Road closures in London are a ***** joke - get a grip Boris!

[hodroyd]

It's autumn, they have to block the roads due the wrong type of leaves on them and they have to sweep them up...!!!

 

[dem maser]

All budgets.....new year

 

[mowlas]

Why on earth would you drive into London for lunch in midweek? There's a perfectly good public transport system that would take you from Mill Hill into town in about fifteen minutes. I'm meeting my other half for lunch on the South Bank tomorrow. I would no more drive there than I would gouge my eyes out with a rusty nail.

Why would you choose to put yourself in a position to be discomfited, when a fast, efficient alternative is literally right in front of you? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. You can't even enjoy a drink over lunch.

Because we pay through the teeth for these roads and I should be able to da*n well use them if I want to. I had to take my friend to other places afterwards and then home and I was not going be coming all the way back to Mill Hill to pick up my car to do that!

I use public transport on business and when I am on my own - it's not like I am a masochist for the sake of it - well not consciously anyway.

Btw you greatly exaggerate about taking 15 minutes to Conduit Street! I'd have to drive to the car park, then catch the next available train and then change to tube, so 45 mins. 65 mins if walking to the station...

 

[Chrisbassett]

Regent street has been a mess for a while now, various turns blocked or unblocked seemingly at random at times, but it looks like it's getting close to the end now. Can't see Central London/the City ever being a place to drive in peace and contentment between 7.30am and 8pm.

But there's always the times when you think you'll get away with it, or just plain forget - then end up wishing the pain would go away...maybe stab a few forks in your knees to help you forget...

 

[mowlas]

I will be keeping forks in the car for such emergencies.

 

[rossyl]

Guys...chill out!

We live in one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world. London is not 10x worse than other places of similar density. If anything, compared with most American cities it is significantly better. I can tell you that it is also better to drive around in than Toronto as well. Bangkok is a flipping nightmare. Paris is not great. Rome is ridiculous and dangerous.

Just take a step back to remember where you are, how many people travel in and out of London each day, and how many people live and work in London. It is a congested place.

But as a result of that you get bars, restaurants and shops all over the place all buzzing and all great. We have countless different areas to go out in Soho, L.Square, Oxford St, Clapham, Islington, Sloane Sq, Hampstead, Shoreditch, .... I could go on. It is rare in a city to have so many "centers" of shops, bars, restaurants, business and clubs.

We also have a very sophisticated public transport system linking the whole thing together. Despite the fact it occasionally runs late, or not at all, it is a lot better and a lot more sophisticated than many other places in the world. In few cities would you get stations as close as Covent Garden and Leicester Sq for example.

So cheer up!

 

[drewf]

I'm chill Ross - the nearest public transport is 6 miles away, and it's all fields/woodland with lots of lovely empty tarmac as far as the eye can see.

Can't see what the problem is... ;-)

Daily morning/evening pain on the M25 excepted. And that's not even closed.

 

[hodroyd]

We will be down to the city in a week, or so, spending best part of the weekend to go to theatre and other stuff, but we will be coming in on the train, which incidentally costs a fortune, as do the hotels and car parking if required..!! So whichever way you travel you have to pay, one way, or another..!!

 

[Phil H]

Is it not perverse that Boris charges motorists £10 a day with the aim of reducing congestion when it does nothing of the sort? At least Dick Turpin made no secret of his profession...............

What I find just as daft, though, is posh shops which have security folk (ok then 'greeters') on the door but bog all stock inside. I mean, does anyone actually patronise them, and if they do is it just so that they can be seen entering the forbidden zone?

Must go now, there's things to do out in these 'ere sticks - as soon as I've finished my Latte.

PH

 

[Chrisbassett]

Oh, I do appreciate London, but still find the sheer bloodymindedness of the improvements they do to be up there with many of the decisions reached by senior management in my clients - and I'm not just talking about decisions that go against me, sometimes I can see (and advise) that the better option is to use something/one else, but they still go ahead and make (IMNSHO) the wrong decision. Short term politics and personal glory getting in the way of sensible decisions.

I expect London to be busy, and don't mind it, just when the big event and someone digging up the only reasonable alternative combine for the 15th time in a season, it's not fair on the motorist and makes me wish for sense to be imposed, usually with pain involved for the recipient.

 

[mowlas]

I generally agree with most of the balancing out views on this topic (especially about bouncers in shops, lol). It's just that I cannot figure out if motorists are being treated with contempt, indifference or just incompetence. At least if I could pin it down I suppose I would be less filled with rage at the whole thing.

What I can say is that things are getting worse.

 

[Chrisbassett]

Is it not perverse that Boris charges motorists £10 a day with the aim of reducing congestion when it does nothing of the sort?

Well, can you imagine what it would be like if there was no congestion charge? I remember when they bought it in and it was partially about cutting traffic immediately, but more about keeping the levels low with a massive predicted increase over the coming years. I think it's kept the traffic manageable where it was previously heading for gridlock. My gripe is about the closures and roadworks and some of the less sensible light sequencing we have to deal with. Maybe there is a grand plan and it's all tied together and will be wonderful in 10 years time, but I just can't see it...

 

[hodroyd]

It's when a plan is constantly fluid that you never seem to get to the end of it..!!

 

[Phil H]

The thing is, Chris, it's not achieving either reduced traffic or emmission levels and it's certainly not being managed, unless of course the intention is to frustrate the h3ll out of fee-paying motorists, and Boris should remember that if they're sat in cars they're not conducting business or spending money on the streets.

Every set of lights seems to be on red regardless of your direction of travel, and with traffic going nowhere the emmissions (ambient pollution levels if you like) will inevitably keep rising to the detriment of all. Even with a satnav it can be difficult to escape or re-route due to road closures, so once you've joined the gridlock you can only sit and count the minutes or even hours ticking off your life.

I'm lucky insofar as I can usually pick and choose my London visits these days, but I've also had my adrenalin moments when up there on business and I do sympathise with those who endure it on a daily basis.

PH

 

[Chrisbassett]

In 1998 I was living in soho, working in Trafalgar Square (Canadian Pacific building), and I remember when traffic would come to a standstill near both areas a couple of times a year. We went to America for a couple of years, then moved back the January after 9/11 to find it had got much worse with visibly more cars & vans on the roads. The congestion charge seemed to reduce traffic a lot (way below the 1998 levels) when it first came in, and I feel that it's back at the levels it was in 1998 now. No figures to prove it, but that's how it feels. If they hadn't introduced it, I hate to think how it would have gone.

Don't get me wrong, I hate having to pay it, but having lived in the centre of town at the time, I can appreciate what it did.

I'd love to see some actual figures - maybe I'll have a dig on t'internet later.

 

[hodroyd]

If the lights are being controlled by humans, then you can understand them having a laugh at peoples expense, if they are automatic then it's the usual government computer system issues that never work right syndrome..!!

 

[Elliott653]

Because we pay through the teeth for these roads and I should be able to da*n well use them if I want to. I had to take my friend to other places afterwards and then home and I was not going be coming all the way back to Mill Hill to pick up my car to do that!

I use public transport on business and when I am on my own - it's not like I am a masochist for the sake of it - well not consciously anyway.

Btw you greatly exaggerate about taking 15 minutes to Conduit Street! I'd have to drive to the car park, then catch the next available train and then change to tube, so 45 mins. 65 mins if walking to the station...

Oh well, takes all sorts.

 

[rossyl]

I generally agree with most of the balancing out views on this topic (especially about bouncers in shops, lol). It's just that I cannot figure out if motorists are being treated with contempt, indifference or just incompetence. At least if I could pin it down I suppose I would be less filled with rage at the whole thing.

What I can say is that things are getting worse.

Worse? Or, London is simply getting busier and population and jobs increasing?

See your rising house value for the answer.

If it really is that bad, you can cash out and live in commuter town, or, dump London altogether. You would be able to afford somewhere very nice outside of London, due to demand (which is partially caused by increased population) being high in London and not elsewhere.

 

[dem maser]

Get a house on a short commute and save 50%.....

 

[BennyD]

I get miffed if my 38 mile commute takes an hour. At the right time, I've done it in 24 minutes. I don't know how you guys live and work around London, it sounds like you pay a hefty premium to be constantly p!ssed off.