Cycling vs. TfL

rjsterry

Shamelessly culled from road.cc, but if you've not seen it, this interactive map is really rather clever, and makes the case that pretty much everyone inside zones 1-4 should be cycling to work rather than using PT.

http://www.findproperly.co.uk/faster-by-public-transport-or-bike.php

And related blog:

http://blog.findproperly.co.uk/2013/09/10/time-to-liquidate-transport-for-london-and-buy-everyone-a-bike/

Not news to us lot, but nice to have some evidence to show the doubters/persuade those thinking of joining us.

cookeeemonster

it got mine wrong.

Tube and Bus: 1h30m min to 1h50m max (unless bad delays, in which case its worse

Cycle: 1h min (summer, no traffic) to 1h15m max (windy/rain).

monkimark

I can save about 20-25 minutes on the bike compared to the tube but I lose some of that benefit getting changed at each end and locking/unlocking the bike. If I was in a real rush, I'd take the motorbike.

i guess there are journeys inside the green zone that are quicker by public transport if you live and work near directly connected train stations. i think I'd probably struggle to get from wimbledon to waterloo as fast as the direct train (about 15 minutes).

Having said that, i would still cycle if it was slower than PT because the tube is a sweaty, cramped, expensive and generally horrible way to get around.

Headhuunter

Fairly realistic I suppose, it reckons that I would be quicker by public transport to get to work (Brockley to Mayfair), I suppose if I took the Overground, changed to the Jubilee to Green Park and everything went smoothly (unlikely seeing as the interchange from Overground to Jubilee at Canada Water at peak time is the 7th circle of hell), the actual time in the Tube would be similar to the time it takes to ride in but if you factor in the time it takes to walk to Brockley station and then the time to walk from Green Park to the actual office then cycling is faster...

Applespider

If the moon and stars are aligned with Mercury and a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazon, leading to a bus coming immediately, no traffic or overcrowding on the route, arriving at the station just as an on-time train pulls into the platform, then my PT commute is as stress-free and quick as my ride in. Otherwise I have to allow twice as long just to make sure that I arrive on time. I'd rather the extra 20 minutes in bed - and the change at the other end.

bails87

I don't live in London (though I'm suprised to see how bad CookkeeMonster's journey is, that can't be from anywhere near central, shirley?), so a 40 minute bike ride becomes an hour and 40 minutes of:
walk, bus, coach, walk, rail, walk
or
walk, bus, bus, bus, walk

There's also the small to middling chance that the bus to work only runs on a Tuesday and the one going the other way only runs on a Monday.....and each bus/coach/train will be run by a seperate company and so will require a new ticket....

asprilla

bails87 wrote:

I don't live in London (though I'm suprised to see how bad CookkeeMonster's journey is, that can't be from anywhere near central, shirley?), so a 40 minute bike ride becomes an hour and 40 minutes of:
walk, bus, coach, walk, rail, walk
or
walk, bus, bus, bus, walk

There's also the small to middling chance that the bus to work only runs on a Tuesday and the one going the other way only runs on a Monday.....and each bus/coach/train will be run by a seperate company and so will require a new ticket....

By Public transport:
1) 15 minute walk to Walton train station
2) 5-10 minute wait for train
3) 25 minute train to Waterloo
4) 7-8 minute transfer to Jubilee Line
5) 3 minute tube to Westminster
6) 5-8 minute transfer to District line
7) 20 minute tube to Hamersmith
8) 10 minute walk to office

At best that's a 90 minute journey for me. Riding takes 50 minutes, give or take 3 minutes.

rubertoe

I can basically get anywhere north of the river, inside the M25 quicker by Bike, than I can by PT, if I need to go south of the river PT will win, but not by much.

pitchshifter

Surely Walton to Wimbledon then District line would be quicker?

asprilla

pitchshifter wrote:

Surely Walton to Wimbledon then District line would be quicker?

Trains don't stop at Wimbledon in a morning. Walton, Surbiton and then fast to Waterloo. I think I could change to a slow train at Surbiton but it is a slow train and there a three deep scrum to get on a train at Surbiton so I'll pass on that one.

Kieran_Burns

Whenever I've needed to catch the train into London I'll invariably be arriving at the peak of the morning commute; all I can see are herds of people lined up looking utterly miserable waiting for an over-subscribed train to shuffle them into another queue for another cattle box to move them to the pits of abaddon (tube), where they then drag themselves along noisy crowded streets with the rest of the walking dead; only to repeat the whole sorry mess when going home.

I ALWAYS cycle to work the next day.

rjsterry

Out in Carshalton, I'm just on the cusp. There's a station 7 minutes walk from home, and direct trains to Farringdon - 39mins - then a 3 minute walk to the office. But these only run twice an hour, so if I miss one, there is either a 20-30 minute wait, or the option of going to Victoria, then tubing it to Farringdon, which will usually get me there in the same time as if I had waited for the next direct train.

Cycling takes anything from a whisker under 50 minutes (shorter route through Brixton and a tailwind) to 70 minutes (longer route via Wandsworth & Embankment + headwind/traffic). So if I time it just right, PT will probably just win but 9 times out of 10, bike wins.

menthel

Mine is about the same. 40-45 mins all in from Raynes Park to Victoria. However, on the bike I don't have to have my head in other peoples armpits or put up with their other "habits". I hate the days I get the train.

roger_merriman

I tend to do short distances on outer edge of London.

Car/bike are about the same 15/20 mins

Trains/buses tend to have too many connections and few useful bus lanes etc so 30/45mins.

For going into town 45 mins to Waterloo so about the same as bike. But clearly then on to tube/Boris etc.

Are ways around for one once central it's compact so walking is a option.

Gallywomack

Much of a muchness for me. 45 mins door-to-door by train, if it runs on time which it rarely does. But I'm off the train and at my desk 5 mins later.

By bike, 30-35 mins, but then I have to have a shower and get dressed before I can start work, which adds about another 10-15 mins. On the plus side, it takes less time to get out of the house when going by bike as I don't have to shower before leaving the house.

On the whole, bike is probably marginally quicker and certainly wins out by far, by virtue of being much more fun, more reliable, and cheaper.

stuaff

Down here in Pompey, much the same. My commute, all two and a half miles of it, takes 8-12 minutes depending on traffic and my performance. Bus (which is one an hour when I finish, and not well scheduled for me either) takes the same time, or longer. I might have have a twenty mile commute in a year or two- train would be at least 45 minutes, plus another ten minute ride at this end. Depending on shift finish time, that could be an hour and a half door to door (an earlier finish would probably mean more waiting). I've ridden the route in an hour and twenty five...and if the move does happen, there will be travel expenses that would go a long way to buying something a lot faster..

veronese68

Who cares? The problem with public transport is the great unwashed, literally.

EKE_38BPM

The link doesn't work for me, but anecdotally I was the same as Rubertoe when I lived in Barnet. Now I'm more central and PT links are generally easier to reach, I imagine it is closer, but I hate PT and only use it when I have to.

Take pity on me today though. I have to drive the 4 miles to the school I'm working at because I need the car immediately after work. Cycling is MUCH quicker.

The Rookie

6.7 miles to work - 7.5 miles by car, the bus service in the sticks is so rubbish it would take me longer by bus than walking it (5 mins walk, 20 min bus ride, 30min connection, 45min bus ride, arriving 20min early) so it's car (10min rolling) or bike (about 25min).

warreng

Much of a muchness for me - Epsom to Covent Garden is about 55-60 mins and I'm not exactly quick either.

I genuinely dread the train journeys these days

il_principe

My door to door journey via the 87 bus (Wandsworth to Aldwych) took 1 hour 40 minutes this morning. It's about 6.5 miles...

Stevo_666

Oddly, it thinks that my journey from zone 4 is longer by bike - but I'm usually 5-10 mins faster on the bike (if you exclude the faffing around getting showered and changed). though not sure how much time it builds infor walking at each end when you're on PT?