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London’s massive sprawl is thankfully covered by our extensive transport network of trains, tubes, buses, trams and even a cable car. But we’d be lying if we said getting around this city always goes smoothly: cramming into a busy, sweaty tube carriage in the armpit of a stranger or sitting dripping wet after hopping on a bus to avoid the rain is hardly a cheerful way to start the working day.
And apparently Londoners are feeling pretty glum about public transport at the mo. Recent research by fitness company Peloton surveyed 4,000 people across the UK and it found that commuters in the capital are by far the unhappiest with their journey to work.
Almost a quarter (around 24 percent) of those questioned in the capital said they hate their commute, with 11 percent saying it left them stressed and 14 percent saying it wore them out. Across the UK, that figure was much lower, at only around 16 percent.
What’s more, the average commute in London covers only around 9.5 km whereas for the rest of the UK it’s closer to 24 km. However, journeys to work in the capital average at around 38 minutes, but across the country it’s only about 32 – that’s a pretty slow-moving journey, when you think about it.
And the delays across the capital’s transport networks right now are hardly helping the situation – delays on the Central line won’t be over any time soon, and there are more strikes due on the trains, tubes, and Overground.
Amanda Gilmore, a Peloton rep, told the Standard: ‘Rethinking how we use the commute has the potential to bring about improvements to mood, productivity and daily enjoyment.’
It sounds like they’ve got a point – in the same survey, 49 percent of people said they’d likely feel less frustrated and more relaxed if they did some form of exercise as part of their commute. Peloton is aiming to help people build a little bit of exercise into their commute, such as by doing a little five-minute meditation on their journey, or slotting in a short run between buses and trains.
Maybe cycling to work is a bit more realistic. If you’re up for that, we at Time Out have helpful news: TfL has announced four new north London cycle routes and Lime revealed that these routes had the most journeys on their bikes last year.
Did you see that this abandoned London train line could soon be brought back to life?
Plus: TfL has revealed official plans to extend the DLR.
Listen to Time Out’s brilliant podcast ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’: the newest episode with Noomi Rapace in Portobello is out now.
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