Transport for London journey planner

[Armorel]

Transport for London's journey planner supposedly has an option for showing journeys that let you take your bike on public transport (you enter your starting point and destination, then go to "Cycling" and click "Take my cycle on public transport") but I can't get it to work - it doesn't show me any options for taking my bike on trains but instead just gives me instructions for cycling all the way. Has anyone had better luck in getting it to come up with real public transport options?

Specifically, I want to take a bike from St. Pancras station to Honor Oak Park. Because the bike is for my son, it is too big for me to ride safely so I want to take it by train for as much of the journey as is feasible - it is frustrating that the TfL website purports to be able to come up with instructions for journeys like this but (as far as I can see) then doesn't deliver the goods.

[RickH]

I just tried it - the results display (in Firefox) seems rather squiffy but I did get something.

It may be that there isn't a good route you can take a bike on public transport between those 2 locations - my attempt is only giving me Euston Square to Moorgate (on the Circle line - can you take actually a bike on there?), so you are still North of the River when you have to get on your bike for the rest of the journey.

[Armorel]

Thanks, Rick. It's interesting that you got even some sort of results on Firefox as I was using Firefox too (although I have also tried Internet Explorer with no better results).

As far as I know a viable option would be to take the bike on the Circle line to Monument, cross London Bridge and get a Southern region train to Honor Oak Park from London Bridge station, but I can't get the TfL website to get anywhere near suggesting this. My son suggested that I cycle about 3 miles (partly along the Regent's Canal) to Haggerston and get the Overground to Honor Oak from there - but again, the TfL website doesn't come up with this. So my fundamental question remains why the website doesn't do what it is supposed to do (and whether anyone else has had better luck with it!).

[tomsumner49]

Sorry, can't help with the tfl journey planner, it doesn't seem to work for me either. I've just tried a journey I know could be done by taking a bike on one train and it suggests cycling most of the way and then getting on the tube.

You should be able to take a bike on the circle line provided it is outside peak time (http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bicycles-on-p ... nsport.pdf). Or an alternative for you journey would be to catch a thameslink train to blackfriars and walk to london bridge if you have problems with the tube.

[Sweep]

Hammersmith and City line to Whitechapel, then change onto the Overground for Honor Oak.

OK for bikes outside peak hours.

Last time I checked Whitechapel didn't have step free access because of Crossrail building works which ruled out a trip I intended to do with a very fully loaded tourer, but you would be fine with just a bike. Not that many steps.

[Armorel]

Thanks, Sweep - going via Whitechapel looks like an excellent idea, and it wasn't one I had thought of.

[Sweep]

no probs.

Just give your son a slap from me

The Regents canal can be a bit dodgy out of hours - folk have ended up in the canal.

[Cyril Haearn]

People are still smarter than machines, in this case at least

[MikeF]

Not a journey planner as such, but a useful "map" here.

[Armorel]

That is indeed a useful map - thanks, Mike.