Commuting from Greenwich to Islington

Mr_Thrifty

Hi everyone.

I've recently started commuting from Greenwich to Islington.

I go to London Bridge on the train, then get the Northern Line followed by a short walk to the office.

The problem is, Southeastern Trains are appalling and the Northern Line is dirty and overcrowded. I don't know how they can actually continue running such a non-service. It's about as far from being a pleasant, civilised experience as you can imagine. I feel like I've already done a day's work by the time I get to the office, it's that bad. And this winter, I just know there will be all sorts of additional cancellations and major disruption. There always is. They just can't seem to provide even a semi-reliable service.

I've considered driving in, but then there's the Blackwall tunnel to contend with. 1 hour traffic jam just to get past the first 1.5 miles. Plus then you have the issue of parking, I guess.

I'm not sure there is a magic solution to this one, but would be grateful if anybody has any suggestions for making this commute just that little bit easier...?

Thanks in advance.

IanD

Depends where in Islington you're heading. Presumably you're currently alighting at Angel.

Have you considered DLR from Greenwich to Shadwell then Overground to Highbury?

Mr_Thrifty

Hi Ian, it's Remington Street that I need to get to, which is about 10 mins walk from Angel eastbound along the City Road. Highbury Station is a good idea, but probably too far from where I work. Also, strictly speaking my nearest home station is Maze Hill which is one stop further on than Greenwich. All just to make it that little bit more complex and difficult! :-)

NBLondon

Can you duck the Northern Line by going all the way to Charing Cross and then a bus towards Angel?

Driving is probably a non-starter; you could get to/through the tunnel a little faster by going down Vanbrugh Hill rather than Maze Hill then Blackwall Lane (avoiding the Woolwich flyover) but you'd then crawl in through Limehouse/Bethnal Green.

Mr_Thrifty

Hmm. Interesting thought - I'd tried going to Cannon Street then getting the bus, but the bus just crawled along at 2mph stopping every 50 yards and took even longer than the tube does. You may well be right that going from Charing Cross is easier - I hadn't considered that, simply because I thought Charing Cross is the wrong side of London... but thinking about it, it may actually be a good route!

As you say, it's a shame that driving is a non-starter. That pesky Blackwall Tunnel just renders it impossible for all practical purposes. Driving there could be such a pleasant experience if the roads weren't chock-a-block with empty busses and lorries clogging everything up. In fact, if the roads weren't gridlocked all the time, I expect the journey would take me about 15 minutes door to door, compared to the 1 hour 15 mins I spend on public transport at present.

Weird_Nev

Cycle.
Hopefully you have showers at the office!
I bet you could do that journey door to door faster than public transport, and it's free exercise too.

rev_henry

Weird_Nev wrote: »

Cycle.
Hopefully you have showers at the office!
I bet you could do that journey door to door faster than public transport, and it's free exercise too.

This is the correct answer.

Trebor16

Have you thought about a small motorcycle up to 125cc? It would be economical and another option to get north of the river is to use the Woolwich ferry. You can go to the front of the queue on a bike and they manage to fit you on without any problems.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

you could always bus it to greenwich then DLR to bank - whilst this does mean the northern line again its only a short hop then up to Angel on it. takes about 40 mins or so so its not too bad a journey time