about that 9-12 minute estimate. Is that
platform-to-platform?

No, I've just realised it's the JP cheating again! If you ask for
Victoria to Knightsbridge via Green Park, they offer you, for example, a
departure at 08:28 that arrives at 08:37, a 9-minute journey. But when
you ask for the details, it says 2 minutes to Green Park, 6 minutes
interchange/wait, 4 minutes Piccadilly Line to Knightsbridge, total *12*
minutes with arrival at 08:40. It's about time they fixed this bug
which has been around for months and months.

Yes, I've noticed that too.

So my range, allowing for waiting time at Victoria, should have been
12-14 minutes, but you're right that it's platform to platform.

I think the descent at Victoria is particularly important because it's
such a busy station at any time of day, let alone during the peaks.

Being highly optimistic, I'd give 3 minutes to descend to the
Victoria line at Victoria, 1.5 minutes' wait/boarding time, 2
minutes' journey, at least 3 minutes' interchange at Green Park,
1.5 minutes' wait/boarding time, 5 minutes to Knightsbridge and
then a minute to ascend to the surface, making my most optimistic
guess 17 minutes.

My experience of the 52 is generally very pleasant; it's right
outside the terminal at Victoria, with probably a 5 minute wait
and a 10 minute journey.

The JP says it's a 13-minute journey, with buses every 4-5 minutes.

JP is weird. If the average speed of a bus, including stops, were 7mph
(based on the 49 which takes 50 minutes from Clapham Junction to
Shepherd's Bush) and saying that it's about a mile from Victoria to
Knightsbridge, that's about an 8.5 minute journey. A 13-minute journey
would be at the low, low speed of 4.6mph... and there are only 3 stops
between Victoria bus station and Knightsbridge station.

On the other hand, I made a journey from my flat to Ealing which JP said
would take 38 minutes total, and it took... exactly 38 minutes. I think
TfL's fast walking speed almost exactly matches my own.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London