| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Taking a bus in London? It might be quicker to walk | |
| Posted by: | Steve Taylor | |
| Date/Time: | 10/12/24 15:19:00 |
| To reiterate what the OP reported which was extremely interesting. “The bus driver said that replacing bus lanes with cycle lanes was a big issue, especially at certain pinch points. “Outside St Paul’s, for example, you used to get to [the road] New Change quite easily and quickly using the bus lane but now you can lose up to 30 minutes trying to turn left towards the Strand — all because the bus lane has gone. It was not even a long bus lane but it was enough to help us. “Since then we’ve also had all these floating bus stops and they can also delay us because if there’s more than one bus coming in, you have to wait while the other unloads whereas before you could all pull in and serve people at the same time.” Cycling campaigners have said investment in cycle infrastructure works because it encourages more people to get on bikes, which is good for their health and reduces pollution. Data from TfL shows that cycling journeys have increased by 20 per cent since 2019. However, critics have argued that the hundreds of millions of pounds spent encouraging cycling has disproportionately benefited those who are already better off. The data from TfL showed that the majority of cyclists were higher-earning, middle-aged men while bus users tended to have lower incomes and higher proportions of women and ethnic minorities. Buses were also the most popular form of public transport in London in the financial year to 2023 with about five million journeys every day. Cycling accounted for only 4.5 per cent of journeys.” |