Cyclists in central London set 'to outnumber car drivers'

[T_i_B]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35475318

Cyclists will outnumber car drivers entering central London in rush hour in the next few years, according to latest figures from Transport for London (TfL).

The number of car drivers fell from 137,000 in 2000 to 64,000 in 2014, while those of cyclists trebled from 12,000 to 36,000 over the same period.

TfL says the shift away from private cars to public transport and walking and cycling is "a feat unprecedented in any major city".

[Glamrock]

1. Ooooooooo

Jeremy Clarkson's gonna be upset...

[T_i_B]

2. When it comes to central London...

...cycling is more often than not a much better way to get around than the car.

And I think this subject has been covered (not always very well) by Clarkson & Co in the past.

[Glamrock]

3. Oh yeah

I've seen it. He's an idiot....but he makes me laugh.

[Bad Dog]

4. Whenever I go to London.

I go to Hammersmith. I know the way there really well, and where there's a cheap car park. Then I use the tube. I wouldn't want to risk cycling, (not I've cycled for a long time.)

[T_i_B]

7. The scary thing here....

Last edited Wed Feb 3, 2016, 03:56 PM - Edit history (1)

Is that I think I might know where this parking in Hammersmith is!

Although I normally head into that there London from the east rather than the west side, and almost always by the train.

[Bad Dog]

8. It's the shopping mall with a Burger King by the escalator.

Driving from Southampton Hammersmith is easy to get to, and the tube is great. I have driven round London before but not without pouring over a street map for half an hour before I set off.

I don't have to think about how to get to Hammersmith, I can just hop in the car and drive.

[Ironing Man]

5. ...

after my - thankfully rare - experiences of driving in central London i'd take the veiw that anyone who did so would have to be demented.

its expensive - impossible - to park, its expensive to drive, and the endless bus and cycle lanes and the interaction with everything else going on in the road makes it a thoroughly unpleasant experience. now, and for some time, if we go into London we take the train from well out in the Shires...

the picture is not all 'get rid of the cars and all will be rosy in our cities' however - Birmingham, far closer to us, has made life difficult for car drivers in order to encourage people onto public transport, but because it doesn't have the same draw factors as London we simply don't go there.

places that have a big draw can mould people into doing what that city likes because of that draw. places that are rather more 'meh' need to be very careful that people don't just decide to not bother and take their money elsewhere.

[T_i_B]

6. Dunno about Birmingham....

Last edited Thu Feb 4, 2016, 04:30 AM - Edit history (1)

But in Sheffield the council's efforts to keep cars out of the town centre have had a catastrophic effect as drivers flock en mass to the Meadowhall shopping centre instead. Meadowhall may be horrible but it's got ample free parking, and because it's huge it's got all the shops you'd expect in a town centre.

The result has been the slow death of Sheffield town centre, which is now getting embarrassing in comparison to most towns of comparable size.

London at least has loads of other stuff besides shopping to entice you to visit. Few other places are quite so fortunate.

[LeftishBrit]

9. In my experience...

most people take public transport when in central London, even if they have cars. The tube and bus are not always great, but they beat driving in the conditions there.

You'd have to be pretty intrepid to cycle there, though I have known students (usually not older people) who did.