On Nov 22, 9:30*pm, Tom Anderson wrote:
Hmm.

The prospect of a new job near Syon Lane has come up. I live in Finsbury
Park and won't be moving any time soon.

Any thoughts on what commuting options look like?

I'll mention that the company runs a shuttle bus from Osterley (taking 5
minutes), and a peak-hours shuttle from Gunnersbury (whose timetable i
cannot decipher - possibly goes backwards through time?). Also, that i
like cycling, although not enough to cycle 18 miles twice a day.

Off the top of my head:

Piccadilly from Finsbury Park to Osterley, bus to the office. That's 50-60
minutes on the tube, and 5 on the bus. Standing from Finsbury Park; i
might get a seat at, what, Leicester Square?

Victoria from Finsbury Park to Vauxhall, train to Syon Lane, walk to the
office. That's 20 minutes on the tube, with some hope of a seat past
Oxford Circus, some amount of waiting, then 30 minutes on the train, i
imagine with an excellent chance of a seat.

Victoria (or Great Northern) from Finsbury Park to Highbury & Islington,
North London on to Gunnersbury, bus to the office. That's a short hop on
the tube, then 37 minutes on the overground, then some unknown time on the
bus; no idea if i might get a seat.

Folding bike from Finsbury Park to Gospel Oak, North London to
Gunnersbury, unfolded bike to the office. That's 2.6 miles cycling at one
end, half an hour on the train, then 2.9 miles at the other end (on roads
of uncertain enjoyability). I would at least be guaranteed a seat for 5.5
miles of the journey.

Any other options to consider? Do any of these have unforeseen pitfalls?

I currently work 4.5 miles from home, and cycle. None of these options are
remotely as good .

tom

--
Or is it? It's hard to tell if making a loss in a transformative business
is a bad thing. -- Nutty

If I were you, I would take the Piccadilly Line all the way to
Osterley. This is because there is only one leg of the journey. If
you have to change trains, then there is more potential for delays and
increased journey times.

On the way back from your office, you could get the first bus which
comes along. If it goes to Gunnersbury, you could get the District
Line to Hammersmith and then cross the platform for the Piccadilly
Line.

It is always good to have alternative routes up your sleeve in case of
delays or disruption.

Perhaps the best thing would be to try each of the routes you have
suggested and see which one suits you best.

On Wed, 23 Nov 2011, Paul wrote:

On Nov 22, 9:30*pm, Tom Anderson wrote:

The prospect of a new job near Syon Lane has come up. I live in
Finsbury Park and won't be moving any time soon.

Any thoughts on what commuting options look like?

Perhaps the best thing would be to try each of the routes you have
suggested and see which one suits you best.

Very true. I took the Vic/SWT combination there, and the Picc back. On the
Vic i was standing all the way to Vauxhall; if i'd been a bit more
sharp-elbowed i might have got a seat at Green Park, but it's not like
there were seats to spare. The train was then surprisingly busy - lots of
people on board when it pulled in, quite a few boarding at Vauxhall, and a
lot more at Queenstown Road and Clapham Junction. The main destinations
seemed to be Wandsworth and Brentford. Coming back, i got a seat
immediately, although only just, and new boarders were standing after a
couple of stops. I imagine it would be a lot worse coming in in the
mornings.

Thanks to you both for your thoughts.

tom

--
If god did exist, we would have to abolish him. -- Mikhail Bakunin