please empty your brain below
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I see that yet again Tramlink is the poor cousin of TfL with status maps "coming soon." I should be pleased they've included the Tramlink status on the front page - it's nowhere to be seen on the MOBILE version of the current website.
Southeastern and Southern (both part of the GoVia family) recently launched new apps. For the first time live departures include Tramlink (from Beckenham Junction, Elmer's End and East Croydon for example) but all stops and platforms on the routes are listed with codes rather than stop names. I guess the days of Tramlink being a separate entity continue to overshadow this member of the TfL family.
| 05.02.14 - 7:55 a.m. | #
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I'm so glad to hear that my TfL website survey response, submitted donkeys" years ago and stressing the importance of clear inclusive design, has been put to good use... Presumably to wrap chips or produce papier mashe replicas of the dangleway.
There is an easy answer of course, at least for the smart enabled section of the population, namely to use one of the numerous journey planning, status updating, bus tracking and congestion charge checking apps out there in the wild. Maybe TfL should focus on providing data and APIs, and let independent developers and digital market forces do the rest.
Rjnet | Homepage | 05.02.14 - 7:59 a.m. | #
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Well done on finding the updated bus map functionality. I was stupid enough to look under "Maps"! I know TfL want to keep things tidy but the station labels on the interactive map are so huge they swamp the bus stop red dots requiring you to zoom in to a ridiculous level.
It's a small shame that the Countdown stop code number is never shown if you bring up stop info. That code number can be a quick way to bring departure info and the site does recognise the code numbers.
The fares info is dire. Even where the single fare finder does show fares it provides no info about needing to make an intermediate validation on a pink validator or where to make it. Let's hope that is just a short term glitch as it's not acceptable to provide sub standard info on how to pay the right fare for the journey being made.
I note the crucial words "one" and "day" are missing in front of the word "Travelcard" under the Popular Fares List. Also why wouldn't the Travelcard season price be a popular fare for people? Looks like a piece of functionality too far to me.
PC | 05.02.14 - 9:06 a.m. | #
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Surely you mean GB railways rather than UK railways as there is no mention of Northern Ireland Railways; also the feeds don't seem to be live as they are still showing Southern being closed with the landslip at Ockley, that re-opened for start of service this morning.
E17Neil | 05.02.14 - 9:36 a.m. | #
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Most of the links don't seem to be working this morning: maybe too many of DGs followers have overloaded it?
The R8 map shows "Route not Found" - maybe it's stuck in a field somewhere following the off-road exploits mentioned earlier.
Meanwhile, outside my office window, an intriguing procession of museum pieces are providing an augmented service on the No25 - including the 36-year old prototype Metrobus, a DM of similar vintage (painted in the 1829 George Shillibeer livery), two refugees from Southend Transport and two "Cliff Richard" RTs old enough that, if they were people, they would have their own bus passes!
timbo | 05.02.14 - 11:31 a.m. | #
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I worked on this website for TFL as a Data Maintainer up until 2007. Amazing to think these new features were being talked about being added even then, 7 years ago!! FYI, the Journey Planner is designed and run by a German company, MDV, who also make transport sites for other cities. London's uniqueness isn't really taken into consideration, and the TFL people who sign off the new features for vast sums of money, needless to say, know zip about transport or how things work in London
Martin | 05.02.14 - 11:58 a.m. | #
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One thing I've noticed both on the site and on the recent strike information is the habit of listing stations in alphabetical order. This makes it very hard to see the whole pattern - for example today nearly all the stations between Upminster and Mile End are closed - but because they are listed in alphabetical order it is not immediately obvious that this is the case, nor which ones are the exceptions. Surely if they were listed them in geographical order it would be easier to identify the nearest station that is open?
| 05.02.14 - 12:28 p.m. | #
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The Z1-3 travelcard does exist as I buy it every week. £36.80. Might only be able to buy it from rail stations though, rather than through the oyster ticket machines in stations.
Anon | 05.02.14 - 1:25 p.m. | #
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I have checked it on my mobile. It keeps reloading while scrolling up and down the homepage - quite annoying.
Greg | 05.02.14 - 1:26 p.m. | #
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The bus route 281 has an interesting map at present. I've given them some feedback about it!
Maynard | 05.02.14 - 2:35 p.m. | #
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I had a look at the map for service 466, as I used to live in Caterham. The map indicates the stop at the Coulsdon/Caterham boundary as "Merstham The Grove".
As Merstham is several miles away from this point I tried to advise the discrepancy to TFL via their website, but I was unable to do so without entering my Oyster Card number, an item which is clearly of little use to me in Somerset !
Tony (Somerset) | 05.02.14 - 3:53 p.m. | #
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Rjnet - exactly; I can understand small developers being able to respond more quickly to changes in technology but it's embarrassing for TFL when private apps have bettert, moire detailed and more accurate information than their official website.
If I was in charge at TFL I would bunging large amounts of cash at the likes of Geofftech for the rights to use their content, though whether the developers would trust TFL with their material is another question!
Whiff | 05.02.14 - 4:56 p.m. | #
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that's... more that kind of you Whiff!
i'd happily talk to TfL, but you do worry that they are a policy driven company, with rules & regulations, and so creativity is somewhat stifled...
geofftech | Homepage | 05.02.14 - 5:20 p.m. | #
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Why can I not see any maps at all - just big white expanses of nothingness or, on the tube map, a seemingly random selection of station names
timbo | 05.02.14 - 6:32 p.m. | #
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Same here - been like it all day. Just a list of names, starting 'River ThamesChorleywoodMill Hill EastRickmansworth ...' (sic).
Don Petter | 05.02.14 - 6:56 p.m. | #
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Congratulations to TfL's web team who've devised a new website that doesn't work in certain old browsers.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 05.02.14 - 7:01 p.m. | #
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...particularly ironic when we TfL staff still have to use IE7 on our work PCs!
Andrew S | 05.02.14 - 9:58 p.m. | #
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This looks better
http://traintimes.org.uk/map/london-buses/#73
Tom | 05.02.14 - 11:03 p.m. | #
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They should be using an open map: not Google's definition of our city.
Reminds me of the way the Bike station info pillars with signposts have cropped up defining their area without consultation.
Tim Dunn | Homepage | 06.02.14 - 3:28 p.m. | #
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@Tim Dunn
They wouldn't be the first - many areas have become known by the names of railway stations which are some distance from the place they are named after - Clapham Junction (actually in Battersea) for example - also resulting in later stations nearer the actual town centre having to have subsidiary names (like Clapham Common). The original Black Friars were on the south side of the river - Southwark Cathedral finds many of its visitors get off the tube one stop early, Tooting station is right on the border with Mitcham, Holborn station is actually on High Holborn, not Holborn itself, etc
timbo | 06.02.14 - 11:05 p.m. | #
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Not sure I understand why TfL have spent so much time (and presumably money) on a new site which offers so little. I will stick to Citymapper and I suspect many others will too.
Jack | 06.02.14 - 11:36 p.m. | #
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The bus page now no longer has 'Auto Refresh' as the old one did - a lovely piece of functionality removed. Hopeless, and means i'll use an App on my phone rather than the website. Well done, TfL....
geofftech | Homepage | 07.02.14 - 1:41 p.m. | #
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I see the bus map facility has ceased working - at least for me. All I get is a map of Kings Cross regardless of the route number entered.
PC | 15.02.14 - 11:57 p.m. | #
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