please empty your brain below
Would the type of person who spends over £400,000 on an apartment travel on a public bus. Probably a taxi to the station.

John | 03.05.14 - 6:39 a.m. | #

I think i preferred it when you talked about football. Can we have a post about football please? Otherwise i might not read your blog again.

Geofftech | Homepage | 03.05.14 - 6:45 a.m. | #

... don't forget to factor in time waiting for connections. As in, a hypothetical journey from a to b using one mode of transport may take 10 minutes, but if one needs to catch a z to get to a, then the clock starts ticking when one catches the z, not the a (if you get my convoluted point).

Put another way, my train journey to the city is 12 minutes when my train is routed by the station I need (hardly ever). However when it isn't, (most of the time), my 12 minute journey stretches to 20, because I have to change to another train at one point to get to the city station I need.

On another point, I thought I was being smart flying into London City this trip over, but actually transport there sucks pretty bad. Any hints on the best way for two weary travellers (who will have their hefty cases packed to the hilt with cuckoo clocks, beer steins and apple brandy (i.e. we need step free) to get from LC Airport to the Ibis at Earl's Court (which may be closer to West Brompton than EC)? I tried to use the TFL disability doo-da, but my head exploded.

Antipodean | 03.05.14 - 7:53 a.m. | #

In these days of departure-based apps, I've assumed you can walk to the first stop just in time to catch your bus.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 03.05.14 - 8:05 a.m. | #

You're also making the fundamental mistake of assuming anyone will actually live there, as opposed to buying a flat, paying someone to dodge various taxes on it (esp. capital gains) then flogging it to some other investor for a handsome profit in a couple of years time.

Graham | 03.05.14 - 8:21 a.m. | #

@DG It wasn't the first mode of transport I was thinking of. It was the wait between getting off the bus and the train coming (in some of your examples above). Or, maybe, London is just better coordinated than Melbourne. I never catch buses in London because they are too confusing.

Antipodean | 03.05.14 - 8:34 a.m. | #

...plus the time it takes to get outside from the 34th floor, of course...

EskimoPie | 03.05.14 - 8:43 a.m. | #

The mental faculties (I use the phrase cautiously) of the dimwits who writes these brochures must be the total opposite of those of us who love this blog. Those people live in a la-la land that I never recognise.

Antipodean. LCY has brilliant public transport. Trains every 4mins in rush hour or every 10 off peak. DLR station is barely a minute walk from arrivals hall. Take DLR to Canning Town, Jubilee to Westminster, District from there. Escalators and lifts at all interchanges, so no need to haul your bags up stairs.

IslandDweller | 03.05.14 - 8:48 a.m. | #

@ Island dweller - thank you! I knew that the Jubilee was involved somewhere, but the TFL website with all its colour codes and As and Bs and whatnot delineating different types of access at different stations did my head in. I've just written that in my travel book!

Antipodean | 03.05.14 - 9:08 a.m. | #

@antipodean

Canning Town is a complicated station, and if your DLR train is going to Stratford it may be easier to change to the District at West Ham so you only need to deal with one lift, instead of three (two at Canning Town and another at Westminster)
However, if your DLR is going to the City then Canning Town is your best bet.

The Ibis is indeed much nearer West Brompton than Earls Court - if you get off at Earls Court (the Warwick Road entrance is the nearer one) you would have to walk right past West Brompton station to get to the Ibis. Note that West Brompton (District Line) is not step-free - at least southbound. However, according to the Tube map the Overground platforms are step free, and you could go DLR to Stratford and then Overground to West Brompton, which takes longer, but avoids all the steps.

timbo | 03.05.14 - 10:31 a.m. | #

I think a powered parachute is going to be the answer. From the 34th floor, it will be downhill all the way!

Temp | 03.05.14 - 10:33 a.m. | #

@ Timbo. Thank you! I'll take your suggestions too. And good to know my hunch that the Ibis was closer to WB was correct. It is a bit out of the way there, but I got a fantastic deal, so I can't complain. Also - I think I understand how the 'Mornington Crescent' game came to be, now. I'm waiting for someone else to chip in with yet another suggestion :)

Antipodean | 03.05.14 - 10:59 a.m. | #

@antipodean If the Ibis is so irresistible that you end up staying there again you could fly into Gatwick and take the 'easybus' direct to almost opposite the Ibis hotel. OK, it's not a train, much more like a bus, but if you are overburdened with cuckoo clocks and the like the simple one step journey might appeal. It is also possible to catch a train from Gatwick to West Brompton, but this would involve a change (at Clapham Junction). I'm assuming you've discounted the option of using Heathrow and taking a cab or tube train.

Lorenzo | 03.05.14 - 1:29 p.m. | #

@ Lorenzo - on this occasion I am coming from Jersey (hence the apple brandy) ... there wasn't a lot of choice to be honest. But I will remember Gatwick for future reference. Thank you!

Antipodean | 03.05.14 - 2:00 p.m. | #

I suspect that the majority of the foreign owned flats will be let out. Local renters will know the real journey times.

As to whether such occupants of expensive property will use the tube, of course they will, unfortunately such properties are ten a penny these days, they will use tube and bus for most journeys and the cab late at night ro until such time they feel safe walking through Stratford at night.

Rational Plan | 03.05.14 - 2:12 p.m. | #

'Capital Towers'?

*Remembers watching the 'Towering Inferno' film.*

What are the London Fire Brigade's plans for such events? Cos they _will_ occur. Or won't it matter as all the new apartments will be investment opportunities for out-of-Towners?

Bronchitikat | 03.05.14 - 4:27 p.m. | #

I suspect the marketing is aimed at foreign investors who won't really know or care about much, other than that they're making a worthwhile investment, as they will never visit their property and will only even risk devaluing it with rental tenants if they're desperate.

Like many of the current high rise residential developments around London they will remain mostly empty investment vehicles until after the great London property crash of 2017/2018 when they will degenerate into slums and eventually be blown up as part of the new year 2037 celebrations.

Paul | 03.05.14 - 4:49 p.m. | #

Words to watch-out for include, but are not limited to:

Opportunity (for whom?)

Landmark (really?...some may say the Bow Roundabout is a "landmark")

Luxuxy (so by this we mean what exactly? not affordable and all private tenants or private renting)

Marketed (instead of "for sale")

With regards the "conning of rich folk" who live halfway round the world" ...many a Londoner will say who cares? "A fool and her/his money" etc.

Grumpy Anon | 03.05.14 - 5:14 p.m. | #

Does anyone actually commute from Stratford International to St. Pancras International? I guess you would only do this if you could walk from St. Pancras to your destination. I can't imagine there are many journeys that involve changing onto the Underground would be worth the extra money travelling via HS1.

Chris B | 03.05.14 - 5:51 p.m. | #

There may be people who commute in the reverse direction - e.g Bedford or Peterborough to Stratford or thereabouts - or maybe to City Airport

timbo | 03.05.14 - 9:06 p.m. | #

@ Chris B - once all the new offices at Kings Cross are filled then I think there may be some people who'd be tempted to do the commute you cite. The big disincentive is the lack of T/Card acceptance.

PC | 03.05.14 - 11:50 p.m. | #

Over-analysis of an unimportant issue? What blogs are for, surely.

Sarah | Homepage | 04.05.14 - 10:06 a.m. | #

I don't think it's an over-analysis of an unimportant issue at all! It's misleading, untrue and shouldn't be allowed.

Carla | Homepage | 04.05.14 - 11:37 a.m. | #

Carla,
It isn't (allowed). There is an ASA or so I have heard.

DG will have already written to it.

HowardGWR | 04.05.14 - 1:02 p.m. | #

How about cycling between Stratford (international) and Capital Towers? I can time it for you ;-)

Half a physicist | 05.05.14 - 12:53 p.m. | #











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