Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

of course tikay

but it should still be possible to be as safe and clean.   and maybe even to timetables.  no??

The London Underground is incredibly safe, & it's very clean, especially given how modern day society discards litter & free newspapers everywhere.

Timetables. All Lines run "every x minutes", & the punctuality & reliability Rates are stunningly high. As with Weather Forecasts in non-temperate climates, Timetables are redundant on LU.

Not sure I can agree with that. Half the lines are closed when I go in and I've lost count of the number of times I've been on a train only for it to terminate before its destination. And what about the prices? Outrageous.

I stand by my comments. Northern Line excepted.....The Northern Line has been orphaned in the funding stakes, & needs investment. But it's still exceptionally good.

Expensive? Depends. Do you know a more efficient way to get from A-to B in London taking into account time & cost? It's a bargain, a steal, it's the deal of a lifetime.

[tikay]

And who was that guy who did the "Today" prog every morning, & always got the time wrong?

Brian Redhead?

Got it - Jack De Manio.

He Presented "Today" on the BBC Home Service from about the late fifties untl around 1970.

Famous for giving wrong time-checks.

He was the first Radio Journalist ever to interview Royalty - Prince Charles, in this case.

[Jon MW]

of course tikay

but it should still be possible to be as safe and clean.   and maybe even to timetables.  no??

The London Underground is incredibly safe, & it's very clean, especially given how modern day society discards litter & free newspapers everywhere.

Timetables. All Lines run "every x minutes", & the punctuality & reliability Rates are stunningly high. As with Weather Forecasts in non-temperate climates, Timetables are redundant on LU.

Not sure I can agree with that. Half the lines are closed when I go in and I've lost count of the number of times I've been on a train only for it to terminate before its destination. And what about the prices? Outrageous.

I stand by my comments. Northern Line excepted.....The Northern Line has been orphaned in the funding stakes, & needs investment. But it's still exceptionally good.

Expensive? Depends. Do you know a more efficient way to get from A-to B in London taking into account time & cost? It's a bargain, a steal, it's the deal of a lifetime.

It's always funny listening to Londoners on holiday around town where I live.

They tend to get most outraged at
(a) how much it costs to get anywhere by bus
(b) how long they have to wait for a bus

My point being is that London transport is heavily subsidised, and unlike a lot of public money it doesn't tend to get squandered.

London transport on a bad day is still a 1000 times better then what most of the country has to put up with.

[tikay]

When our body clock and the chemistry of an adrenelin rush clash, odd things happen.

I got home at about 5am, but was hyped up for some reason. Despite knowing I have a Show to do tonight, I stated writing, for about 3 hours, & could have continued all day. I got to bed eventually, still could not sleep, & eventually nodded off at about 10am. Alarm went off at 11, so I could get to London, & I feel absolutely wrecked.

Tonight's gonna be difficult, I'm so tired.

I'll never learn.

The tiredness persisted the whole day, but once the Show started, the adrenelin kicked in, & I was hyped up again. In fact, a bit too hyper, & my delivery was a bit OTT - more akin to Five-O style than The Open. I did not want to do the fast-pace Five-O delivery originally, & had to be asked/told, but suddenly, I can't help myself, & I'm like a poor man's Sid Waddell or Jesse May, all huff & puff.

I want to be more of a Henry Longhurst. (Only Karabiner would recall Henry). If I could have had a Broadcasting wish, I'd have been part of the TMS Team - those guys got it absolutely perfect as to tone, mood, voice projection, excitement levels, drollness, dignity, decorum, the perfect package.

Henry Longhurst was a TV Golf Commentator, & a very fine golfer in his day, played the Ryder Cup, or certainly the Walker Cup. His TV Commentating style was to let the pictures tell the story - he often said nothing for minutes on end. Golf, with it's scenery & beauty, was made for silence. He was asked to do some Commentating in America, on the Masters, & the American TV Execs nearly sacked him after two days - their rule was that every second had to be filled with Commentary. He refused, & so that was that, he was not going to be invited back. But the American viewing Public fel in love with his style, his long-silences, & eventually, he became a fixture at The Masters, & even had his "own" hole, on which he commentated every year, for 20 or more years. (The 16th I think).

Hec was MP for West Acton for a bit, & was big mates with E W Swanton & Alastair Cooke. He originated the latterly bastardised & amended maxim.....

They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection.

He wrote several books, the best of which, "My Life & Soft Times" is amongst my most treasured, & is definitely in my Top Ten Books I've ever read. If I had to take 10 books to my Desert Island, that would be one. Such a (youngsters prepare to recoil in horror) nice man, & incedibly humble. He lived in a windmill on the Sussex Downs, & was the Sunday Times Golf Correspondent for many years, but he only filed copy fortnightly. I think he wrote for Golf Illustrated, too.

Anyway, back to that chemistry between tiredness & adrenelin. (Sorry, it's a chemistry which intrigues me).

After last night's Show, all my mental & physical faculties seemed to shut themselves down. I could barely walk or think, it was most odd. I slept like a dead person though, & although I'm still a bit fatigued, I'm a bit better now. I need to start trying to establish a regular sleep pattern, I think it's the messing about with my body-clock that's the problem.

[tikay]

of course tikay

but it should still be possible to be as safe and clean.   and maybe even to timetables.  no??

The London Underground is incredibly safe, & it's very clean, especially given how modern day society discards litter & free newspapers everywhere.

Timetables. All Lines run "every x minutes", & the punctuality & reliability Rates are stunningly high. As with Weather Forecasts in non-temperate climates, Timetables are redundant on LU.

Not sure I can agree with that. Half the lines are closed when I go in and I've lost count of the number of times I've been on a train only for it to terminate before its destination. And what about the prices? Outrageous.

I stand by my comments. Northern Line excepted.....The Northern Line has been orphaned in the funding stakes, & needs investment. But it's still exceptionally good.

Expensive? Depends. Do you know a more efficient way to get from A-to B in London taking into account time & cost? It's a bargain, a steal, it's the deal of a lifetime.

It's always funny listening to Londoners on holiday around town where I live.

They tend to get most outraged at
(a) how much it costs to get anywhere by bus
(b) how long they have to wait for a bus

My point being is that London transport is heavily subsidised, and unlike a lot of public money it doesn't tend to get squandered.

London transport on a bad day is still a 1000 times better then what most of the country has to put up with.

Seconded. People don't realise how lucky & well off they are. Try living in Banjul, Mombasa, Freetown, or Heaven forbid, Cardiff. Then they'd know how well off they are.

[snoopy1239]

of course tikay

but it should still be possible to be as safe and clean.   and maybe even to timetables.  no??

The London Underground is incredibly safe, & it's very clean, especially given how modern day society discards litter & free newspapers everywhere.

Timetables. All Lines run "every x minutes", & the punctuality & reliability Rates are stunningly high. As with Weather Forecasts in non-temperate climates, Timetables are redundant on LU.

Not sure I can agree with that. Half the lines are closed when I go in and I've lost count of the number of times I've been on a train only for it to terminate before its destination. And what about the prices? Outrageous.

I stand by my comments. Northern Line excepted.....The Northern Line has been orphaned in the funding stakes, & needs investment. But it's still exceptionally good.

Expensive? Depends. Do you know a more efficient way to get from A-to B in London taking into account time & cost? It's a bargain, a steal, it's the deal of a lifetime.

tikay. The cost of traveling within zone one is £4. If you compare that to, say, New York, it's probably three or four times the price. Also, this figure went up recently for little reason, even though the reliability of the lines even being open is shockingly poor. I'm not sure why the Northern Line is your exception. From my experience over the last couple of years, it's been the District Line that has been the most unreliable. I agree that the underground system is impressive in terms of its history and what those workers created all those years ago, but in terms of cost, reliability and simple maintenance (three major derailments just last year), I would suggest that it is mile behind many of the major undergrounds across the world. I'm going to need to read into it further (I'm only a recent Londoner, after all), but you should probably take a look at Metronet's involvement.

On a slight side note, did you know that Hampstead was the deepest station? Thankfully they have an elevator.

[RED-DOG]

When our body clock and the chemistry of an adrenelin rush clash, odd things happen.

I got home at about 5am, but was hyped up for some reason. Despite knowing I have a Show to do tonight, I stated writing, for about 3 hours, & could have continued all day. I got to bed eventually, still could not sleep, & eventually nodded off at about 10am. Alarm went off at 11, so I could get to London, & I feel absolutely wrecked.

Tonight's gonna be difficult, I'm so tired.

I'll never learn.

The tiredness persisted the whole day, but once the Show started, the adrenelin kicked in, & I was hyped up again. In fact, a bit too hyper, & my delivery was a bit OTT - more akin to Five-O style than The Open. I did not want to do the fast-pace Five-O delivery originally, & had to be asked/told, but suddenly, I can't help myself, & I'm like a poor man's Sid Waddell or Jesse May, all huff & puff.

I want to be more of a Henry Longhurst. (Only Karabiner would recall Henry). If I could have had a Broadcasting wish, I'd have been part of the TMS Team - those guys got it absolutely perfect as to tone, mood, voice projection, excitement levels, drollness, dignity, decorum, the perfect package.

Henry Longhurst was a TV Golf Commentator, & a very fine golfer in his day, played the Ryder Cup, or certainly the Walker Cup. His TV Commentating style was to let the pictures tell the story - he often said nothing for minutes on end. Golf, with it's scenery & beauty, was made for silence. He was asked to do some Commentating in America, on the Masters, & the American TV Execs nearly sacked him after two days - their rule was that every second had to be filled with Commentary. He refused, & so that was that, he was not going to be invited back. But the American viewing Public fel in love with his style, his long-silences, & eventually, he became a fixture at The Masters, & even had his "own" hole, on which he commentated every year, for 20 or more years. (The 16th I think).

Hec was MP for West Acton for a bit, & was big mates with E W Swanton & Alastair Cooke. He originated the latterly bastardised & amended maxim.....

They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection.

He wrote several books, the best of which, "My Life & Soft Times" is amongst my most treasured, & is definitely in my Top Ten Books I've ever read. If I had to take 10 books to my Desert Island, that would be one. Such a (youngsters prepare to recoil in horror) nice man, & incedibly humble. He lived in a windmill on the Sussex Downs, & was the Sunday Times Golf Correspondent for many years, but he only filed copy fortnightly. I think he wrote for Golf Illustrated, too.

Anyway, back to that chemistry between tiredness & adrenelin. (Sorry, it's a chemistry which intrigues me).

After last night's Show, all my mental & physical faculties seemed to shut themselves down. I could barely walk or think, it was most odd. I slept like a dead person though, & although I'm still a bit fatigued, I'm a bit better now. I need to start trying to establish a regular sleep pattern, I think it's the messing about with my body-clock that's the problem.

Tony! Forgive me, but If I may make so bold, that's yet another great piece. You're getting quite good at this writing lark.

[snoopy1239]

When our body clock and the chemistry of an adrenelin rush clash, odd things happen.

I got home at about 5am, but was hyped up for some reason. Despite knowing I have a Show to do tonight, I stated writing, for about 3 hours, & could have continued all day. I got to bed eventually, still could not sleep, & eventually nodded off at about 10am. Alarm went off at 11, so I could get to London, & I feel absolutely wrecked.

Tonight's gonna be difficult, I'm so tired.

I'll never learn.

The tiredness persisted the whole day, but once the Show started, the adrenelin kicked in, & I was hyped up again. In fact, a bit too hyper, & my delivery was a bit OTT - more akin to Five-O style than The Open. I did not want to do the fast-pace Five-O delivery originally, & had to be asked/told, but suddenly, I can't help myself, & I'm like a poor man's Sid Waddell or Jesse May, all huff & puff.

I want to be more of a Henry Longhurst. (Only Karabiner would recall Henry). If I could have had a Broadcasting wish, I'd have been part of the TMS Team - those guys got it absolutely perfect as to tone, mood, voice projection, excitement levels, drollness, dignity, decorum, the perfect package.

Henry Longhurst was a TV Golf Commentator, & a very fine golfer in his day, played the Ryder Cup, or certainly the Walker Cup. His TV Commentating style was to let the pictures tell the story - he often said nothing for minutes on end. Golf, with it's scenery & beauty, was made for silence. He was asked to do some Commentating in America, on the Masters, & the American TV Execs nearly sacked him after two days - their rule was that every second had to be filled with Commentary. He refused, & so that was that, he was not going to be invited back. But the American viewing Public fel in love with his style, his long-silences, & eventually, he became a fixture at The Masters, & even had his "own" hole, on which he commentated every year, for 20 or more years. (The 16th I think).

Hec was MP for West Acton for a bit, & was big mates with E W Swanton & Alastair Cooke. He originated the latterly bastardised & amended maxim.....

They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection.

He wrote several books, the best of which, "My Life & Soft Times" is amongst my most treasured, & is definitely in my Top Ten Books I've ever read. If I had to take 10 books to my Desert Island, that would be one. Such a (youngsters prepare to recoil in horror) nice man, & incedibly humble. He lived in a windmill on the Sussex Downs, & was the Sunday Times Golf Correspondent for many years, but he only filed copy fortnightly. I think he wrote for Golf Illustrated, too.

Anyway, back to that chemistry between tiredness & adrenelin. (Sorry, it's a chemistry which intrigues me).

After last night's Show, all my mental & physical faculties seemed to shut themselves down. I could barely walk or think, it was most odd. I slept like a dead person though, & although I'm still a bit fatigued, I'm a bit better now. I need to start trying to establish a regular sleep pattern, I think it's the messing about with my body-clock that's the problem.

I see you more of a Jim Ross, tikay.

[tikay]

When our body clock and the chemistry of an adrenelin rush clash, odd things happen.

I got home at about 5am, but was hyped up for some reason. Despite knowing I have a Show to do tonight, I stated writing, for about 3 hours, & could have continued all day. I got to bed eventually, still could not sleep, & eventually nodded off at about 10am. Alarm went off at 11, so I could get to London, & I feel absolutely wrecked.

Tonight's gonna be difficult, I'm so tired.

I'll never learn.

The tiredness persisted the whole day, but once the Show started, the adrenelin kicked in, & I was hyped up again. In fact, a bit too hyper, & my delivery was a bit OTT - more akin to Five-O style than The Open. I did not want to do the fast-pace Five-O delivery originally, & had to be asked/told, but suddenly, I can't help myself, & I'm like a poor man's Sid Waddell or Jesse May, all huff & puff.

I want to be more of a Henry Longhurst. (Only Karabiner would recall Henry). If I could have had a Broadcasting wish, I'd have been part of the TMS Team - those guys got it absolutely perfect as to tone, mood, voice projection, excitement levels, drollness, dignity, decorum, the perfect package.

Henry Longhurst was a TV Golf Commentator, & a very fine golfer in his day, played the Ryder Cup, or certainly the Walker Cup. His TV Commentating style was to let the pictures tell the story - he often said nothing for minutes on end. Golf, with it's scenery & beauty, was made for silence. He was asked to do some Commentating in America, on the Masters, & the American TV Execs nearly sacked him after two days - their rule was that every second had to be filled with Commentary. He refused, & so that was that, he was not going to be invited back. But the American viewing Public fel in love with his style, his long-silences, & eventually, he became a fixture at The Masters, & even had his "own" hole, on which he commentated every year, for 20 or more years. (The 16th I think).

Hec was MP for West Acton for a bit, & was big mates with E W Swanton & Alastair Cooke. He originated the latterly bastardised & amended maxim.....

They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection.

He wrote several books, the best of which, "My Life & Soft Times" is amongst my most treasured, & is definitely in my Top Ten Books I've ever read. If I had to take 10 books to my Desert Island, that would be one. Such a (youngsters prepare to recoil in horror) nice man, & incedibly humble. He lived in a windmill on the Sussex Downs, & was the Sunday Times Golf Correspondent for many years, but he only filed copy fortnightly. I think he wrote for Golf Illustrated, too.

Anyway, back to that chemistry between tiredness & adrenelin. (Sorry, it's a chemistry which intrigues me).

After last night's Show, all my mental & physical faculties seemed to shut themselves down. I could barely walk or think, it was most odd. I slept like a dead person though, & although I'm still a bit fatigued, I'm a bit better now. I need to start trying to establish a regular sleep pattern, I think it's the messing about with my body-clock that's the problem.

I see you more of a Jim Ross, tikay.

And who is Jim Ross when he's at home? Some fictional character in a Children's Film? ("Children's" being in this context a tautology).

[DUNK619]

there is a wrestling commentator called jim ross i dont know if he meabs that one

[snoopy1239]

When our body clock and the chemistry of an adrenelin rush clash, odd things happen.

I got home at about 5am, but was hyped up for some reason. Despite knowing I have a Show to do tonight, I stated writing, for about 3 hours, & could have continued all day. I got to bed eventually, still could not sleep, & eventually nodded off at about 10am. Alarm went off at 11, so I could get to London, & I feel absolutely wrecked.

Tonight's gonna be difficult, I'm so tired.

I'll never learn.

The tiredness persisted the whole day, but once the Show started, the adrenelin kicked in, & I was hyped up again. In fact, a bit too hyper, & my delivery was a bit OTT - more akin to Five-O style than The Open. I did not want to do the fast-pace Five-O delivery originally, & had to be asked/told, but suddenly, I can't help myself, & I'm like a poor man's Sid Waddell or Jesse May, all huff & puff.

I want to be more of a Henry Longhurst. (Only Karabiner would recall Henry). If I could have had a Broadcasting wish, I'd have been part of the TMS Team - those guys got it absolutely perfect as to tone, mood, voice projection, excitement levels, drollness, dignity, decorum, the perfect package.

Henry Longhurst was a TV Golf Commentator, & a very fine golfer in his day, played the Ryder Cup, or certainly the Walker Cup. His TV Commentating style was to let the pictures tell the story - he often said nothing for minutes on end. Golf, with it's scenery & beauty, was made for silence. He was asked to do some Commentating in America, on the Masters, & the American TV Execs nearly sacked him after two days - their rule was that every second had to be filled with Commentary. He refused, & so that was that, he was not going to be invited back. But the American viewing Public fel in love with his style, his long-silences, & eventually, he became a fixture at The Masters, & even had his "own" hole, on which he commentated every year, for 20 or more years. (The 16th I think).

Hec was MP for West Acton for a bit, & was big mates with E W Swanton & Alastair Cooke. He originated the latterly bastardised & amended maxim.....

They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection.

He wrote several books, the best of which, "My Life & Soft Times" is amongst my most treasured, & is definitely in my Top Ten Books I've ever read. If I had to take 10 books to my Desert Island, that would be one. Such a (youngsters prepare to recoil in horror) nice man, & incedibly humble. He lived in a windmill on the Sussex Downs, & was the Sunday Times Golf Correspondent for many years, but he only filed copy fortnightly. I think he wrote for Golf Illustrated, too.

Anyway, back to that chemistry between tiredness & adrenelin. (Sorry, it's a chemistry which intrigues me).

After last night's Show, all my mental & physical faculties seemed to shut themselves down. I could barely walk or think, it was most odd. I slept like a dead person though, & although I'm still a bit fatigued, I'm a bit better now. I need to start trying to establish a regular sleep pattern, I think it's the messing about with my body-clock that's the problem.

I see you more of a Jim Ross, tikay.

And who is Jim Ross when he's at home? Some fictional character in a Children's Film? ("Children's" being in this context a tautology).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Ross

[Karabiner]

When our body clock and the chemistry of an adrenelin rush clash, odd things happen.

I got home at about 5am, but was hyped up for some reason. Despite knowing I have a Show to do tonight, I stated writing, for about 3 hours, & could have continued all day. I got to bed eventually, still could not sleep, & eventually nodded off at about 10am. Alarm went off at 11, so I could get to London, & I feel absolutely wrecked.

Tonight's gonna be difficult, I'm so tired.

I'll never learn.

The tiredness persisted the whole day, but once the Show started, the adrenelin kicked in, & I was hyped up again. In fact, a bit too hyper, & my delivery was a bit OTT - more akin to Five-O style than The Open. I did not want to do the fast-pace Five-O delivery originally, & had to be asked/told, but suddenly, I can't help myself, & I'm like a poor man's Sid Waddell or Jesse May, all huff & puff.

I want to be more of a Henry Longhurst. (Only Karabiner would recall Henry). If I could have had a Broadcasting wish, I'd have been part of the TMS Team - those guys got it absolutely perfect as to tone, mood, voice projection, excitement levels, drollness, dignity, decorum, the perfect package.

Henry Longhurst was a TV Golf Commentator, & a very fine golfer in his day, played the Ryder Cup, or certainly the Walker Cup. His TV Commentating style was to let the pictures tell the story - he often said nothing for minutes on end. Golf, with it's scenery & beauty, was made for silence. He was asked to do some Commentating in America, on the Masters, & the American TV Execs nearly sacked him after two days - their rule was that every second had to be filled with Commentary. He refused, & so that was that, he was not going to be invited back. But the American viewing Public fel in love with his style, his long-silences, & eventually, he became a fixture at The Masters, & even had his "own" hole, on which he commentated every year, for 20 or more years. (The 16th I think).

Hec was MP for West Acton for a bit, & was big mates with E W Swanton & Alastair Cooke. He originated the latterly bastardised & amended maxim.....

They say 'practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection.

He wrote several books, the best of which, "My Life & Soft Times" is amongst my most treasured, & is definitely in my Top Ten Books I've ever read. If I had to take 10 books to my Desert Island, that would be one. Such a (youngsters prepare to recoil in horror) nice man, & incedibly humble. He lived in a windmill on the Sussex Downs, & was the Sunday Times Golf Correspondent for many years, but he only filed copy fortnightly. I think he wrote for Golf Illustrated, too.

Anyway, back to that chemistry between tiredness & adrenelin. (Sorry, it's a chemistry which intrigues me).

After last night's Show, all my mental & physical faculties seemed to shut themselves down. I could barely walk or think, it was most odd. I slept like a dead person though, & although I'm still a bit fatigued, I'm a bit better now. I need to start trying to establish a regular sleep pattern, I think it's the messing about with my body-clock that's the problem.

Henry Longhurst was I agree one of the greatest ever golf commentators, sort of like a Sir Peter O'Sullivan of golf.

That was rather a golden era for great sporting radio commentaries.

Nobody who ever listened to test cricket on the radio in those years could ever forget John Arlott's work. I can still hear him in my mind's ear saying "and in comes Truman from the Nursury end" in that West country burr of his.

[tikay]

of course tikay

but it should still be possible to be as safe and clean.   and maybe even to timetables.  no??

The London Underground is incredibly safe, & it's very clean, especially given how modern day society discards litter & free newspapers everywhere.

Timetables. All Lines run "every x minutes", & the punctuality & reliability Rates are stunningly high. As with Weather Forecasts in non-temperate climates, Timetables are redundant on LU.

Not sure I can agree with that. Half the lines are closed when I go in and I've lost count of the number of times I've been on a train only for it to terminate before its destination. And what about the prices? Outrageous.

I stand by my comments. Northern Line excepted.....The Northern Line has been orphaned in the funding stakes, & needs investment. But it's still exceptionally good.

Expensive? Depends. Do you know a more efficient way to get from A-to B in London taking into account time & cost? It's a bargain, a steal, it's the deal of a lifetime.

tikay. The cost of traveling within zone one is £4. If you compare that to, say, New York, it's probably three or four times the price. Also, this figure went up recently for little reason, even though the reliability of the lines even being open is shockingly poor. I'm not sure why the Northern Line is your exception. From my experience over the last couple of years, it's been the District Line that has been the most unreliable. I agree that the underground system is impressive in terms of its history and what those workers created all those years ago, but in terms of cost, reliability and simple maintenance (three major derailments just last year), I would suggest that it is mile behind many of the major undergrounds across the world. I'm going to need to read into it further (I'm only a recent Londoner, after all), but you should probably take a look at Metronet's involvement.

On a slight side note, did you know that Hampstead was the deepest station? Thankfully they have an elevator.

We are diametrically opposed here, but fortunately, it'll be a nice debate, because you don't do SHOUTY, & can debate like an adult.

So, three derailments lat year, eh? How many train movements were there? Then work out the %. The LU carried about 979 million pasenger journeys in 2006. Suicides apart, & folks geting pushed under trains, how many fatalities were there? Tell me, miles per person carried, of a safer transport system. Not cars, not buses, not aeroplanes.

Too dear? So you want more subsidies then. But will you moan at the increased taxation or rates needed to subsidise it? So what if the New York Subway is cheaper - what's that gotta do with the price of bread? You don't live in New York!

Metronet was a huge mistake, a disaster, & yes, I can tell you chapter & verse about the Metronet farce. They were given too muck work, too quickly, as a result of decades of under-funding, & messed up big time. That does not make the whole package bad, it was like a loose fan belt in a car - fixable.

The Distruct Line is near the botton of the LU League of reliability. That's because it's exceedingly complex, & al;most un-upgradeable.

But you fail to mention the stunning excellence of the Victoria Line, Central Line, Jubilee Line, the Upgraded Waterloo & City Line, Bakerloo Line, etc.

And that's where I struggle with modern day society. Highlight the failings, ignore the successes. It's called, I think, British Disease, & it is an absolutely awful trait. In my opinion, that is.

OK, gotta get to DTD. Enjoy Chicago, or wherever!

[Simon Galloway]

Oyster card works out a lot cheaper than £4.

I use the tube every day.  During morning and evening peaks, there isn't a better way.  At other times, I can't bring myself to use it, I much prefer to walk and/or cab.

[AndrewT]

For the most part, the Tube is fantastic. The problems come at rush hour when it is running at capacity - there's no slack if things go slightly wrong.

I get the Northern Line every morning from Waterloo to Mornington Crescent. The service is good (trains every 2 mins). However, the trains are busy when they arrive at the station so there's not much room. If there is any slight delay at all, resulting in a gap of even 4 mins between trains, then you'll have a full train pulling into a full platform, and people won't be able to get on it.

The Waterloo and City line is even worse - every morning there will be a queue of people waiting to get down to the platform - 3 or 4 trains may go before you'll be able to get on one.

The problem is simply too many people travelling to the same places at the same time - whatever happened to the flexi-time we were all supposed to be working by now?

As for the cost - £28 gets me a ticket to use any tube, train or bus in Central London for a whole week, as many times as I like. A return train ticket to Luton (20 minute journey) is £20.