Forum Topic

Susan Brown Interview

Apparently, Acton "isn’t brilliant for public transport". We have seven tube/train stations and a variety of bus services. Erm...

Jonathan Seed ● 5601d11 Comments

Yeah, I thought the same.Can't please some people.  Four stations and numerous buses are obviously not enough for her.

Sarah Harris ● 5601d

She lives in Acton Central and I quite agree the transport is poor.  If you live near one of the tube stations in Acton great but from Acton Central all tube stations are about 15/20 mins walk which is not much fun in high heels after a night out! Acton Mainline and Acton Central overground would be great if you could use them to get home after a night out in central London.Local buses are ok but into central London or further afield too slow.

Jen Morty ● 5601d

Any transport network depends on how far people are willing/able to walk but I'm really surprised people think Acton has poor transport links.I'm intrigued as to which areas in West London are considered to have preferable train links?  I've always considered the transport options to be one of the more attractive features of Acton.  15/20 minutes walk isn't bad.  True it can be bad in high heels but then you can easily get a cheap cab from any station.

Sarah Harris ● 5601d

Not all of Acton has poor transport,  depends where you live.Prior to moving to Acton Central I always lived 5 - 10 mins from the tube and it was very quick and easy to get into Central London and home after a night out.  I certainly don't want to be hanging around for a mini cab rather than just walking home,  it's a pain and makes driving into town a preferable option for me,  but each to their own.

Jen Morty ● 5601d

I'm afraid I'm with Susan Brown -- it's an anomaly mentioned elsewhere (I forget where) that Acton is one of the few places to have all these tube stops...but none on the actual high street. From where I am, I have a choice but it's not a great one:  I used to walk up to East Acton, but after a few months got tired of using the dirty, unlit and human-faeces strewn footbridge and then having to negotiate my way across the great Western Circus, which is akin to eating asphalt.  This actually takes me 20-25 mins, as I have short stubby legs.  The other choice is Acton Town, walking in the opposite direction, which again can take me 20 mins.  Otherwise there's the overground, which doesn't really take me anywhere I need to go and has only now started running properly.  As for buses: well, if you want to get into the centre of London we're wonderfully connected to...um, Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith.  If you stand in the centre of London, you'll see buses connecting all the far-flung reaches of London, including Hampstead Heath, Crouch End, Streatham, Penge and Dulwich...but there's no direct bus to Acton, something I once raised on another thread.

Adam Kimmel ● 5600d

We used to have the 52A which ran from the Tram Depot to Victoria.  And the 7 used to connect the British Museum with Acton (via Paddington and Oxford Street).  We're good for Night Buses mind, though I wish the N11 had a more frequent timetable.

Olga Sidoryk ● 5600d

Yes, I agree about the night buses, although I've never had to use one.

Adam Kimmel ● 5600d

OK, I get the point: the stations aren't close enough to the high street. However, I think the fact that we have so many going so many different routes makes up for that, at least it does for me.But as you say, each to their own.  I think it's great to have so many directional options within walking distance - others would prefer one station on one line but with less of a walk.

Sarah Harris ● 5600d

I find I use the overground all the time - it's only one change to almost anywhere I need to go...and the gaps are more manageable now too.

Sara Nathan ● 5600d

Yes the overground is fine to get somewhere but how to get home after an evening out when the last train is so early?  I have been stuck at Gunnersbury having got the tube there to find I missed the last train,  and as for Padd to Acton Mainline in the eve there is only 1 train per hour so not worth bothering with!

Jen Morty ● 5600d

Agreed - overground stops far too early.

Sara Nathan ● 5600d