London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

In message , Ian Jelf
writes

So, when are Mr Jelf's trips to London and Mr Fitzgerald's off shifts?

Well my first days in London with the possibility of getting some
free time are 29 and 20 April and 1 May 2008.

Sadly I shall be involved on a personal German invasion in Berlin for
all of those dates.

Looking rather further ahead.......

How about 3 14 15 21 July?

3 July I could make at a push although I plans pencilled in for a Paris
trip the following day.

14 is out, but I could make 15 July

21 July I could make but would have to leave early (and would be
severely limited in drinking capacity as I have an early turn the
following day).

I would therefore put forward 15 July as my preferred option of that
selection.
--
Steve Fitzgerald has now left the building.
You will find him in London's Docklands, E16, UK
(please use the reply to address for email)

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

On 15 Apr, 18:09, James Farrar wrote:
On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:54:48 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:





On 11 Apr, 13:44, Tom Anderson wrote:

This is why i get so furious when people on here tell me that buses are a
perfectly good way to travel, that they can get from Pinner to London
Bridge in ten minutes with cast-iron reliability, etc. It's not true. It's
just not true. Bus travel is a lottery, and nothing more.

Depends on the journey. I live a three minute walk from KXSP station.
Despite this I'll generally take the bus for any journey I can within
central London - because anything that is less than four stops on the
tube, or would involve a change, it'll be quicker.

But that said, I commute to Hammersmith every day, and even though
there's a bus that stops outside my office and thirty seconds from my
house, I would be absolutely insane to take it because it takes an
interminable time to do the length of Oxford Street.

Right. And the Picadilly takes about 20 minutes and, as a backup plan,
the H&C takes about 25, so there's not much reason to consider the bus
for that kind of regular journey.

I take the H&C anyway for the morning journey. It takes longer on
average but there's significantly less chance of spending twenty
minutes being forced to cram into another human being's armpit in
order to get on a train.

Jonn

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

Mizter T wrote:
On 12 Apr, 16:39, alex_t wrote:
I hate London buses: you wait for 20 minutes then 2-3 come together
(because drivers chat together at the local terminus). ...

ITYF that bus bunching isn't caused by 'drivers chatting together at
the local terminus' but instead by and large it's a result of traffic
conditions and the number of passengers who wish to board or alight
any particular route.

Sometimes it is. I remember a few years ago eastbound 7s arriving in
pairs at the west end of Du Cane Road (i.e. about 200 yards from the
start of the route).

I can't help but feel that some people paint their pictures of yobbery
and thuggery with a very broad and indiscriminate brush.

Buses are for people who can't or won't cycle. Bike or train is nearly
always quicker, but sometimes you can't get your bike where it needs
to be.

Colin McKenzie

--
No-one has ever proved that cycle helmets make cycling any safer at
the population level, and anyway cycling is about as safe per mile as
walking.
Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

In article , ] (Steve
Fitzgerald) wrote:

I would therefore put forward 15 July as my preferred option of
that selection.

Looks good to me too. I have a meeting near Euston in the afternoon

--
Colin Rosenstiel

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:07:29 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

On 15 Apr, 18:09, James Farrar wrote:
On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:54:48 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

But that said, I commute to Hammersmith every day, and even though
there's a bus that stops outside my office and thirty seconds from my
house, I would be absolutely insane to take it because it takes an
interminable time to do the length of Oxford Street.

Right. And the Picadilly takes about 20 minutes and, as a backup plan,
the H&C takes about 25, so there's not much reason to consider the bus
for that kind of regular journey.

I take the H&C anyway for the morning journey. It takes longer on
average but there's significantly less chance of spending twenty
minutes being forced to cram into another human being's armpit in
order to get on a train.

True enough. I travel west from Great Portland Street at various times
between 6:30am and 8:30am and the H&C doesn't get "need-to-stand" busy
until after 7am and doesn't even start feeling crowded until after
7:30 - and even then it mostly empties out by Edgware Road or
Paddington.

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

In message .uk, Colin
Rosenstiel writes

I would therefore put forward 15 July as my preferred option of
that selection.

Looks good to me too. I have a meeting near Euston in the afternoon

I see a plan breaking out here...
--
Steve Fitzgerald has now left the building.
You will find him in London's Docklands, E16, UK
(please use the reply to address for email)

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

On Apr 16, 6:44 pm, James Farrar wrote:
On Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:07:29 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:



On 15 Apr, 18:09, James Farrar wrote:
On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:54:48 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

But that said, I commute to Hammersmith every day, and even though
there's a bus that stops outside my office and thirty seconds from my
house, I would be absolutely insane to take it because it takes an
interminable time to do the length of Oxford Street.

Right. And the Picadilly takes about 20 minutes and, as a backup plan,
the H&C takes about 25, so there's not much reason to consider the bus
for that kind of regular journey.

I take the H&C anyway for the morning journey. It takes longer on
average but there's significantly less chance of spending twenty
minutes being forced to cram into another human being's armpit in
order to get on a train.

True enough. I travel west from Great Portland Street at various times
between 6:30am and 8:30am and the H&C doesn't get "need-to-stand" busy
until after 7am and doesn't even start feeling crowded until after
7:30 - and even then it mostly empties out by Edgware Road or
Paddington.

It loses a lot of passengers at Euston Square, as well. It's
surprisingly unusual not to get a seat there.

I'd still rather be above ground but, hey, needs must.

Jonn

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

In message , Steve Fitzgerald
] writes
In message .uk,
Colin Rosenstiel writes

I would therefore put forward 15 July as my preferred option of
that selection.

Looks good to me too. I have a meeting near Euston in the afternoon

I see a plan breaking out here...

Let's make it 15 July and invite others in from here?

As it happens, I should be able to rearrange some things which makes 15
July especially good for me. I might even be able to drink, which
would have been "out" on the other dates!
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

In message rPydnXNqUbpYaZjVRVnyggA@plusnet, Colin McKenzie
writes
Mizter T wrote:
On 12 Apr, 16:39, alex_t wrote:
I hate London buses: you wait for 20 minutes then 2-3 come together
(because drivers chat together at the local terminus). ...
ITYF that bus bunching isn't caused by 'drivers chatting together at
the local terminus' but instead by and large it's a result of traffic
conditions and the number of passengers who wish to board or alight
any particular route.

Sometimes it is. I remember a few years ago eastbound 7s arriving in
pairs at the west end of Du Cane Road (i.e. about 200 yards from the
start of the route).

I can't help but feel that some people paint their pictures of yobbery
and thuggery with a very broad and indiscriminate brush.

Buses are for people who can't or won't cycle. Bike or train is nearly
always quicker, but sometimes you can't get your bike where it needs to
be.

That's just a gross oversimplification.

As an example, I had to make a quick return journey today from the
Methodist Central Hall to Covent Garden. The bus worked a treat and a
Tube journey, by the time you take in the walking and/or change
depending on how you handle the journey it would have taken longer.

(I didn't have a bike on me!)

There's no "answer" as to what's the best mode; in the way of these
things "it depends".
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

London Buses - Why do I bother?
 

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008, Ian Jelf wrote:

In message , Steve Fitzgerald
] writes
In message .uk, Colin
Rosenstiel writes

I would therefore put forward 15 July as my preferred option of
that selection.

Looks good to me too. I have a meeting near Euston in the afternoon

I see a plan breaking out here...

Let's make it 15 July and invite others in from here?

I heartily endorse this product and/or service.

Now someone should make a fresh post to advertise it.

Why are you all looking at me?

tom

--
Taking care of business