interestrateripoff Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2890712/Boris-s-high-wire-howler-Not-zip-wire-debacle-60m-cable-car-Thames-s-used-NO-commuters-ROBERT-HARDMAN.html Few people seem to be in much of a rush during the rush hour here. There is certainly nothing that could be described as a queue at this station. At times, there is no one at all. According to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, the £60 million trans-Thames shuttle — Britain’s first urban cable car, no less — is a ‘much-needed new river crossing in the east of our great city’. He has even incorporated it into the hallowed London Tube map. However, according to figures just revealed (but only after a Freedom of Information request), this is arguably the most pointless piece of public transport in the country. For since its grand ope Air Line to travel to work appears to have fallen to an all-time low — of none at all. Anyone on here used it? I presume this is far too slow for anyone in London to use and if it goes nowhere useful why would anyone be using it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snugglybear Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Went on it once. We were the only people getting on at the southern end, we saw two cars with passengers in going the other way, and we were the only people in the terminal at all at the northern end. Admittedly this was at a weekend in the depths of winter. However, at any time I suspect most of the passengers are tourists going on it just the once, for the experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinAndPlatonic Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 How much does it cost return? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Executive Sadman Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 How much does it cost return? £3.30 i think it says. which seems cheap compared to the London wheel...but then its in the **** end of London the other side of canary wharf. Cant see many tourists around there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkins Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 The Emirates Air Line cable car is a good candidate for most predictable white elephant ever. It connects the Greenwich peninsula, a half-dead area containing a leisure venue that everybody arrives by tube to use with the Royal Docks, a half-dead area containing an exhibition centre that everybody arrives by DLR to use. The resident population is low and there's nothing resembling an urban town centre in either area. Poorly guarded Arab oil money meets civil servants attempting top-down urban regeneration, malinvestment ensues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybong Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) It's the sort of expenditure that if a company was doing it then any sensible investors would be selling stock quick fast. It's on a par with the fancy and glossy company brochure/expensive art at reception/private jets etc as a sell signal. Edited December 30, 2014 by billybong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 It's not public transport, it's a tourist attraction similar to the London Eye. If you actually ever wanted to get from North Greenwich (the only thing there is the O2) to the DLR, the Jubilee line is cheaper, leaves you closer to central London, and Canning Town actually connects two branches of the DLR. I went on the air line once, and it was made mildly exciting due to an unscheduled mid-crossing stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybong Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Whoa - it looks a bit wibbly wobbly - not unlike London house prices. Great use of spare wind farm masts though. Edited December 30, 2014 by billybong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bear Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 It's not public transport, it's a tourist attraction similar to the London Eye. If you actually ever wanted to get from North Greenwich (the only thing there is the O2) to the DLR, the Jubilee line is cheaper, leaves you closer to central London, and Canning Town actually connects two branches of the DLR. I went on the air line once, and it was made mildly exciting due to an unscheduled mid-crossing stop. Not quite nothing there. I used it to go to the Cutty Sark. Possibly part of the problem is that it is higher cost than normal public transport. A bit like the Dartford charge, doesn't matter if you use it a few times a year but if you want to use it twice a day it mounts up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dances with sheeple Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 60m? Peanuts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Trams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SE10 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Not quite nothing there. I used it to go to the Cutty Sark. Cutty Sark is 2 miles from the dangleway, wouldn't the DLR or clipper have been a better way? As someone who lives in that area, I have no idea what I would use the dangleway for. I don't know any other locals who use it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankstersparadise Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 The Emirates Air Line cable car is a good candidate for most predictable white elephant ever. Soon to be beaten by HS2! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bear Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Cutty Sark is 2 miles from the dangleway, wouldn't the DLR or clipper have been a better way? As someone who lives in that area, I have no idea what I would use the dangleway for. I don't know any other locals who use it either. DLR would have been better if seeing the Cutty Sark was the only reason to head in that direction, but I had never been on a cable car of any shape or form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orsino Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Well into the 1990s most people (including myself) said Canary Wharf was a white elephant. Crossrail was first proposed in 1974. There's a Crossrail 2 project that will hopefully get off the drawing board and will link Hackney with Chelsea - maybe in 15 or 20 years. Major transport infrastructure projects in London usually take decades, not least because the slightest suggestion of development normally stirs up a hornet's nest of nimbys. In areas where London is expanding rapidly it makes sense to put the transport infrastructure in first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHorseWaits-NoMore Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Wasteful maybe but it equates to about 20 seconds of deficit borrowing (@ ~100bn/yr), almost as much time as it took to write this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.