Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05....Transport in Aylesbury
 

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 17:46:43 GMT, General Von Clinkerhoffen
wrote:

No they didn't put them back, or if they did their PR is as awful as
their services and they didn't tell anyone, I live along the Tring Road,
and I just don't bother to use them, it's pointless I can walk it
quicker and more reliably.

Londoners get a fantastic service, from the Bus, the tube, river bus,DLR
etc etc, young offenders in the capital will be getting Free bus
travel,while out in the sticks soon we will have all the people but none
of the services needed to cope.

Ahem.

Despite your beliefs, not all under 18s are "young offenders".

Rob.
--
rob at robertwoolley dot co dot uk

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05
 

Upon the miasma of midnight, a darkling spirit identified as Goalie of
the Century gently breathed:
In message , Pyromancer
writes
Just why does gov.uk seem so utterly convinced that the entire
population of England, bar a few west-country hoteliers and the landed
gentry, should live within 50 miles of Central London?

Because the asking price of an ordinary terraced house in Reading is
GBP 215k
http://www.austinandco.co.uk/details.php?prop=AUCO206
and for something similar in Bolton, it's GBP 80k?
http://www.regencyestates.co.uk/detail.asp?PID=479

TBH, those are rather different properties, the one in Reading has three
bedrooms, a bay window, nice gardens front and rear (rear being fully
enclosed) and a summerhouse / shed, while the Bolton one is only two
bedrooms, no bay window, and nothing much said about external features,
which suggests there are none of note. But agreed, a single extra
bedroom plus nice garden hardly justifies almost trippling the price.

Which is not to say they shouldn't be doing something to reduce demand
in the south east and increase it elsewhere.

Harder than it looks. For generations people have believed that "London
is the place to be", and no matter how many departments are relocated to
Leeds or Bristol, the overwhelming idea of London is *the* UK city will
remain.

I love Leeds, but it's hardly in the same league. The only place in the
UK that comes close to London in terms of feel is Glasgow, IMHO.

--
- Pyromancer Stormshadow.
http://www.inkubus-sukkubus.co.uk -- Pagan Gothic Rock!
http://www.littlematchgirl.co.uk -- Electronic Metal!
http://www.revival.stormshadow.com -- The Gothic Revival.

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05
 

Adrian Auer-Hudson wrote:
The diversion through Aylesbury is not an elegant solution. Wouldn't
it be great if there was an alternative?

I think it is, Aylesbury hasn't had such a good train service in years!

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05....Transport in Aylesbury
 

Well said, Jack. Chiltern Railways offer *excellent* value for money,
whether as a taxpayer or a farepayer.

£2.50 for a *Single* High Wycombe - Beaconsfield. Value?

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05....Transport in Aylesbury
 

Well said, Jack. Chiltern Railways offer *excellent* value for money,
whether as a taxpayer or a farepayer.

£2.50 for a *Single* High Wycombe - Beaconsfield. Value? CH are a
bloody rip-Off.

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05....Transport in Aylesbury
 

"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...
Well said, Jack. Chiltern Railways offer *excellent* value for
money,
whether as a taxpayer or a farepayer.

£2.50 for a *Single* High Wycombe - Beaconsfield. Value?


Why is it a rip off ? I suspect its the price the market will bear, in
which case its hardly a rip off.
If you don't like it, catch the bus, there are about 3 or 4 per hour
between High Wycombe and Beaconsfield.
I suspect Chiltern rate the local Beaconsfield - High Wycombe
traveller as less important to the overall business compared with
commuters to/from London or Birmingham, and longer distance travel on
intermediate stations (eg Warwick to Gerrards Cross or High Wycombe to
Stratford upon Avon).

Having said that, you could just be moaning for the sake of it... you
seem to have a real chip on your shoulder about Chiltern Railways and
Arriva buses, neither of which are anywhere near as bad as the picture
you paint of them.

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05
 

"Joe" wrote:

Adrian Auer-Hudson wrote:
The diversion through Aylesbury is not an elegant solution. Wouldn't
it be great if there was an alternative?

I think it is, Aylesbury hasn't had such a good train service in years!


When GX is re-opened, the Chiltern service from Marylebone to
Birmingham will revert to the original route. But is that really such
a bad thing for Aylesbury?

I have often used Chiltern to get from Aylesbury to Banbury,
Leamington Spa, Solihull and Birmingham Snow Hill and the interchange
at Princes Risborough is pretty easy. The Aylesbury - Princes
Risborough shuttle offers several good connections into Birmingham-
bound services through each day.

Yes, it's even better now, but it was pretty good before and will be
again. It certainly isn't worth spending many tens of millions of
pounds on re-opening an old route that will be loss-making from the
start and continue to swallow taxpayers' money for the foreseeable
future, just to save a few minutes and one change of train.

Who cares if it is "elegant"? It needs to be efficient and cost
effective. If elegance comes only at a price that is impracticable,
it really isn't worth having.

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05....Transport in Aylesbury
 

"Joe" wrote:

Well said, Jack. Chiltern Railways offer *excellent* value for money,
whether as a taxpayer or a farepayer.

£2.50 for a *Single* High Wycombe - Beaconsfield. Value? CH are a
bloody rip-Off.


Your point was clearly weak the first time, so you added a profanity?

Best not to make the point at all.

If you cannot afford £2.50 you can always travel by bus. I doubt it
will be *that* much cheaper, but if pennies matter ...

;-)

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05....Transport in Aylesbury
 

"Matt Wheeler" wrote:

Why is it a rip off ? I suspect its the price the market will bear, in
which case its hardly a rip off.
If you don't like it, catch the bus, there are about 3 or 4 per hour
between High Wycombe and Beaconsfield.
I suspect Chiltern rate the local Beaconsfield - High Wycombe
traveller as less important to the overall business compared with
commuters to/from London or Birmingham, and longer distance travel on
intermediate stations (eg Warwick to Gerrards Cross or High Wycombe to
Stratford upon Avon).

Having said that, you could just be moaning for the sake of it... you
seem to have a real chip on your shoulder about Chiltern Railways and
Arriva buses, neither of which are anywhere near as bad as the picture
you paint of them.


Well said that man !!

;-)

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05
 

I think it is, Aylesbury hasn't had such a good train service in years!

So if there was an hourly service to and from Birmingham, Banbury and
Buckingham, running sans stops, save Amersham and Harrow, between
Ayesbury and Marylebone, you would consider that good? Right?

A.

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05....Transport in Aylesbury
 

£2.50 for a *Single* High Wycombe - Beaconsfield. Value?
For the sake of comparison, the LACMTA serve the County of Los Angeles.
LA Co. covers an area of some 4,061 square miles. Any single trip on
an MTA (better know as Metro) Bus, or Train is USD1.35 that would be
well under GBP1.00). No transfer is allowed on a single ticket.
However an all day pass is USD3.00.

A monthly pass is USD52.00. However many employers subsidize transit
and van pool commuting. For example my employer buys the monthly
passes from the MTA and sells them to staff for USD28.00. With the
pass my employer gives me a discount card. All meals purchased in the
company's cafeteria are reduced in cost by 25%. In practice that means
lunch costs me 3 to 4 dollars a day instead of 4 to 5 dollars. I
calculate that, with the meal discount, my commute of 28 miles each
way, twice a day is costing me under USD8.00 a month. That would be
under GBP5.00 a month.

So, I do find any bus and rail fares in the UK expensive. That aside,
I still enjoy my visits.


A.

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05
 

On 27 Jul 2005 14:37:53 -0700, "Adrian Auer-Hudson"
wrote:

I think it is, Aylesbury hasn't had such a good train service in years!

So if there was an hourly service to and from Birmingham, Banbury and
Buckingham, running sans stops, save Amersham and Harrow, between
Ayesbury and Marylebone, you would consider that good? Right?

It would certainly be interesting if Chiltern decide to run any such
services after the line through GX reopens.

There is obviously plenty of demand for Watford-Birmingham travel, as
Virgin stop (some of) their trains at Watford Junction, so it's not
totally inconceivable that a decent-sized market exists for direct
Harrow/Amersham/Aylesbury to Birmingham services too (and to Banbury,
etc).

(Although the Chiltern route is slower, I'd say it's still a valid
comparison - most people seem to place more value on the fact that
it's a through service. And of course there's the price difference.)

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05
 

asdf wrote:

It would certainly be interesting if Chiltern decide to run any such
services after the line through GX reopens.


The normal service is just fine, with an easy interchange at Princes
Risborough. I have used it often.

Gerrards Cross update 5/7/05....Transport in Aylesbury
 

In message .com, at
15:00:55 on Wed, 27 Jul 2005, Adrian Auer-Hudson
remarked:
For the sake of comparison, the LACMTA serve the County of Los Angeles.
LA Co. covers an area of some 4,061 square miles. Any single trip on
an MTA (better know as Metro) Bus, or Train is USD1.35 that would be
well under GBP1.00). No transfer is allowed on a single ticket.

Fares are much the same on the Atlanta Marta ($1.75 for a single fare
that could be - and I made that trip frequently - as far as 20 miles
[further than Gerrards Cross to Central London]).

But the Marta fares only pay a third of the cost of the system. The
other two thirds is paid for by an extra 1% sales tax levied on the
residents of certain well-off counties in the metro area.

As far as I'm aware, the lines being compared within the UK don't have a
public subsidy, and have to run at a profit (or even worse, have to pay
the government a levy).
--
Roland Perry