To think one hour for six miles is ridiculous

[Lilacviolet]

No accident or other obvious reason, sheet weight of traffic.

AIBU to think this country’s roads are a joke?

@Beveren

'Did he drive or get the bus?'

A mixture of both, but the same travel time as same traffic.

People who think public transport in London and other big cities is great need to actually experience it before they sound off.

On the contrary, I don't think many Londoners realise how lucky they are to have such an excellent transport network on their doorstep.

I live in a town with no bus station and one train line. The trains don't run until 7.30am and even then it's often only every hour or two. They often don't run at all on Sundays or Bank Holidays. The cost is astronomical for what you get and the journey times are appalling.

It takes four times as long to use public transport than it does to drive and costs you five times as much! That's even if the public transport goes anywhere near where you need to go!

I cycled my commute for about three years. I loved it! It meant I could leave later as I was never going to be held up, I knew exactly how long it would take. I drove to a carpark, took the bike off the rack and cycled from there because there was a safe route (unlike from my home). I cycled around 12-14 miles a day, it varied a bit as I parked in different places depending on where I had dropped my kids off that morning. The more people who cycle, the safer it is. Its one of those things you have to just give a go, I was afraid at the idea but got up the nerve and never looked back. Cars do cause a massive problem, for sure. People are incredibly selfish, parking in cycle lanes etc. That drove me insane! I was able to plan a route that involved towpaths, cycle lanes and bus lanes, for a short part I would get off and push my bike along the pavement in bits where there was no safe space for cycling. I think lots of people who currently say they couldn't cycle could if they just spent time planning a safe route.

Unfortunately though, obviously not everyone can. My job now means I need my car for work for home visits, I cover a large geographical area and my boot is filled with equipment. I really miss cycling! I look out of my car in envy when cyclists pass me as I sit stuck in traffic. The best of all was no issues with parking I recognise most people couldn't make cycling work so I don't a million and one replies with excuses about why they couldn't - I am simply saying there are definitely SOME people who could but choose not to, and those people therefore cannot really complain about congestion as they are part of the problem.

OP my current commute is about 14 miles, the first 10 takes me no time, the last 4 can take up to 45 mins. I have tried sooo many different routes and finally found a much quicker one, it is the most indirect route imaginable with lots of turning off main routes and driving through estates etc but its shaved a good 15 mins off my journey. Might be worth experimenting a bit!

@madeyemoodysmum - agree. Wish people would stop blaming individuals for car usage. If public transport was cheap, reliable and comfortable I would use it. However, a train journey costs me £15 for a return journey. I'd probably not get a seat and the trains are always rammed. The equivalent distance costs me £3/4 in petrol costs. Why would anyone take the train? If the government wants to help this then they would focus on improving transport and reducing costs.

I walk or cycle as I work maybe a bit over two miles from home and the buses do not run at convenient times.

If I worked in the town in the other direction I would do neither as it's narrow, windy roads, no pavements, no street lights for a big chunk of the way and would not be safe. The buses are just as crap though and I'd probably have go by train. I don't drive, so that's not an option.

I agree with pp that parts of England are overpopulated and no transport system can solve that.

I live in Wales and we don't have that problem Of course lower density of population means that public transport is hardly ever cost-effective. Also it seems that we as a society value beautiful scenery over good transport links. Choices.