Paul Corfield wrote in uk.transport.london on Tue, 26 Jun 2007
19:48:56 +0100 :

You probably won't like my next suggestion and I would agree that you
shouldn't have to plan like this. I make sure I have a number of
alternative routes already worked out to get me to where I want to get
to.

Agreed on both counts (that one shouldn't have to plan for this, but
that contingency plans are well worth it).

I've regularly been amazed at the number of fellow travellers during
the peaks who don't appear to realise that there *are* alternatives to
their chosen route, even without running the risk of being turned into
a toad by getting on (shock, horror) a *bus*.

Heading the "wrong" way from the congestion point for a while in order
to get on a bus heading back in the right direction before the
pressure of hundreds of folk at a bus stop is a further option that
I've found pays dividends.

(Insert further disclaimers about the preferability of
perfectly-designed, resourced and planned systems, catering for
irregular users, my not working for TfL, etc, etc.)

Dave
"are you trying to tell me coconuts migrate?"