No Comments about the sriking tube workers?

bendix

drc wrote: »

I always feel like apologising profusely to tourists when these train strikes happen. How can a supposedly first world democracy have these strikes every year:eek:? London Transport is $h1t, dirty, slow and expensive at the best of times and then we have strikes to top it all off. I wonder what tourists think when they come to this country and are exposed to our outdated transport system and I weep.

I always cringe with embarassment everytime i show people - particularly guests from Thailand, where i lived before - the London transport system. I can see how horrified they are. In Bangkok there is a fast, clean, efficient and safe underground and skytrain system; a third world country can make it work, why can't we?

One person said to me - "We always hear that London and the UK is a rich country - certainly richer than home. Why are the trains so old and poor, then?

Ive used public transport in cities all around the world - New York, Seattle, SF, Chicago, all over Europe, China, HK, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, even basket case countries like Philippines and Indonesia.

In every case, the London system is inferior.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

You have to remember that the London system is the oldest in the world and was built in a haphazard manner; every other network in the world has used it as a model and has been able to learn from its mistakes. The best comparison is probably the Paris Metro, which is also elderly, but seems to manage its maintenance much more efficiently. I wish we could just invite them over to explain to us how to repair a line without closing it completely every weekend for two years.

ILW

chewmylegoff wrote: »

the TSSA strike is about a separate matter, they just decided to strike on the same day because if they went on strike alone it would probably have no impact. the TSSA strike is about management pay.

So are TSSA saying that managers are not paid enough?
The RMT people seem to be saying they are paid too much.

Strings

bendix wrote: »

I always cringe with embarassment everytime i show people - particularly guests from Thailand, where i lived before - the London transport system. I can see how horrified they are. In Bangkok there is a fast, clean, efficient and safe underground and skytrain system; a third world country can make it work, why can't we?

One person said to me - "We always hear that London and the UK is a rich country - certainly richer than home. Why are the trains so old and poor, then?

Ive used public transport in cities all around the world - New York, Seattle, SF, Chicago, all over Europe, China, HK, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, even basket case countries like Philippines and Indonesia.

In every case, the London system is inferior.

You can not compare Australia's overground network to the tube as it simply does not compete at all.

The London tube transports up too 4 million people per day (back in 2007)

Please tell me what other countries have a network that is as old as the tube, and carries as many people?

TfL could shut the entire network down and upgrade it all, but look at what happens when it is shut for a day.

Talk about moaning for the sake of it

chewmylegoff

ILW wrote: »

So are TSSA saying that managers are not paid enough?
The RMT people seem to be saying they are paid too much.

TSSA are saying that managers of maintenance staff working for tube lines are not being paid enough - the maintenance staff themselves were given a 4.2% increase and the managers nothing, that is what their part of the strike is about as far as i understand it. it is only the managers and some clerical staff who are on strike, about 200 in total.

chewmylegoff

bendix wrote: »

I always cringe with embarassment everytime i show people - particularly guests from Thailand, where i lived before - the London transport system. I can see how horrified they are. In Bangkok there is a fast, clean, efficient and safe underground and skytrain system; a third world country can make it work, why can't we?

One person said to me - "We always hear that London and the UK is a rich country - certainly richer than home. Why are the trains so old and poor, then?

Ive used public transport in cities all around the world - New York, Seattle, SF, Chicago, all over Europe, China, HK, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, even basket case countries like Philippines and Indonesia.

In every case, the London system is inferior.

i've only used NY and Sydney apart from London and there is no way you are going to convince me that London is worse than either of those two. perhaps you are just on a sh!tty line.

FTBFun

bendix wrote: »

I always cringe with embarassment everytime i show people - particularly guests from Thailand, where i lived before - the London transport system. I can see how horrified they are. In Bangkok there is a fast, clean, efficient and safe underground and skytrain system; a third world country can make it work, why can't we?

One person said to me - "We always hear that London and the UK is a rich country - certainly richer than home. Why are the trains so old and poor, then?

Ive used public transport in cities all around the world - New York, Seattle, SF, Chicago, all over Europe, China, HK, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, even basket case countries like Philippines and Indonesia.

In every case, the London system is inferior.

When living in Sydney, if I missed my train I had a 15 minute wait for the next one. And this was just getting from Town Hall to Bondi Junction.

I'd agree on the expensive point, but I've yet to experience an underground system as frequent and convenient as the tube. In NY - a city of comparable size - one can still wait for 10 or so minutes for the appropriate train (although they have 24 hour services, if you're mental enough to get a train after midnight).

How many locals use the Bangkok system by the way? I mean ordinary people, not the rich.

The_White_Horse

ultrawomble wrote: »

There aren't many jobs in London (or anywhere else) that have on average 50 people/year committing suicide in front of you.

is this every driver? this is a lot of deaths. probably 1000's a year.

and anyway, who cares if they do? a driver should be on no more than 20k a year. stop and go dodgem drivers. bus driving is far more difficult and yet they are paid less.

when a driver applies for that job, he knows full well someone may jump in front on the train. you probably don't actually see much anyway as the tracks are quite low compared to the window. probably just see a bloke disappearing underneath.

train drivers make me sick. some of the most overpaid, useless horribly unhelpful people in the world. and as for the ticket office staff..

"help help, i have been attacked by a gang and need help"

"sorry mate, on me tea break"

"but i'm bleeding to death"

"as I say, nothing i can do mate. come back in 15 minutes"

hateful hateful people.

ILW

The_White_Horse wrote: »

is this every driver? this is a lot of deaths. probably 1000's a year.

and anyway, who cares if they do? a driver should be on no more than 20k a year. stop and go dodgem drivers. bus driving is far more difficult and yet they are paid less.

when a driver applies for that job, he knows full well someone may jump in front on the train. you probably don't actually see much anyway as the tracks are quite low compared to the window. probably just see a bloke disappearing underneath.

train drivers make me sick. some of the most overpaid, useless horribly unhelpful people in the world. and as for the ticket office staff..

"help help, i have been attacked by a gang and need help"

"sorry mate, on me tea break"

"but i'm bleeding to death"

"as I say, nothing i can do mate. come back in 15 minutes"

hateful hateful people.

I have never understood why a bus driver does not earn loads more than a tube driver. It seems to involve a whole lot more skills as well as having to deal with the public at the same time.
Is it just because the uderground has a stronger union?

bendix

FTBFun wrote: »

How many locals use the Bangkok system by the way? I mean ordinary people, not the rich.

About a million a day. 750,000 on the Skytrain system, and 250,000 on the MRT underground.

The figures are rising annually though, largely because the Skytrain is constantly being expanded (there are currently only two lines) and extended out to the suburbs.

MRT is only 3-4 years old.