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- Thread starter flybobbie
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I see two 
NewZdriver
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Z convoy!!
Yebbut a lane of free flowing traffic can move 1800 vehicle an hour, and buses are rarely full and single deckers are smaller typically 50 people, so that means you need about 60 buses an hour to make the same use of the roadspace, more if people carshareBeeEmm said:Good advert, but the truth is a bus can carry 80 people. That would get rid of at least 40 cars. Then there is another bus and another one.
Why car share when you can get a bus. The idea that planners are trying to get across is that if people used buses in towns and cities the buses would be full and there of course would be less cars. Getting people out of their cars is the big problem. A problem that was solved by Government agencies in major cities turning all car parks on their sites into flower beds and workers had no choice but to use public transport. All those I spoke to said that they were very much against not being able to use their cars but found that public transport was so much easier and less expensive. They were glad that they were forced to use buses and trains. Most people had not used a bus for many years and had no idea how efficient and effective the system is. Oh, and most drivers I encounter have no idea how to use a bus lane and queue outside the bus lane for very long distances. Maybe some drivers love to queue. 8)DevonPaul said:
BeeEmm said:
Re carsharing - I've never worked anywhere where the bus fare for 2 people has been cheaper than parking for the day. It may be different in London/Birmingham/Manchester, but in the smaller cities or ones with more rural catchment areas then the car for at least part of the journey is generally quicker, easier and cheaper.
2 very different scenarios here in Devon...
In Plymouth the Civic Centre was in the middle of town, all the buses went past. Easy transport and similar time to driving if you were handy for a bus, but still cheaper to drive and park if there were 2 of you as all day parking 5 mins walk away was a fiver.
However at Devon County it is a nightmare. Parking is on site at £1/day, but the location is 20+ min walk from the town centre. We can drive in 15-20 min even at rush hour, or walk 10 min to the bus, pay £84/month for a pass, then walk 20 min at the other end. It takes an hour each way if we time the bus right. That means 90 mins extra per day, or an extra working day per week of flexitime, equivalent to a 20% paycut. Ignoring the time factor, 2 of us doing the same trip means it would be cheaper to drive than pay the bus fare. If we didn't already have a car, a cheap lease deal would be little different in total, plus we'd have the flexibility, and a car.
And that's before you're someone who lives in one of the poorly serviced villages 10 miles out. or has to consider getting children to/from school/childcare, etc.
For big or dense populations public transport makes good sense. However I don't think getting people out of their cars should be the target, that should be discouraging them buying one in the first place.
