Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Just been watching a programme about traffic in London and the traffic situation is chaos and ..... Getting worse. The programme is called Route Masters, it's really interesting and it says there is another two million more people set to live in London in the next ten years, where I don't know. What was surprising is the amount of congestion fines given out, it said over 5 million fines are issued every year. One yellow boxed junction was taking in over £20,000 per week, people were being fined £130 for stopping more than 5 seconds and just imagine if it happened to you on your way to work, your days pay would ave gone already. 5 million fines a year, what a scam, I don't think I could live and work there TBH. it's a fantastic city, but it looks like a nightmare trying to get in and out of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Just been watching a programme about traffic in London and the traffic situation is chaos and ..... Getting worse. The programme is called Route Masters, it's really interesting and it says there is another two million more people set to live in London in the next ten years, where I don't know. What was surprising is the amount of congestion fines given out, it said over 5 million fines are issued every year. One yellow boxed junction was taking in over £20,000 per week, people were being fined £130 for stopping more than 5 seconds and just imagine if it happened to you on your way to work, your days pay would ave gone already. 5 million fines a year, what a scam, I don't think I could live and work there TBH. it's a fantastic city, but it looks like a nightmare trying to get in and out of. Having lived in London I never felt the need for owning a car there. Be way more stress than its worth and the Public transport is great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyman Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 thought you would be watching the Seniors Open at Royal Birkdale............Sandy is looking good......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Having lived in London I never felt the need for owning a car there. Be way more stress than its worth and the Public transport is great Which make up for some of its other sins. London is also quite walkable. I cycled a lot when lived there. Do agree traffic is a curse though in all our modern cities. London is still a great place to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlefoot Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 London is a fantastic city, I agree. I'm in my 30s and don't drive; it's never been necessary. I've always lived in major cities and prefer public transport or walking. The cycle hire scheme in London is good as well. Once in Australia I'll probably start driving (learning before I go because it's much easier to do that in the UK) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 London is a fantastic city, I agree. I'm in my 30s and don't drive; it's never been necessary. I've always lived in major cities and prefer public transport or walking. The cycle hire scheme in London is good as well. Once in Australia I'll probably start driving (learning before I go because it's much easier to do that in the UK) A sad aspect of life in Australia is that it is rather auto dependant. Perth is especially so, being close to the top in car usage in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Having lived in London I never felt the need for owning a car there. Be way more stress than its worth and the Public transport is great Granted it is good, but I don't fancy being a sardine, smelling other people's breath and body odour. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlefoot Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Granted it is good, but I don't fancy being a sardine, smelling other people's breath and body odour. Lol I've always moved to within walking distance of where I work. It's a bit of a thing of mine. I know it's not always possible, but for me it has been. I don't think I could cope with a tube commute every day, having done it for a few weeks once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 London is great if you use a bike and the public transport is good and very clean and well run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I couldn't live there now, but I loved it when I did. I saw that programme the other night - what a nightmare!! London is great unless you have to drive anywhere, although there are too many people there now for me, I like my space! When I lived there I was in Brixton, then Clapham and from Brixton I had to drive into Sloane Square three times every day (I was a nanny and had to take the children to school and kindergarten). It was bad enough then. I'd hate it now. Much preferred working in Clapham and only having to go as far as Battersea and Putney, but that's bad too now. I still love the buzz and vibrancy of London, but not the cramped feeling of it. I took my daughter down a couple of weeks ago for a uni open day and using the tube felt like we were in an ant colony - it was packed. All these people going in different directions in a subterranean world. It's still a fantastic city though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 One day we will spend a week in London, I love the galleries and museums, the shows, the history, the incredible buildings, everything it has to offer, to me London is the best city in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I think so too. There is so much to do and it doesn't have to cost a fortune. When I was 18/19 my friend and I used to get the midnight train from Manchester down to Euston. We spent the whole day walking from gallery to museum to park and managed not to spend anything except on food (and drink!), then we'd meet our boyfriends who worked down there, go out with them and get the midnight train home again that night. Fun times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 My mums wanting to go a trip to london near xmas time with me. Shes been a few times so she should be able to keep me from getting lost lol knowing her she'll change her mind about going though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 My mums wanting to go a trip to london near xmas time with me. Shes been a few times so she should be able to keep me from getting lost lol knowing her she'll change her mind about going though. Would you fly down gal? I hear you can get really cheap flights, we paid £1 each for flights to Dublin for a long weekend, with taxes and our case it cost us £74 for the four of us a few years back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Would you fly down gal? I hear you can get really cheap flights, we paid £1 each for flights to Dublin for a long weekend, with taxes and our case it cost us £74 for the four of us a few years back. I'd fly if i could get cheap flights. I had wanted to go in August but now if im going it'll need to be later in the year. Flights in august werent cheap but the megabus was £20 return. 9 hours though! I'll check flights again nearer the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Never owned a car in the UK. Anyone dim enough to get about by car in London is clearly so dim that they deserve everything they get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I've always moved to within walking distance of where I work. It's a bit of a thing of mine. I know it's not always possible, but for me it has been. I don't think I could cope with a tube commute every day, having done it for a few weeks once. The tube can drive you mad on the days it all starts going wrong. Or if you are at a station where its impossible to get a seat or even get on at all (Clapham Common) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 While London has a great public transport system, sadly the tube is way over priced. Yes it can be extremely frustrating, especially the stops between stations, but how great it is to have this mode of transport. I couldn't imagine a car in London. Parking alone would be a nightmare. Interesting to see old films set in London in the 50s and 60s and witness how light the traffic was in those days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Took us the best part of an hour from KG V Docks to King's Cross Station by car, in 1967. How far is that?? 8 miles?? I had a sneaking suspicion that my uncle, who had the car, might have lost his way a bit. Still an' all, a great city for anyone. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Never owned a car in the UK. Anyone dim enough to get about by car in London is clearly so dim that they deserve everything they get. I had no choice getting the children to school, my employers provided a car and I had to ferry the kids around in it. It's also more of a nightmare using overcrowded public transport with a buggy and small children. So stressful. The programme also showed that there are big problems on the buses too - people waiting for over half an hour for a bus. There were plenty going by, but they were so full the drivers wouldn't allow anyone to get on. We also had he same problem on the tube when we were there a few weeks ago. Four trains came into the station, but they were absolutely packed and no way anyone could get on. We ended up walking which was fine as we're fit and it was a nice day. I'm just so grateful I don't have to live that life every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I had no choice getting the children to school, my employers provided a car and I had to ferry the kids around in it. It's also more of a nightmare using overcrowded public transport with a buggy and small children. So stressful.The programme also showed that there are big problems on the buses too - people waiting for over half an hour for a bus. There were plenty going by, but they were so full the drivers wouldn't allow anyone to get on. We also had he same problem on the tube when we were there a few weeks ago. Four trains came into the station, but they were absolutely packed and no way anyone could get on. We ended up walking which was fine as we're fit and it was a nice day. I'm just so grateful I don't have to live that life every day. The main issue is the ever increasing numbers of Londons population, like you say the transport system is full to busting at the seams and people aren't getting on the bus they need to, to get to work and cars are crashing because they are asking risks and as soon as there's an accident, the tailbacks start and they go on for miles. It's desperate now, just what it will be like with another two million living there I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pob Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I used to love riding around London on my motorbike when I used to be a courier. As for fining people who are in a yellow box junction, Good! You are not supposed to stop in a yellow box junction unless you are turning right. People would cause traffic jams by doing so! There is a reason why they painted the box on the road in the first place. When I used to be a courier I could ride from one side of London to another in just over ten minutes. Great fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 The main issue is the ever increasing numbers of Londons population, like you say the transport system is full to busting at the seams and people aren't getting on the bus they need to, to get to work and cars are crashing because they are asking risks and as soon as there's an accident, the tailbacks start and they go on for miles. It's desperate now, just what it will be like with another two million living there I don't know. I'm just glad I'm not that poor woman charged with sorting it all out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfustu Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 To get this in perspective....Paris has about 20k people per km2.....London has about 5k per km2.....go to places like Dheli and your looking at about 30k per km2....London is a modern city that has infrastructure in place to deal with millions of people....look at the Olympics, how many were in the city then?....it coped ok.....you go to any city during rush hour and you will get traffic jams, thats just a fact of life....I drive in occasionally for work and have no real probs....I go in at weekends and its a breeze....straight to Leicester square in about 30 mins.....estimates predict the population will rise by a million in the next 10 years.....the transport system is not "full to busting at the seams" that is just a joke statement coming from someone that doesn't even live down here lol.....unbelievable lol.....London doesnt even make into the top 50 densely populated cities.....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul1977 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 To get this in perspective....Paris has about 20k people per km2.....London has about 5k per km2.....go to places like Dheli and your looking at about 30k per km2....London is a modern city that has infrastructure in place to deal with millions of people....look at the Olympics, how many were in the city then?....it coped ok.....you go to any city during rush hour and you will get traffic jams, thats just a fact of life....I drive in occasionally for work and have no real probs....I go in at weekends and its a breeze....straight to Leicester square in about 30 mins.....estimates predict the population will rise by a million in the next 10 years.....the transport system is not "full to busting at the seams" that is just a joke statement coming from someone that doesn't even live down here lol.....unbelievable lol.....London doesnt even make into the top 50 densely populated cities.....lol Well said.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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