I don't know the prices since I seem to have become an expat these days,
but the best read for critical comment on the insanity of UK transport
policy is A-B magazine http://www.atob.org.uk/ - no punches are spared
for the private transport operators that have replaced the nationalized
system of 10-20 years ago, and put the prices up.
Buses are hardly cheap around London either, but the fare structure is
better than it was.
I managed to get an article published in one of the American political
science journals, delaing more with the joys of urban bike use
(currently accounting for less than 3% of all journeys in London, but
rising again thanks to the congestion charge)
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~batterbu/annals.htm
There is room for a volume on alternative transportation solutions,
following some of the arguments made by John Whitelegg, Nicholas Low,
Hugh McClintock, among others abotu sustainable urban transportation. I
still regard bikes as the ultimate "critical" solution to the
difficulties of urban transportation. Examples I have already of
progressive back-to-cycling movements around the world include
Copenhagen, London, Tucson AZ, Toronto, and Melbourne.
--
Dr Simon Batterbury
Currently in UK
http://geog.arizona.edu/~web/simon.htm
From mid July 2004:
lecturer, SAGES
University of Melbourne
221 Bouverie Street
Melbourne Vic 3010
Australia
[log in to unmask]
http://www.geography.unimelb.edu.au/
Quoting Automatic digest processor <[log in to unmask]>:
> There are 2 messages totalling 187 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
> 1. Bus and train fares please (2)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2004 08:31:38 EDT
> From: Hillary Shaw <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Bus and train fares please
>
> -------------------------------1087648298
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> So New Labour wants motorists to use public transport not their cars.
> Here i=
> n=20
> Scunthorpe it costs =A31 for a 3 mile journey, one way, to Ashby.
> Fuel costs=
> =20
> for a car driver should work out, even with petrol at 80p a litre, at
> around=
> 15p=20
> a mile, unless the car's engine is clapped out. Add on 10p a mile
> for=20
> depreciation and another 10p a mile for servicing and spare parts
> costs, and=
> we have=20
> 35p a mile. I have not included insurance and road tax, probably
> another 20p=
> a=20
> mile, because these are sunk costs once the car is bought. However
> public=20
> transport is inevitable slower than the private car, except in big
> cities li=
> ke=20
> London, not least because it isn't door-to-door.=20
> This situation isn't going to change much, because if petrol costs
> were even=
> =20
> doubled, through massive tax increases, apart from the political
> flak,=20
> probably unsurvivable from whatever government did it, wages pressure
> would=20=
> mount,=20
> and wage costs and general inflation would drive up the cost of
> public trans=
> port=20
> too. We could saturate cities with bus lanes and parking restrictions
> , but=20
> at the cost of harming the general economy, and diverting more
> shoppers to=20
> out-of-town retail parks where such restrictions don't apply.
> The time differential between car and bus is probably around 5
> minutes per=20
> mile; even if we value driver's time at the Minimum Wage, this
> amounts to ar=
> ound=20
> 4p a mile. And drivers tend to be wealthier.higher earners, so this
> is=20
> probably an underestimate. Add on the convenience factor for car
> drivers of=20=
> safety,=20
> privacy, carrying capacity, etc. and 'effective' car costs are
> probably arou=
> nd=20
> 25p a mile - in other words under 25p a mile is what public transport
> would=20
> have to offer to be a viable alternative.
> What I'd like to know is what other expensive public transport routes
> other=20
> crit geog members know of. Maybe if we can get enough examples
> together we=20
> should sent them to Tony Blair and ask him how he intends to meet
> congestion=
> and=20
> pollution targets.
>
> -------------------------------1087648298
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> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
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> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html;
> charset=3DISO-8859-1">
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> <DIV>So New Labour wants motorists to use public transport not their
> cars. H=
> ere in Scunthorpe it costs =A31 for a 3 mile journey, one way, to
> Ashby. Fue=
> l costs for a car driver should work out, even with petrol at 80p a
> litre, a=
> t around 15p a mile, unless the car's engine is clapped out. Add on
> 10p a mi=
> le for depreciation and another 10p a mile for servicing and
> spare part=
> s costs, and we have 35p a mile. I have not included insurance and
> road tax,=
> probably another 20p a mile, because these are sunk costs once
> the car=
> is bought. However public transport is inevitable slower than the
> private c=
> ar, except in big cities like London, not least because it isn't
> door-to-doo=
> r. </DIV>
> <DIV>This situation isn't going to change much, because if petrol
> costs were=
> even doubled, through massive tax increases, apart from the
> political flak,=
> probably unsurvivable from whatever government did it, wages
> pressure would=
> mount, and wage costs and general inflation would drive up the
> cost of=
> public transport too. We could saturate cities with bus lanes and
> parking r=
> estrictions , but at the cost of harming the general economy, and
> diverting=20=
> more shoppers to out-of-town retail parks where such restrictions
> don't appl=
> y.</DIV>
> <DIV>The time differential between car and bus is probably around 5
> minutes=20=
> per mile; even if we value driver's time at the Minimum Wage, this
> amounts t=
> o around 4p a mile. And drivers tend to be wealthier.higher earners,
> so this=
> is probably an underestimate. Add on the convenience factor for car
> drivers=
> of safety, privacy, carrying capacity, etc. and 'effective' car
> costs are p=
> robably around 25p a mile - in other words under 25p a mile is
> what pub=
> lic transport would have to offer to be a viable alternative.</DIV>
> <DIV>What I'd like to know is what other expensive public transport
> routes o=
> ther crit geog members know of. Maybe if we can get enough
> examples tog=
> ether we should sent them to Tony Blair and ask him how he intends to
> meet c=
> ongestion and pollution
> targets.</DIV></FONT></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTM=
> L>
>
> -------------------------------1087648298--
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2004 14:40:06 +0100
> From: David McKnight <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Bus and train fares please
>
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C4560B.50922300
> Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> Hill
>
> Did you see the article in the IoS last week? Report referred to
> leaked =
> govt document which plans for train services to be cut and a rise in
> the =
> cost of tickets. So am not sure if New Labour really wants motorists
> to =
> ditch their cars in favour of public transport.
>
> David
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> End of CRIT-GEOG-FORUM Digest - 18 Jun 2004 to 19 Jun 2004
> (#2004-112)
> **********************************************************************
>
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