Five Miles Less

[secret squirrel]

Because of the way the bus routes are organised ,here, it takes two busses and over an hour to get 4 miles. I could get into central London, on the train, quicker.
If I get the bus from the town centre to near my house, which is about a mile, but up a very steep hill, it cost £2.
It also costs £2 to get to Bluewater, which is 5 miles away.
It the buses were cheap and went where you wanted them to go, more people would use them.
There are many issues connected with fares and bus routes, but whichever one is brought up, will offend someone and there will never be a way of satisfying everyones needs.
I suppose the only way would be to turn the clock back 40 years and live that way again, but then not many people would like to do that either.
If all the corner shops and small retailers hadnt been forced out by the out of town shopping complexes, people wouldnt need to drive as much as they do, because everything would be on the doorstep, so to speak.
In another thread a couple on months ago we were discussing this. Where we live, it isnt possible to do a weekly shop without driving into town and there are no bakers, butchers, greengrocers, hardware shops, delis, fishmongers or small supermarkets within reasonable walking distance, and it isnt cost effective to do a weekly shop in Tessie Coes Express so you have to drive.
lorna

[foghornleghorn2]

I am guilty of using the car most days. I would happily use public transport, as we have a frequent bus service through the village, however it is rediculously expensive. If they want us to stop using our cars then the alternatives should be attractive and affordable!

I can’t agree with you more, public transport in this country is a joke and so overpriced that it’s not really an option for the everyday user.

Dinchy and saintspoon, I could not agree more regarding public transport, it is so overpriced that round here it is cheaper to get a cab into a local town than getting a bus (applies to three or more people)

Nice sweeping statement from the govt. "all drive 5 miles less a day" what a load of horse feathers.

When abroad I use public transport a lot, and it usually puts us to shame

My recent trip to Washington involved a lot of travelling on the Metro, this was cheap (about £4.50) would allow you to travel all day after 9.30am. The system is clean, trains are frequent, the trains and stations are regularly patrolled by the Metro police. How come they can do it and we can't

I was considering a trip from Washington to Baltimore on the Amtrak and that was really cheap as well.

Singapore is the same.

I was in Athens a couple of years ago and the same there, transport was cheap.

Lisbon a year or so before that, trains very cheap.

God help London when the olympics arrive

[Richard]

I feel really guilty saying this....

I get completely free rail travel for the rest of my life. If I go to Southampton alone, I'll usually go on the train, but if Leo is coming, I go by car. The rail fare for him is £52 and the petrol costs me about £25.

Also, by train door to door is approx. 3hrs 50 mins, by car it's about 2hrs 10mins.

I guess I could park the car five miles away from my daughters and use my Bus Pass for the rest of the trip !

[Mo]

You would only have to park 2 1/2 m away, as you get the bus back as well! And Leo could walk 3 miles each way

It's the luggage that makes public tranport difficult even if there was a free bus door to door (some hopes!). Where-ever I go I'm usually taking PA equipment, musical instruments, or boxes of apples to give to friends. Sometimes all of those.

[saint-spoon]

It seems to me that it’s all government hogwash and insincere policies anyway, if the clowns in Westminster wanted us to stop driving so much then they wouldn’t have had a scrappage incentive encouraging folk to buy new cars (which will admittedly be more economical). The tax revenue from fuel sales is far too valuable to the treasury for them to seriously want us to cut down our motoring habits and the bigger and more fuel hungry the more they get from the stealthy ‘green taxes’ they keep imposing in the name of the environment (road licence fund tax etc).

[Totally Scrambled]

Have we got the right end of the stick? Could this be a new Government drive to whittle down the posh folk? Five Miles less this week and next week five less Tarquins. Will they pay a bounty to those on benefits for each one disposed of like they used to for foxes?
Dom.

[kate egg]

[Dinchy]

[mellonia]

Hi

I am going to be doing 7 miles a day more than I do already in my new job, I don't drive so I am getting an electric bike, its about 4/5 each way, not on a bus route so two buses would probably take 1 1/4 on bus. It should take about 35 mins on my bike. It would probably cost me about £4/ £ 5 per day on the bus, which will cost me 80/100 per month, so its not an option, my electric bike is a lot of money but will pay for its self in a while. I am planning to take driving lessons too, I have to my kids are getting older and I want to be able to pick them up from places, they go to pictures now independantly and need lifts and so on, I can't bear not being able to pick them up. My son is hopefully going to college next september which is on my way to work, if I am able to drive I will take him and pick him up, otherwise it will cost me a bomb on the bus for him plus taking ages waiting so we will both get the benefit.

I hope it doesn't take ages to learn, I will keep you posted on my progress, I can't afford to learn to drive but I also can't afford not to, I really need my independance.

I will also let you know how I get on biking as well.

regards

Mellonia