Does any one live in a city that has transport links both road and rail that actually cross their city centre with out forcing passengers to change?

I have now lived in two inner suburbs of Sydney and have found that compared to a ten minute drive by car into the city, bus links are a different picture. I have lived on the north- shore and now live in the inner-west. Accessing for example Bondi east of the city can be done from both places in twenty minutes by car. By public transport it means taking a bus which only goes into the city centre. Then to either take another bus you have to walk a cross a few blocks to change. To take the train you have to make your way to the nearest station and down to the under ground platforms. Either way there is time wasted for changing between services. I attend classes on the eastern side of the city a couple nights a week. It's amazing how long it takes to reach my home about 5 kilometres away. By the time I walk about a kilometre to the nearest railway, take a train to another station, walk through a long tunnel and then there is some times a long wait for a bus if it is a certain time of night.

I geuss this is the reason why so many Sydneysiders turn their noses up at public transport because of the amount of time wasting it takes to get to some destinations that can be reached so easily by car.

Westender

easy if you drive and you have patience....!
lol

Does any one live in a city that has transport links both road and rail that actually cross their city centre with out forcing passengers to change?Yep, In Copenhagen we have two "commuter bus lines" the A Buses and S busses

The A busses are very frequent ( every 3-7min depending on time of day ) and goes straight trough the city from different angles with frequent stops..

These busses can be recognized by they red steak and A name

http://i1.tinypic.com/6377w1s.jpg

And then there's the S busses, these normally depart every 20 minuttes and serves as express busses getting you trough the city as fast as a bus can with fewer stops and keeping to the biggest roads and main streets..

http://i11.tinypic.com/4lnxqq1.jpg

And then there's the commuter rail... in Copenhagen we have both a Metro and a the S-Trains..

The S-Trains keep above ground most of the time and connects the city center with the distant suburbs - going as far away as the outer metro 45km+ away from the central station..

http://i11.tinypic.com/4y7m5mx.jpg


And finally the resent Metro connecting the different districts with each others and by far the fastest alternative going trough the city...
http://i16.tinypic.com/62s73n9.jpg

Normal busses here er all yellow and some lines do cross trough the city, but normally they are made to cover as much ground in a certain areas as posible contra distance, so it shouldn't be the first choice unless you particular position favors just that...

So to answer the tread question of: "how easy it is" - it's very easy!

Toronto's got an awesome transportation system. The GO train is clean, and it gives you a fast, crisp, smooth ride into the city from the burbs. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) controls buses, trams, and subways in the city proper, and it really is an awesome system. The subway is super quick and efficient, and has stops at most of the desired points within the city. So pretty easy in Toronto too.

And as for driving into the city...During rush hour, traffic is hell on the Gardiner EXPWY and a non-traffic ride of 30 minutes from where I live can be stretched to an hour and a half ride easy.

^^ Are you one of those who live all the way up in Barrie? Heh my hosts in Toronto told those people are crazy, they drive all the way to TO everyday!

Well, my city's small, but the bus system is really good and since downtown is composed only by 3 paralell 5km-long streets you can get by pretty well by bus. Driving is a bit more difficult. And if you go to the neighborhoods NOTHING is easy (not even for me!).

As for the cities I've already been to, one of the easiest ones was Lisbon. Toronto has also a great transportation system, but I didn't risk taking unknown buses. :d

^^ Are you one of those who live all the way up in Barrie? Heh my hosts in Toronto told those people are crazy, they drive all the way to TO everyday!


Nah, Oakville :). The drive to the city can still take up to two hours given shitty weather and rush hour. That's only for about two-three months every year though, which is good.

Oakville? So you are one of those people polluting the planet because you are too irresponsible to live close to work. Great. Get a job in Oakville if you choose to live there. $5/litre gas for commuters please. It's the only thing these people seem to understand.

Oakville? So you are one of those people polluting the planet because you are too irresponsible to live close to work. Great. Get a job in Oakville if you choose to live there. $5/litre gas for commuters please. It's the only thing these people seem to understand.

Simmer down man. I know your stand on the suburb situation from our arguments in the Toronto forum, but I do work in Oakville. My reasons for working in Oakville aren't necessarily environmentally driven mind you, right now the job just happens to be the best fit.

We all have reasons for decisions we make. You may work in Oakville, but alot of people commute from places many many kilometres from their workplaces.

I'm pointing out that driving 2 hours to work isn't responsible. I am calm. I assure you I am not in need of valiuim. It's important that suburbanites acknowledge that decisions they make regarding location may be good for them, but not for society in general. That is all I ask.

Do you really think Toronto transit is good? It was great in 1980, but is a disaster today. 25+ years of neglect has left us with a vastly under developed transit system for a city the size we have grown into. The transit has some good points, but I would take great exception to the notion that Toronto has a great transit system. People seem to be clinging on to famous quotes, accolades, and recognition this city received 3 decades ago.

Hartford is a pretty small city in area: ~30 square km.

Most people take their cars, but the bus system, at least around the city itself, is pretty good and frequent. One bus line has service every 10 minutes.

From where I live, I could actually walk downtown in 20 minutes. But, since I dont work downtown, and my job and school are both in the suburbs, I have a car.

Edge to Edge:

E/W: Whitemud Freeway or Yellowhead Highway
N/S: Queen Elizabeth II Highway (QEII) =>Gateway Boulevard=>Whitemud Freeway=>170th Street=>St. Albert Trail=>Highway 2 (Note: This is highly inefficient. It is was presumably assumed that one travelling from the south to north is stopping in Edmonton and going no further towards Grande Prairie and the Peace Country. It is now being corrected as the ring road, Anthony Henday Drive, is being constructed.

LRT: A north line was constructed for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, but for a long time any expansion has been extraordinarily slow. The extension south to crossing the river to University of Alberta happened in 1999 and the expansion to a kilometre south opened in 2006. Expansion further south to the University of Alberta's South Campus will be completed in 2008 or 2009 and it will finally feach the southern regions of the city (Heritage or Century Park) in 2010 or 2011. This will provide a N/S line stretching the length of the city. There is plans for three more legs, but it may take another 15 years for that to come to fruition.

Buses: There are many hubs it operates from but it does not run on a grid system which makes it pathetically inefficient.

A supposed to be 5 minute drive takes me about 25-30 mins in Sydney. Sydney is impossible. Trains are stupidly slow. They just stop. and slow down. They take forever. And you cant shout, because the driver is in the first carriage. So you just get angry and then people push you because the trains are overcrowded! But car is not an option!!!!! GRRRRRR!!!!!!

A supposed to be 5 minute drive takes me about 25-30 mins in Sydney.

You sure??

I live near Strathfield (around 12km from the city) and it takes around 15 minutes at the most on the train.

Anyway, I think what he's talking about is getting from one side of the city (say the inner-west) to the other (the inner-east).

Well, seeing Strathfield is on the outskirts of the inner-west, if I had to get to Bondi Junction, which is the last station on the inner-east line.....

Note: Times given are at the very most.

Strathfield - City = 15 minutes.

Change trains at Town Hall = 5 minutes.

City - Bondi Junction = 10 minutes.

Around half an hour from station to station, each station is around 20km apart.

I know other cities around the world are much, much better but personally, I don't think we have it that bad.

In London, underground lines, rail lines, and buses cross the city-centre without forcing change.

This is an overground example... the Thameslink line which cuts through Central London, up north to Luton and south to Brighton at the coast. The red lines show the stations in the city-centre:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/7291/thameslinkxx5.jpg

It's only really the inner-east line which is a pain, seeing you need to change from most lines to get onto it.

You can go directly from the west, through the city, to the north without changing lines.

[QUOTE=SE9;13274528]In London, underground lines, rail lines, and buses cross the city-centre without forcing change.

This is an overground example... the Thameslink line which cuts through Central London, up north to Luton and south to Brighton at the coast. The red lines show the stations in the city-centre:

Thameslink is the exception though. Most people from South London get dumped at stations on the fringes of the city centre.

By PT VERY easy. Extremly dense network that you hardly have to walk more than a about 200m to the next bus stop even in the suburbs. By car it's very difficult if you don't know the city (and even if you do) because everything is one way streets and hundreds of construction sites everywhere.

In Frankfurt all forms of transport cross through the city and out the other side without forced changes with only a few exceptions.

1) U-bahn (Subway/metro) all lines cross through the city and continue out the other side
2) S-bahn (suburban rail) all lines enter the city, then continue underground before emerging on the other side and carry on.
3) Tram lines: All tram lines that pass through the city continue through to the other side
4) Bus lines: With only a few exceptions, generally a bus line that goes to the city center, continues out the other end.

One of the few exceptions are R-bahns (Regional trains). These are sort of express commuter trains and also travel to other nearby cities. These stop at the central station and you have to change.

I do know what you mean by Sydney. With the exception of a couple of train lines (Northern Line and Eastern Line) most either do the loop in downtown and then head back out the same way or terminate. And buses (and ferries) tend to only go in one direction and then terminate in the city. I don't understand why they don't allow the buses to continue out the other end.

HK has one of the best transportation systems in the world and almost every part of the city is accessible by transportation whether it's the bus, metro, tram, ferry, etc.

Those who live withing the northern parts of HK Island and central Kowloon have more accessibility to public transportation than those from the other parts of the city.

We can divide this to two parts.

The tram for example can across from the northwestern part of HK Island all the way to the east.

The MTR on the other hand can do the same thing but can also cross through central Kowloon.

HK has one of the best transportation systems in the world and almost every part of the city is accessible by transportation whether it's the bus, metro, tram, ferry, etc.

Those who live withing the northern parts of HK Island and central Kowloon have more accessibility to public transportation than those from the other parts of the city.

We can divide this to two parts.

The tram for example can across from the northwestern part of HK Island all the way to the east.

The MTR on the other hand can do the same thing but can also cross through central Kowloon.
Not entirely correct. Hong Kong's public transportation system covers the urbanized parts of the city very well, but that is only less than 30% of the total land area. The other 70% or so is countryside, and is not readily accessible, since much of that is made up of 200+ islands in the South China Sea or hills that are only reachable by hiking trail.

Not entirely correct. Hong Kong's public transportation system covers the urbanized parts of the city very well, but that is only less than 30% of the total land area. The other 70% or so is countryside, and is not readily accessible, since much of that is made up of 200+ islands in the South China Sea or hills that are only reachable by hiking trail.

We are more concentrating on urban areas and to this matter, the urban part of HK.

HK has alot of islands within South China Sea but major outlying islands such as Lamma, Cheung Chau or Ping Chau have ferry services to the city centre.

We are more concentrating on urban areas and to this matter, the urban part of HK.

HK has alot of islands within South China Sea but major outlying islands such as Lamma, Cheung Chau or Ping Chau have ferry services to the city centre.

This thread is about how easy is it to travel across your city, and not how easy is it to travel across your city's urban area.

Hong Kong's case is unique since so much of its land is not developed.

The islands you mention only form a small % of the 200+ islands that make up Hong Kong, most of which do not have regular ferry service or inhabitants at all.

Looking into how people's commutes into the city centre require a change in transit, the answer for Hong Kong is not likely, since buses go point-to-point and the downtown core is centralized enough such that the walk from the bus stop / MTR entrances would not be too long for most buildings.

I remember visiting a friend in Hong Kong a couple of years ago, and we went for a few drinks in the city. He lived on one of the islands and used a ferry to get into town. The problem was, the ferry service was very infrequent and he often misses the last one, then having to stay at a friends place or hotel for the night.

I can't remember the Island though. But he did say it had a fair population.

I remember visiting a friend in Hong Kong a couple of years ago, and we went for a few drinks in the city. He lived on one of the islands and used a ferry to get into town. The problem was, the ferry service was very infrequent and he often misses the last one, then having to stay at a friends place or hotel for the night.

I can't remember the Island though. But he did say it had a fair population.

If there is a large population, then it's probably Lamma or Cheung Chau. Last ferry to Cheung Chau departs at 01:30am, and the next one is at 04:15am. Last Lamma Island ferry departs at around 12:30am. The problem is more acute during typhoon season when workers have to rush to catch a ride home before the whole system shuts down.

It seems that Montreal became the second city on the continent to inaugurate a crosstown metro
line bypassing downtown, by no less than 4Km from alongside its closest segment (sad stats like
that one could abound in NA). After its first few years of initial stubby branchline service, the
alternate crosstown Blue Line fully opened in 1989. Yet again! the City has (just) re-announced
its intention to extend it eastward by six stations' worth. :ohno:

Sorry, I didn't find a French version of our map anagramized!

http://www.matthewhollett.com/oughtful/media/untrodmap1152.gif

By car it's very difficult if you don't know the city (and even if you do) because everything is one way streets and hundreds of construction sites everywhere.
No GPS, or Tomtom as is the name of a successful pathfinder from the NL? Crossing Arnhem (NL) is fun, 5 bridges, a short tunnel near the railway station.

When I'm using public transport, I check a website if I'm not sure. Often your travel takes less time making a few switches than rather stay on the bus that you took. We very much have purpose defined busroutes, like special buses that link hospitals, clinics, homes for the elderly etc.

For my municipality, travel is pretty good depending on where you are and your mode of transport. Car is by far the best anywhere but Yonge St, since most roads have few stop lights and you can go for about a mile before crossing one in some parts. By transit, Yonge St is your best bet as it has both local and rapid transit bus service.

As for the "Hamilton-Toronto-Oshawa" urban area as we shall call it (as not to offend those from Hamilton being lumped in with Toronto), unless you are traveling to downtown Toronto during rush hour, car is by far the best option unless you don't mind losing a good 1-2 hours on the transit. There are exceptions though, like taking a GO train from Oshawa to Hamilton may be about as fast as driving it, if the 401/QEW traffic is held up. But for the most part, unless you are going where the transit is going, car is your best bet.