Getting up close and personal on a Monday morning is a recurring nightmare for many London commuters. But though our public transport system makes a sardine can look roomy, it’s a necessary evil for the millions of Londoners who use it every day.
For many Hackney residents, however, getting around on public transport is even more difficult.
A distinct lack of underground train stations, together with the closure of overground services from Gospel Oak to Stratford until June, means many rely on a network of buses to take them around or out of the borough. But what are the alternatives, and are they really that much better?
There’s only one way to find out: a race across Hackney.
In the green corner: Trevor Parsons, co-ordinator of the London Cycling Campaign in Hackney. He says cycling is by far the best way to get around, and he’s confident he’ll cross the finish line first.
“Unless it’s the middle of the night or on a motorway, a bicycle will always beat a car, especially in Hackney, where you can cut through areas the council has closed off to cars,” says Parsons.
In the blue corner: Jennifer Lipman, Hackney Post reporter, and our Stig for the day. “In a car, you have your own space and comforts, and if you have a sat nav it’s easy to get around. There’s not much
traffic today, so I fancy my chances,” she says.
Finally, in the red corner: me. I’ve been taking public transport for years, and though bus services in Hackney are pretty good, levels of traffic in some parts of the borough are not. So it will be interesting to see what the day has in store.
We set out from the Kings Mead estate in Homerton on a Tuesday afternoon. The rain gods are threatening to dish up a storm, and the schadenfreude in me secretly wants Trevor to get soaked. But it’s not going to happen and, through the slight drizzle, the race begins.
With the entrance to Hackney Community College in the south of the borough as our goal, Transport for London tells me I’m 5km, 31 minutes and one bus away from reaching my destination.
But true to Sod’s law, I reach the end of the road to see the 242 bus whizz past – minus me, and nine minutes on, I’m still waiting at the bus stop.
Meanwhile, under the hypnosis of TomTom, Jennifer is already well ahead on Lower Clapton Road, and heads towards Dalston Lane.
Even at this stage Hackney’s very own Lance Armstrong is putting us both to shame. At the nine minute mark, he’s already nipped through several estates and is cutting across London Fields towards Queensbridge Road.
At last I step onto the bus. It darts through the roads and for a moment I think I have a chance. Then we hit Mare Street.
“This bus is being held here to regulate the service,” the monotone recording blares.
“Breathe,” I think to myself, not realising my lips have followed suit. The woman in front turns around. “Bad day?” her look suggests. “Don’t you know it”, I think.
After a brief wait on Dalston Lane, Jennifer sprints down Kingsland Road until the college is in her sights, while Trevor is long past Broadway Market, cutting through Nuttall Street, onto Hoxton Street. After 15 minutes on the road, the pair are neck and neck.
But parking is the car’s Achilles’ heel, and though she makes it to the college after just 16 minutes, Jennifer soon realises there’s nowhere to park. Frantically circling the area, she finally finds a space on Hoxton Street, and after a brief walk she turns the corner to see Trevor standing in front of the college holding up his stopwatch. “18 minutes should we say?”
Against a time of 27 minutes including parking time for Jennifer, he’s won by a mile.
I finally arrive at 1.23pm, 53 minutes after we set off. Trevor’s even had time to pop home to grab a jumper before coming back to greet me. “Nice to see you,” he says, beaming.
But though Trevor glows in his victory, he also realises the dangers of cycling on the road. The death of Shivon Watson at the Victoria Park roundabout this month highlights just how vulnerable cyclists are,
and Trevor is keen to emphasise safety.
“As we’ve proved today, I beat the car and the bus easily. You don’t have to push every time to be fast.
“If you remember one thing when you’re riding on the roads, never go down the left hand side of a lorry or large vehicle. It’s not worth it.”
Jennifer, though gracious in defeat, still says she wouldn’t swap her car for a bike. “While I appreciate the benefits of cycling,” she says, “I’ll be sticking with my car for now, even if it takes longer. Cycling’s just not my thing.”
As for me? While I’m not surprised I came last, I didn’t realise it would take so long. As we part ways on the transport we arrived in, I’m left seriously thinking of getting on my bike…literally.
For more information on Transport for London’s Cycling scheme, visit www.tfl.gov.uk/cycling
