To think people don't use public transport as its so unreliable

Yanbu but the main reason is because it stinks of pot and the people round here are rude, dirty, smelly, verbally abusive and/or miserable. Guaranteed to ruin your day.

We don't have a car and use public transport almost every day, and for holidays. It works fine for us, although we have always made sure that we've chosen our home/school/work so that walking is an option. We've also chosen to live in London where the network is extensive and there are good alternatives if one line is down.

But there are many families we know in London who never use public transport, so reliability is not the only factor. I think people like to be in their own space in their car where they can chat without people overhearing or play music out loud, they don't want to do a bit of extra walking to stations, don't like being close to other people and potentially have to stand, or sit next to a stranger, don't want to carry their belongings and have to sit with it on their lap instead of tucking it in the boot

There needs to be bike paths which are ENTIRELY separate from the roads which are full of dangerous drivers and people distracted by their phones.

Can't ride a standard two wheel non assist bike under current road conditions, or can't ride any type of bike under actual bike friendly conditions (which don't really exist in the uk)?

If we had real bike friendly conditions, almost anyone who could drive could ride a bike, and many people who can't drive could ride bikes.

Unfortunately, using a bike in our city is a death wish.

a) not according to the Highway Code
b) not everywhere has pavements anyway

No, you're not.

Highway Code Rule 64
You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement.

Unless it is a designated shared use path, which will be shown by signs and surface markings. The vast majority of pavements are NOT shared use paths.

Have you added in annual car costs to that £100

Or a 20 min bike ride

If the roads aren't safe you're allowed to cycle on the pavement

You didn't mention the time aspect before

YANBU. I prefer getting the train to work as it builds in some extra exercise walking from home to the station then the station to work. However, at least a couple of times a month the train gets cancelled at the last minute and I have to rush back home to drive in. I work somewhere where I have to be there on time to open up.

I've heard that soon you won't be able to buy a train ticket from machines as moving towards digital tickets. At this point I'll stop using trains as I don't want to be faffing with my mobile at the last minute trying to buy a ticket just before the train arrives. No point buying one too far in advance as I can't guarantee the train will get me in on time!

We can’t have faster trains because of the type of tracks we have/number of stops. Apparently for the size of country we have loads of stations compared to European places.
i know on the east coast the mainline trains stop at Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, York - I don’t think it’s enough distance inbetween to gain any speed.

Smelly people are a factor too, and sometimes anti-social behaviour.

The uk spends far more on public transport than it does on roads.

There are people like me who can’t ride a bike

There really needs to be as much investment in public transport as there is on roads. There is an extensive road network that covers the whole of the UK. Someone must have decided to spend money to make that happen and maintain it over the years. People willingly spend thousands on their cars but expect public transport to be low cost/free and go everywhere that cars do. I hope driverless cars will be the longer term solution to make the most of the existing road network that has been prioritised over public transport.

I have epilepsy and can't drive, the awful public transport is really limiting.

I live in South London and work for Transport for London.

As long as you are heading for Zone 1, you are golden. Many buses head there and the trains are...satisfactory.

But despite improvements, going from one neighbourhood to another in South London can involve several changes and a loss of the will to live. It's also very expensive for the distance covered.

I'm considering investing in my own transport, so I don't have to wait in bus stops for ages whilst the service "regulates".

It's honestly quicker to do some journeys by bike or car.

In the outer boroughs like Bromley, engagement with public transport is much lower because it's so poor. The Mayor is trying to tackle this by introducing pay-per-mile (in 2025, I think) but tbh, you need good alternatives put in place first^^ before taking away your right to drive a car. We keep being told, get on your bike, but London is HUGE and not everyone can!

Agree entirely. Would rather use the train to get to work but can't take the risk

I used to be an avid cyclist before I came to this country.

Then I tried cycling here. No safe routes (the few there are randomly start and end after a few metres and often get walked on), enough impatient arseholes who'd overtake way too fast and too closely and roads in such a state that my last tyre lasted less than a month before it got a puncture.

Well yeah, in this case the incentive would be making public transport actually usable. Which means as fast as driving (or close), reliable, affordable, and comfortable.

If it takes half a day to get to work, then people CAN'T use it.

Upgrading public transport would cost serious money, but it could be considered a great investment. Mobility and independence for those who can't drive. Employment. Cut back on health costs due to pollution and lost productivity due to traffic.

Ha. I knew there’dbe someone.

Point of this thread though isn’t it. I value my time more than anything else. I can’t afford to spend an extra 2 hours a day on public transport.

I think that if we had enough buses that people weren't crammed in together, this would be less of a problem

I live in zone 6 London and in general the trains are fairly reliable and run regularly. Yes there are delays, and strikes and cancellations. But I’d rather 12 mins on the train than 40 mins in the traffic. I grew up in North Wales and the public transport is awful, so when I came to london and saw people cramming into a tube when there’s another 2 mins later I couldn’t believe it. So I try not to moan about the transport here as it’s pretty decent