On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 08:56:04 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:

In message . com, Neil
Williams writes

Interesting - and I guess you probably know best by your job - but my
experience is that people will use the Tube as it's relatively easy to
understand -
Oh, absolutely.

The main reason that people have for not using the Tube in my experience
is fear of actually being in enclosed spaces underground.
(Interestingly, I've never had anyone cite fear of terrorism as a reason
for avoiding it.)

indeed, the geographical knowledge of London by a lot of
people I know is largely based (inaccurately, of course) on the Tube
map.
Yes and when they *do* use it, they usually comment on how easy it is to
understand for that reason.

During one of the anti-war demonstrations last year, my coach was unable
to get back to a pickup near Parliament Square and I took a group of
about 15 back to the Tower Thistle hotel on the District Line [1].
They were an elderly group who wouldn't have dreamed of doing so "on
their own". They actually loved it and to my amusement later told
other people in the group that it was one of the highlights of their
weekend in London!

Not all surprised to hear this.

"You know what we did? - we climbed Mount Everest. Well not really but
we did go for a ride on the Tube and survived."

I've had almost the same reaction on telling people I went on the Subway
in New York to Brooklyn. "You did what? Do you know how dangerous that
is?"
"Err, I am standing here and am still alive to tell the tale. It wasn't
that bad."

Still I don't believe in "doing a city" by going round in an air
conditioned tourist coach. I think it adds to the experience to travel
about how the residents do - the Tokyo rail system is certainly an
experience ;-)

--
Paul C