"Colin" wrote in message
news
Err, if I was one for hyperbole I would have chose the subject line
without my tongue being firmly in my cheek, possibly 'Problem with TfL
Journey Planner' might have been less attention grabbing subject line.
Still ...

I think the TfL Journey Planner, http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk is quite
useful, if you take the advanced options you'll find some options to help
you plan cycle routes - an effort in the right direction I think.

snip

You caused me to look at the site and try (as a thought experiment only) its
suggestion for a journey I used to do regularly. It suggests 42 minutes
cycling and a rather ziggy zaggy route -- presumably to avoid the Lea Bridge
Road -- which I would regard as perfectly cyclable. Memory suggests the
more direct route could be done comfortably inside 30 minutes -- though that
included a short cut through Epping Forest that could get soggy in the
winter.

The alternatives using buses and tubes all came out in the 1:10 to 1:20
range -- partly because the start point is nearly a mile from a bus stop or
tube station -- though gave some interesting alternatives I would not
necessarily have considered.

Looking at Transport Direct (http://www.transportdirect.info) the public
transport times were very similar.

However, the door to door car time suggested is 39 minutes for 8.3 miles
(again, by a reasonable route but not one that I would not have picked as a
local with local knowledge). The time sounds a little pessimistic on a good
day and wildly optimistic on a bad one.

What is concealed in the car time is that it is impossible to park within
1/2 to 3/4 mile of the destination so you need to add a further 10 minutes
walking time.

The future of transport in cities is clear :~)

T