London’s rush hour is more-or-less legendary. It is also rather more than an hour in length. There is a comprehensive system of buses, light rail, trams and trains to keep the populace and visitors on the move, including the famous red double deckers and the Underground or ‘Tube’, complemented by river transport and a new cycle initiative. Many services make use of the Oyster Card system or accept tickets from other operators in case of service disruption.
Bus Services in the Capital
Between them, the bus and train services run 24 hours, even if it does take a while to get to Central London from the outskirts on the bus. The bus service does make use of bus lanes, but in some areas these are only in operation during the rush hour and the buses are subject to the usual London queues at other times. The use of bus lanes to speed public transport journeys is also compromised by car drivers using them as unofficial parking and delivery drivers as a quick loading bay. Some buses have been known, according to residents, to change destination mid-journey, despite the obvious disruption to passengers. However, the positive side of this situation is that the bus is cheap and takes passengers closer to their desired destination than the location of many stations. In some areas the passengers are friendly and users are greeted by the driver before being able to take a seat, in other areas this is regrettably not the case.
There are often instances of intimidation and disruption to other passengers. Sometimes this is from travelers choosing to share their music or mobile phone conversation with the rest of the bus, sometimes a more threatening scenario of a gang of youths discussing who they are going to attack next. The question of publicly audible music is a thorny one for many public transport users, and one which may only be solved by the reintroduction of bus conductors to police behavior on board. Most bus companies ban eating on their vehicles and all ban smoking, but this does not stop some passengers from flouting the rules, abusing fellow passengers or vandalizing the buses.
Reliable and Frequent Trains
The train service in some areas is perhaps even more convenient than the bus. It runs frequently and only takes a few minutes to get to central London. Of course, there are occasional delays, as with any transport service, and the idea of convenience does depend on whether the traveler’s ultimate destination is conveniently located to a station or not.
The Docklands Light Railway was one of the first light rail systems in the United Kingdom, and it is planned that it will play a big role in mass transit during the 2012 Olympics. Originally serving simply the redeveloped Docklands area when it opened in 1987 with 11 trains and 15 stations, it has now expanded to Bank in the east, Stratford in the north, Beckton and Woolwich to the west and Lewisham to the south, running more than 100 trains serving 40 stations.
The Tube – Iconic but not Universally Popular
The Tube is unpopular in some areas, as it is seen as being unreliable, crowded, unsafe and claustrophobic. It can also be noisy and smelly too and does not generally compare well with similar systems around the world. It is, however, an iconic way for tourists to travel around the city from landmark to landmark and served as a community bomb shelter during the Second World War. At present the system itself looks like a warzone as an extensive upgrade program is in full swing.
Trams in South London
The Tramlink system in South London is considered to be less intrusive than a conventional railway system and have less noise and air quality impacts than road transport. The system in its current form has been fully operational since 2000, although there was a tram system running in the area until the 1950s.
Transport on the Famous River Thames
A little-known area of London mass transit is the provision of river transport. This is not a service restricted to sightseeing boats, as there is also a frequent river bus service and the Woolwich ferry. London’s original rise was due to the river, so it is appropriate that this still plays a part in the life of the city.
‘Boris Bikes’
For the brave, or perhaps the crazy, the use of a bicycle in London is an option. Mayor Boris Johnson has introduced a scheme where bikes can be checked out of docking stations for a small fee and returned to another docking station at the end of the journey. However, London, like many other cities, suffers from the lack of coherent cycle tracks. In the Netherlands, main roads are flanked by cycle tracks separated from the road by small kerbs. In the UK, most cycle lanes are marked simply by white lines on the road, sometimes with colored tarmac for accentuation, but users are still on the same road space as other vehicles. Where bus lanes exist, cyclists and taxis are often permitted to use these too, although this brings cyclists into conflict with the much bigger buses.
However you prefer to travel in London, and wherever and whenever you want to go, there is a public transport option to take you there.
Sources and Further Information
Various Transport for London pages at tfl.gov.uk:
Docklands Light Railway history
All websites accessed 10 September 2011.
Paula Thomas - Paula is, among other things, an editor & proofreader. She also enjoys technology - retro or modern - travel, music, motorsport and ...
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