Nice People Thread Number 10 -the official residence of Nice People

lostinrates

Nikkster wrote: »

I've just followed you :eek:

Hmm, when hamish turns up I'll gladly lend you a whip. I have a nice, very fine dressage whip I never use on ponies as its far too whippy. I't in the long barn somewhere, I'll go find it.

michaels

Walk from Blackfriars is 2 miles = 40 minutes which adds an hour to the day which is not great (especially as it is just possible it may be cold and raining) - may be better to take train to London Bridge and then train back in to charing x for a 0.8 mile walk.

Nikkster

Its at times like this that I really don't miss living and working in London. Living at one end of the Met line and working past the other end meant that tube strikes made getting to work rather tricky. I ended up getting a bus to the nearest train station (lets say 10-15 mins), train into Paddington (15 mins? sardine style), horrendous queue at the bus stop outside the train station so walked to Oxford Circus, then got the bus across London (think it took about an hour). Unfortunately working at home wasn't an option.

PasturesNew

Generali wrote: »

Apparently a tube driver will be on £50,000+ by the end of next year.

The formula seems simple:

1. Demand a massive pay rise
2. To on strike and bring London to its knees
3. Get a very large pay rise.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/oct/03/tube-drivers-salaries-50000

Not all tube workers are drivers though. What about the ticket clippers, cleaners, maintenance, night shift, track polishers and toilet emptiers?

Nikkster

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not all tube workers are drivers though. What about the ticket clippers, cleaners, maintenance, night shift, track polishers and toilet emptiers?

No ticket clippers - the ticket barriers are automated, maybe 1 or 2 people manning them in case of problems. Occasionally there are ticket inspectors on the tube or bus, but not that often.

No toilets on the tube trains themselves - not at all stations either. They'll be dealt with by the station cleaning staff, who I expect are all outsourced (so not direct Transport for London employees) - and more importantly, probably not part of the union.

I think that most of the maintenence people are outsorced too (though probably getting paid a lot more than the cleaners).

lostinrates

Nikkster wrote: »

. Occasionally there are ticket inspectors on the tube or bus, but not that often.).

And therein rests one of the reasons it can be unpleasant travelling on the tube.


DH and I once suffered an incident on the tube that eventually involved transport police. In was nothing serious nor 'emotionally scarring' or anything like that, but on an old bus a conductor would have stepped in and chucked the fellow off, for example, or in this case called transport police. There was that incident but there are the countless lesser ones ........

Nikkster

lostinrates wrote: »

And therein rests one of the reasons it can be unpleasant travelling on the tube.

Esp travelling back in an empty carriage during the late evening (if it was properly late at night I'd usually had some alcohol which took the edginess away).

On the other hand, I've recently experienced travelling on the Metro in the Belgian capital. The only staff I have ever seen are sat in the ticket booths and the drivers. Even the ticket barriers are very different - if you have a paper ticket, you validate it at a machine vaguely close to the barrier, but the barriers open when you walk up to them (i.e. not when you present a ticket). After living in London (and seeing so much fare-dodging on the bendy buses), it all seems very trusting!

lostinrates

Nikkster wrote: »

Esp travelling back in an empty carriage during the late evening (if it was properly late at night I'd usually had some alcohol which took the edginess away).

On the other hand, I've recently experienced travelling on the Metro in the Belgian capital. The only staff I have ever seen are sat in the ticket booths and the drivers. Even the ticket barriers are very different - if you have a paper ticket, you validate it at a machine vaguely close to the barrier, but the barriers open when you walk up to them (i.e. not when you present a ticket). After living in London (and seeing so much fare-dodging on the bendy buses), it all seems very trusting!

I found the metro there really confusing. I was there so very briefly I didn't really get to make head nor tail of it tbh, or really explore the place.:(

DH was very unhappy there which is a shame. There was lots that was good in my brief look see. I'd like to go back. Hey, its some where I could go! No plane!!

Nikkster

lostinrates wrote: »

I found the metro there really confusing. I was there so very briefly I didn't really get to make head nor tail of it tbh, or really explore the place.:(

DH was very unhappy there which is a shame. There was lots that was good in my brief look see. I'd like to go back. Hey, its some where I could go! No plane!!

That is a shame. Hopefully he's not so unhappy now

When the weather picks up a bit, I might spend an extra couple of days there to have a bit more of a look around (have only spent an hour or so in the evening walking round the centre).

There are a few other places you can connect to from the Eurostar, e.g. Bruges...

Yorkie1

Evening all

Have had silly work hours combined with evening commitments so haven't even switched the home laptop for most of the week.

I've skimmed several recent pages but (as per PN's instructions last week ) not in sufficient detail to comment here.

Hope all are OK (particularly PN after that experience).