I bought an oyster card when I first arrived in London and it has been brilliant. Easy clock on and off with the tube, and clock on only with buses. I've found the city transport system easy to navigate, and there have only been a few occasions when it has been sardine packed. It is all well signposted, transfers between platforms are smooth and services run every couple of minutes. The only time I fell foul of it was travelling to Gatwick to head to Dublin. I had allowed 15 minutes for the changeover but didn't realise that there were two distinct sections at Victoria, the underground and the above ground. Then I couldn't find where to pick up my ticket, and then I had to find the platform. In the end I missed my train by about 30 seconds - it was pulling out as I got to the platform. Aarghh I thought. I had an advance ticket which are only valid on a particular train, and was facing having to buy another, much more expensive ticket. I asked the porter on the platform what I should do, and he said, catch the next train and explain to the ticket inspector, and hopefully he will let you off. I confessed to the inspector and he smiled and said that given my accent, he understood and it was fine. The train wasn't exactly busy; there were only 2 other people in my carriage. I learned my lesson after that and allowed plenty of time for platform changes.
I've tended to use trains rather than buses, but Gay and I used the buses to travel across the river to her place near an extraordinary place called the Elephant and Castle. It's a double 'circle' more an octagon perhaps and the buses radiate from in to all parts of the city. Virtually every second vehicle going through is a bus.
I also signed up for the Barclays bikes otherwise known as Boris's Bikes. It's very cheap as long as you put the bike back at a rack within half an hour, but unlike other places with this system, you have to wait 5 minutes before you can get out another bike. It's a bit annoying. They are also very heavy and fairly clunky to ride. But the biggest issues are the lack of daylight, and the lack of rideable bike paths. They exist, but are often also bus lanes or clogged with parked cars. The roads in London aren't very wide to start with and the traffic is horrendous so I haven't used the bikes as much as I thought I would. They were useful though for the trip back from the shops to Holland Park, where I had figured out a route through the back streets. There are lots of cyclists prepared to brave the traffic though.
I've tended to use trains rather than buses, but Gay and I used the buses to travel across the river to her place near an extraordinary place called the Elephant and Castle. It's a double 'circle' more an octagon perhaps and the buses radiate from in to all parts of the city. Virtually every second vehicle going through is a bus.
I also signed up for the Barclays bikes otherwise known as Boris's Bikes. It's very cheap as long as you put the bike back at a rack within half an hour, but unlike other places with this system, you have to wait 5 minutes before you can get out another bike. It's a bit annoying. They are also very heavy and fairly clunky to ride. But the biggest issues are the lack of daylight, and the lack of rideable bike paths. They exist, but are often also bus lanes or clogged with parked cars. The roads in London aren't very wide to start with and the traffic is horrendous so I haven't used the bikes as much as I thought I would. They were useful though for the trip back from the shops to Holland Park, where I had figured out a route through the back streets. There are lots of cyclists prepared to brave the traffic though.
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