(What if) TFL money saving ideas

[miklcct]

Which line was this and where?

sub-surface lines at Euston Square

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Fully endorse this. A cycle lane has recently been installed outside my house, which has narrowed the road just where buses change drivers. So for the five minutes it takes to change drivers, and this happens on three routes around 5 times an hour each way, there is gridlock. And this is on a main route to a hospital so ambulances regularly get stuck.

So far I have seen no more than a dozen cyclists use the cycle path in probably 18 months; indeed, I've probably seen more cyclists use the road. A complete waste of money!

That's one worth reporting to TfL or the newspapers. It's such a combination of perfect series of negatives that I struggle to believe it, due to the planning process.

That sort of situation is not unusual in London. The prioritisation of cyclists over motorists has not produced the promised reduction of vehicle emissions.

 

[Goldfish62]

sub-surface lines at Euston Square

So actually three lines not one. Obviously there's greater scope for bunching of trains at any time of day when three lines run on the same track.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That sort of situation is not unusual in London. The prioritisation of cyclists over motorists has not produced the promised reduction of vehicle emissions.

Cars running at very low speeds, particularly start-stop, produce more emissions than cars running at an efficient speed without braking and accelerating (30-50mph typically).

To cut emissions at the point of use you need to get rid of the cars or electrify them.

 

[MotCO]

Cars running at very low speeds, particularly start-stop, produce more emissions than cars running at an efficient speed without braking and accelerating (30-50mph typically).

To cut emissions at the point of use you need to get rid of the cars or electrify them.

So what's the point of 20 mph zones? Stats for a 20 mph scheme in Mitcham showed no improvement to the number of accidents, so not sure what the point is except a tick in some box or other.

 

[Bletchleyite]

So what's the point of 20 mph zones? Stats for a 20 mph scheme in Mitcham showed no improvement to the number of accidents, so not sure what the point is except a tick in some box or other.

The purpose of 20mph zones is safety (it may not reduce the number of accidents but absolutely will reduce their severity, particularly where they involve cyclists or pedestrians). Though a car moving at a constant 20mph will have lower emissions than one at a stop-start 30, which is one of the key principles behind smart motorways.

 

[Mikey C]

That’s a poor analogy. LU would fit better, but *transport* for London has long promoted free modes of travel.

Not in the same way though. The proliferation of cycle lanes has only happened in the last 20 years, indeed the last 10.

20 years ago Mayor Ken introduced the congestion charge, and used the revenue to significantly improved the bus network in central London (buying back 50 RMs for example), i.e. encouraging people to use public transport instead.

 

[Mojo]

I've just caught a tube in central London. It runs so frequent on a Sunday morning that it needs to wait for signal to enter the station! Is it really necessary to run empty trains at 2-minute interval on Sunday morning?

No line is timetabled to run that tightly on a Sunday morning. I suspect that there was a train or two cancelled, followed by one late running.

 

[Goldfish62]

No line is timetabled to run that tightly on a Sunday morning. I suspect that there was a train or two cancelled, followed by one late running.

Or one Met line train terminating at Aldgate and the other an H&C to Barking, perhaps.

 

[NorthKent1989]

Something that has caught my attention with the buses is that the 180 is being altered (though not sure if it’s actually going ahead due to how impractical this change is) to run to North Greenwich because of CrossRail; strange reasoning I know but much of the proposed 180 route will duplicate the 472, won’t this lead to one of the routes being withdrawn? especially with routes being merged and withdrawn lately, The whole thing seems to be a mess to be honest.

 

[philosopher]

How much would be saved if first the night tube was scrapped and second, on Monday to Thursday last trains left Central London at 23:30 instead of the current 00:30?