Northern (Arriva Rail North)

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(22/05/2017 19:53)Dentonian Wrote:  > Walking: You have to be both very fit physically and have a lot of time on your hands to walk up to 5 kilometres a day to/from a Rail Station. There are other disadvantages: Rain and of course, confrontation with the next option:
Cycling: Again, a certain level of physical fitness is required and I haven't the foggiest how much a bike costs. Certainly, I don't understand why so many cyclists need helmets, bodycams and hi-viz gear when the never leave the pavement!
Getting a lift: Still requires another member of the household or a close friend to both have a car and be in a position to give lifts regularly with no/minimal inconvenience to themselves. TBH, they were in my original equation as they too contribute to pollution/congestion.
Taxi: As above + cost. Last time I used a taxi (about 18 months ago), the clock started at £2.40, so you are talking at least a fiver even if the Station is only a kilometer away. 2.7km must be £10+ return.
Other forms of public transport: As mentioned above Metrolink usually involves a long walk (unless in the city centre), and is very unreliable - as in regular total system shutdown. Buses are increasingly un punctual for various reasons (both in the Operators' control and not), and there is still a cost penalty.

Obviously it depends on your individual circumstances as to which is the best. For four people travelling together a taxi can be cheaper than a bus if it's booked in advance (phoning or walking in to a booking office and asking for a taxi ASAP counts as booking in advance), while in some cases one person in the household drives to work and drops off another person at a station/bus stop on their way.

For a 1km journey at peak times going by road usually isn't quicker than walking unless the walking route involves crossing a number of busy roads or you live in a very rural area.

Interesting you say only someone very fit can walk 5km a day, when local councils consider that to be an acceptable distance for high school pupils to walk to school. With regard to how long it takes to walk - surely if you lived 40 minutes walk from Stockport station and worked near Piccadilly station your commute would still be shorter than a commute to Manchester from Buxton/Northwich/Crewe etc., given how short the train journey is between Stockport and Manchester and how frequent it is.