On Dec 2, 11:19 pm, "Michael R N Dolbear" wrote:
MIG wrote







On Dec 2, 8:13 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
For many journeys, the JP will offer a bewildering variety of
routes, many
dependent on infrequent services. That means that if one
connection is
missed because of a late-running service, you're stuffed. I've
even seen
some routes in central London that are dependent on bus services
that are
not only infrequent but also are non-TfL and on which Travelcards
are not
valid!

The type of recommendation that most people want is a route that
offers a
reasonably fast route (compared with the fastest possible) with not
too many
changes and on which there is a frequent service. You can then
choose that
route with confidence even if you're a few minutes adrift from your
target
start time. The Journey Planner is sadly hopeless at meeting that
common
requirement.

So give the JP people some feedback and ask for a ranking of routes by
"most robust" based on the frequencies and/or recent punctuality data
of each service used ?

Could make the output even more confusing if JP is also to give the
cost and rank by cost if asked as suggested elsethread.



Also, although Paul is right about the surprising elegance of some of
the routes it comes up with, it doesn't allow me to, say, plan how to
visit a particular shop or meet someone on the way which happens to
be
on a route that takes ten minutes longer than the ideal one it's
selling me. Simple timetables would allow me to plan such things at
a
glance.

Huh ?

select "via", why don't you ?

Of course if you haven't decided where to meet up you are being a bit
unfair.

The minute I get the phone call, naming a place and time that I might
not have known (eg if the other person was travelling unpredictably by
public transport), my downloaded timetables would immediately show me
all the options and I could leave home. The alternative is start the
slow JP process after the call, instead of leaving home, or else to
have laboriously entered every option over the possible period one at
a time and noted the results before I got the call.


If you want to shop rather than meet someone then :-

{SE JP} Buttons below the summary allow you to plan a return journey
between the same two locations - just set the date and time you want to
travel back.

Or you can plan an onward journey from your original destination. Just
click the onward journey button and set the next destination (and date
and time) you want to
carry on your journey.


There is a fundamental difference between transport operators and
passengers (customers). The latter want information in order to
maximise their free choices, while the former are in the habit of
providing directions because, where necessary, that's how they can
control flows of people.

Increasing the options in the control mechanism doesn't address the
fact that I just want information (ie timetables and routes).