The Anonymous Widower

Improving London’s Transport In Small Ways

I feel there are two ways of getting more out of London’s crowded transport system.

The first is the obvious ones of capital projects, which at the top end is Thameslink, Crossrail and Crossrail 2, and at the bottom end it is projects of the order of small numbers of millions, which might include.

• Remodelling major junctions like Archway, Elephant and Castle, Highbury Corner and Old Street.
• Reorganising bus routes around train and Underground stations, with more shelters and better information.
• New and rebuilt stations like Crystal Palace, Deptford and Lea Bridge
• Inclined lifts like that installed at Greenford.
• Step-free access at stations like Clapham Junction, Gospel Oak, Honor Oak Park, New Cross and South Tottenham.

I’m sure that new technology epitomised by the inclined lift at Greenford, will increasingly be seen.

But with any complex system, there is always improvements to be made in small ways.

The recent extension of contactless cards to Gatwick Airport, could be the sort of improvement, that increases ridership on the trains to the airport and is very much a win for the airport, the train companies and passengers alike.

We need more small improvements to London’s transport system to squeeze more capacity and improved efficiency out of the network.

1, London’s Airports And Other Places Should Have Contactless Ticketing

Heathrow, Luton and Southend Airports will join City and Gatwick in coming within London’s contactless ticketing network.

But why stop at just airports?

I feel that within a few years, the following will be within London’s contactless ticketing area.

• Chafford Hundred for the shopping at Lakeside.
• Ebbsfleet International for trains to Europe.
• Greenhithe for the shopping at Bluewater.
• Thorpe Park and other places for the fun!
• Windsor and other places for the tourists!

The benefits to residents, tourists, business and train companies won’t be small.

I suspect that as the contactless ticketing network grows, attractions and towns outside the area, will be enthusiastic to join and might even bribe Transport for London.

2. Buses Should Trial Entry Through All Doors

The bus journey I do most commonly is to get a 38 or 56 bus between my house and the Angel, where I tend to do my food shopping.

The 38 route uses New Routemasters with three doors, all of which can be used for entrance and exit, whereas on the 56 route, standard two door buses are used, where you enter through the front door and exit through the one in the middle.

There is no question that the Routemasters get through a typical stop quicker, as drivers and passengers use their brains to get on and off the bus as fast as possible. However, on the standard buses, threading a push-chair into the middle of the bus can be difficult and time consuming.

I think that an experiment should be trialled, where in perhaps areas, where there are a lot of Routemasters, passengers can board the standard buses from the middle door and touch-in on a convenient reader.

Obviously, it would be open to fraud, which is why an experiment would have to be performed first. But from several years of watching passengers on New Routemasters, I don’t think losses would be substantial. Many a time, I’ve seen passengers collectively stare at another passenger, who didn’t touch in! It’s East London peer pressure at work!

Remember too, that the doom-mongers of the left, felt cashless buses and contactless payments would be a disaster and discriminate against the poor. Try finding an incident, where someone was severely inconvenienced by London’s contactless ticketing system!

3. All Stations Should Indicate The Train Direction

On some stations this is obvious, or can be worked out, as on heavy rail routes, trains drive on the left.

But on many Underground stations, it is not obvious from which direction your train will arrive.

Often regular passengers will know that when going to a specific station, they will need to be in a particular carriage. If I am coming North to Angel on the Northern Line, I want to be in the first or second car, as this saves the effort of walking down the platform.

A simple arrow above the sdverts say, would orient you on the platform.

Hopefully, it would distribute passengers in a better manner along the platform.

4. Some Rail |And Underground Maps Could Be Larger

The standard maps are fine, but over the years, I’ve seen some really large transport maps around the world.

There’s no doubt in my mind that with maps, big is beautiful and the bigger the better.

In many stations there is a large tiled wall, for which no-one has really found a sensible use. Often you’ll come down an escalator into the bowels of an Underground station and face such a wall.

So why not put a really large map there?

It would be out of the way too and if passengers just wanted to stand in front of it and look, no-one would bother.

5. More First Train Indicators At Terminal Stations

Some terminal stations have more than one platform from which stations start their return journeys.

At Walthamstow Central on the Victoria Line, where there are two platforms, an indicator tells you, from which platform the first train will leave.

But at other stations like Stratford on the Overground, it is difficult to ascertain which will be the first train to travel west.

All terminal platforms should be fitted with First Train Indicators.

6. Better On Board Bus Information

London’s buses have a simple display, which gives a selection of the following information.

• The route and the destination.
• The name of the next stop
• Any customer information like delays, strikes or closures.
• The time.

I know the size of the display is limited, but it is poorly arranged and could be much better.

It should also show the five-number code of the next stop, so that passengers changing there could check out their next bus.

7. All Stations Should Have TfL-Standard Rail/Tube, Bus Spider And Walking Maps

When you arrive at a Transport for London (TfL) managed station, you find the following maps prominently displayed.

• The Rail and Tube version of the iconic Underground map.
• A bus spider map for all the routes serving the area.
• A comprehensive walking map.

At most TfL stations, there is increasingly a Legible London lith.

But this is not the case at some stations in London, that are managed directly by railway companies.

All stations should be made to adhere to London’s standards.

8. Below Ground Information Needs To Be Improved

Crossrail will bring some truly labyrinthine stations to London, to add to those difficult to navigate ones like Bank, Green Park, Kings Cross St. Pancras and Waterloo.

Transport for London needs to provide more bus and walking maps on the platforms and in the passageways, so that passengers can find their way to the entrance they need to continue their journey.

9. Rail And Tube Map On All London-Bound Platforms

The need for this was illustrated at Coventry station, where two tourists were asking the Virgin station-man, how to get to Ewell West from Euston. He told me, he had asked for a London Rail and Tube Map for the station, as this would have answered a large proportion of the questions he was asked.

The map could also have full details on how to use London’s contactless ticketing, which should reduce the queues at London terminals.

The only station outside London, I’ve seen such a map is Cardiff Central.

If it’s good enough for Wales, then the map should be displayed in Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Lille, Marseilles and Paris.

Obviously, with information in the correct languages!

10. There Needs To Be More And Better Ticket Machines

Increasingly, I use the Internet less and less to buy tickets for travel out from London, unless it’s a longer journey and I want to reserve a seat.

I get the best Internet price from the latest ticket machines at Dalston Junction station, where I can buy the following tickets.

• Singles and returns, for today or a date in the near future between any two stations in the UK.
• Extension tickets from the Zone 6 boundary to certain stations close to London.

I get the best Internet price, without having to sign-up to be bombarded with spam by the train or ticket company.

The Zone 6 extension tickets are often a big money saver. Recently a return to Woking cost me just £5.15 with my Senior Railcard. The Standard Class Return Ticket costs £14.10, so the saving almost paid for my lunch in Woking.

These ticket machines need to be in a lot more places and not just on the Overground.

11. Ban Diesel Trains As Much As Possible From London

Despite lots of electrification on the lines into and through London, their are still quite a few noisy and smelly diesel trains to be found in London. They fall into the following categories.

• Long-distance trains like those to the West Country, Wales and Scotland.
• Freight trains on through routes, like the North London and Gospel Oak to Barking Lines.
• Commuter services using diesel multiple units.
• Engineering trains haled by diesel locomotives.

I believe that many of these can be replaced by trains hauled by quieter and greener electric traction.

Many residents of London, especially those who live on the feight routes of North London, would back this small improvement.

Conclusion

I have detailed ten small ideas, that might be used to improve London’s transport network.

I think that only the provision of more and better ticket machines will cost serious amounts of money, but from what I see as I travel around London, I suspect it’s already being done.

If I was the London Mayor, I would ask Londoners and regular travellers for simple ideas to improve the network.

Some would be bonkers, some would be so-so, but I believe that some would be brilliant.

I also believe that those good ideas, that were worthwhile implementing, should result in a reward to the proposer.

After all, London’s transport network belongs to London and Londoners, so why shouldn’t they have a say in its design?

January 31, 2016 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Buses, Contactless Ticketing, Design, London, Trains, Transport for London | Leave a comment