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-   -   Not driving to work could save £1,000 (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/showthread.php?t=33705070)

Taf 03-07-2017 11:47

Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-40459482

Cycle lanes in Cardiff are "underused by commuters" but are mainly used for leisure cycling. And they are throwing money we don't have at this "problem".

Hundreds of spaces for commuters to store their bikes during the working day (at a price of course) are planned, but cyclists say the spaces will be too far from their workplace. So they won't use them.

Hire cycles were tried, and failed miserably at great cost to tax payers.

Then they opened bus lanes to bikes, so that now means gridlock when a 5mph cyclist holds up 30mph buses. So what do the buses do? They leave the bus lanes and block the other lanes every time they stop.

Parking fees were increased to push commuters onto buses. Then up went the bus fares.

Paul 03-07-2017 13:45

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
The UK simply doesnt have the weather to make cycling to work all the while something people would do.

Who wants to be out on a bike, travelling to work, in the freezing snow & ice, or pooring rain.

OLD BOY 03-07-2017 14:03

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Cycling may be beneficial to health (as long as your lungs don't get damaged by the fumes and you don't collide with a motorised vehicle) but frankly, only a minority of the population risk life and limb in this way and it clearly has done very little to ease traffic congestion. Indeed this method of conveyance is a hazard and a nuisance to vehicular traffic, forcing everyone to slow to a crawl and adding even further to traffic fumes.

I have never understood why, when the government subsidise railways with millions of pounds, they do not make more funding available for buses. If fares were a lot cheaper and buses were more convenient and frequent, this would reduce traffic congestion significantly.

It's such an obvious good use of the public purse and I am surprised that the governments over the years have not done more in this area.

---------- Post added at 13:03 ---------- Previous post was at 13:02 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul M (Post 35906030)
The UK simply doesnt have the weather to make cycling to work all the while something people would do.

Who wants to be out on a bike, travelling to work, in the freezing snow & ice, or pooring rain.

Yes, this is obvious to those of us living in the real world.

nomadking 03-07-2017 14:16

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY (Post 35906032)
Cycling may be beneficial to health (as long as your lungs don't get damaged by the fumes and you don't collide with a motorised vehicle) but frankly, only a minority of the population risk life and limb in this way and it clearly has done very little to ease traffic congestion. Indeed this method of conveyance is a hazard and a nuisance to vehicular traffic, forcing everyone to slow to a crawl and adding even further to traffic fumes.

I have never understood why, when the government subsidise railways with millions of pounds, they do not make more funding available for buses. If fares were a lot cheaper and buses were more convenient and frequent, this would reduce traffic congestion significantly.

It's such an obvious good use of the public purse and I am surprised that the governments over the years have not done more in this area.

---------- Post added at 13:03 ---------- Previous post was at 13:02 ----------


Yes, this is obvious to those of us living in the real world.

Then again so is how useless buses are, no matter how much you spend on them.
They don't go from A to B. It may take several bus journeys to get from one place to another. You have to allow time gaps between each part of the journey. The list goes on. They are bad enough during off-peak hours.

Maggy 03-07-2017 17:15

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
I thought public transport would get better and relatively cheaper under privatisation..What's gone wrong?

OLD BOY 03-07-2017 18:22

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by nomadking (Post 35906034)
Then again so is how useless buses are, no matter how much you spend on them.
They don't go from A to B. It may take several bus journeys to get from one place to another. You have to allow time gaps between each part of the journey. The list goes on. They are bad enough during off-peak hours.

That's because public transport operators struggle to make bus services pay, and so they concentrate on the most lucrative routes.

What we really need is proper public transport co-ordination, with bus routes tendered out, as happens in London. Fares need to be brought down, too, because many baulk at paying four quid for a return journey to their local town centre, which is more than the cost of parking your car.

---------- Post added at 17:22 ---------- Previous post was at 17:17 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J (Post 35906051)
I thought public transport would get better and relatively cheaper under privatisation..What's gone wrong?

It's the way privatisation was introduced that was wrong. It was introduced to be fairer to private sector operators, but the way it was done has reduced services in those localities that once benefited from cross-subsidisation.

What we really need is council officers working out a network of routes and then inviting bids, with subsidies given for poorly used routes. Reduction in fares is also essential if such a system is to succeed.

Kursk 03-07-2017 18:34

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Taf (Post 35906024)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-40459482

Cycle lanes in Cardiff are "underused by commuters" but are mainly used for leisure cycling. And they are throwing money we don't have at this "problem".

Hundreds of spaces for commuters to store their bikes during the working day (at a price of course) are planned, but cyclists say the spaces will be too far from their workplace. So they won't use them.

Hire cycles were tried, and failed miserably at great cost to tax payers.

Then they opened bus lanes to bikes, so that now means gridlock when a 5mph cyclist holds up 30mph buses. So what do the buses do? They leave the bus lanes and block the other lanes every time they stop.

Parking fees were increased to push commuters onto buses. Then up went the bus fares.

You're just a lazy git;).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul M (Post 35906030)
The UK simply doesnt have the weather to make cycling to work all the while something people would do.

Who wants to be out on a bike, travelling to work, in the freezing snow & ice, or pooring rain.

So are you;).

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY (Post 35906032)
Cycling may be beneficial to health (as long as your lungs don't get damaged by the fumes and you don't collide with a motorised vehicle) but frankly, only a minority of the population risk life and limb in this way and it clearly has done very little to ease traffic congestion.

Yes, this is obvious to those of us living in the real world.

As obvious, say, as 'minority participation doing little to ease traffic congestion'? We need more bikes, more bike lanes and less cars and less huge, empty bendy buses :rolleyes:.

denphone 03-07-2017 18:45

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J (Post 35906051)
I thought public transport would get better and relatively cheaper under privatisation..What's gone wrong?

They promised that after this happened but in quite a lot of places public transport is either poor , expensive or non existent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeching_cuts

nomadking 03-07-2017 19:34

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY (Post 35906054)
That's because public transport operators struggle to make bus services pay, and so they concentrate on the most lucrative routes.

What we really need is proper public transport co-ordination, with bus routes tendered out, as happens in London. Fares need to be brought down, too, because many baulk at paying four quid for a return journey to their local town centre, which is more than the cost of parking your car.

---------- Post added at 17:22 ---------- Previous post was at 17:17 ----------


It's the way privatisation was introduced that was wrong. It was introduced to be fairer to private sector operators, but the way it was done has reduced services in those localities that once benefited from cross-subsidisation.

What we really need is council officers working out a network of routes and then inviting bids, with subsidies given for poorly used routes. Reduction in fares is also essential if such a system is to succeed.

Public transport can never work. Cost of tickets has nothing to do with it. Whatever routes there could be, are fixed and torturous You could never get from where you need to, to where you need to go to, in one simple journey and in a reasonable time. Eg 5 miles in more than 45mins.

Taf 03-07-2017 20:35

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kursk (Post 35906057)
You're just a lazy git;).:.

I drive under 1000 miles per year.

I walk more than that.

I have bus pass, but use it very rarely.

I haven't been on any 2 wheeled transport for decades, and certainly won't again after witnessing how 2 and 4 wheel vehicles interact these days.

Hom3r 03-07-2017 20:49

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Not driving to work would cost me far more than £1,000 a year.

My drive door to door is 25-30 mins.

Via bus it would be nearer 1:30 hours, and 3 of them, plus the time they arrive at my work would mean I would arrive 20 mins before the gates opened, or 40 mins late.

Plus I suffer travel sickness.

Paul 03-07-2017 22:49

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kursk (Post 35906057)
You're just a lazy git;).

So are you;).

:cool:

Kursk 03-07-2017 23:00

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Taf (Post 35906073)
I drive under 1000 miles per year.

I walk more than that.

I have bus pass, but use it very rarely.

I haven't been on any 2 wheeled transport for decades, and certainly won't again after witnessing how 2 and 4 wheel vehicles interact these days.

You were recently delighted to receive benefit from the system Taf; there are other sections of the community who would like to benefit from the system too. If you walk everywhere, why take issue with cycling which some passionately believe will help toward problems with obesity, general health, traffic congestion and the environment?

Cycle lanes: build them and they will come :Yes:

RizzyKing 04-07-2017 05:14

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Well they built them in my town 12 years ago if i see one a month use it that's it so great use of council tax money.

Taf 04-07-2017 12:46

Re: Not driving to work could save £1,000
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kursk (Post 35906096)
You were recently delighted to receive benefit from the system Taf; there are other sections of the community who would like to benefit from the system too. If you walk everywhere, why take issue with cycling which some passionately believe will help toward problems with obesity, general health, traffic congestion and the environment?

Cycle lanes: build them and they will come :Yes:

They built them and they didn't come. That's the problem. And they caused traffic congestion which means more pollution affecting people and the environment.

It is painfully obvious that those who "passionately believe" are a tiny minority pushing their agenda on to the rest of us. And we have to pay for their pipe dreams of course.


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