London Victoria - Vauxhall options

[GodAtum]

Which is the best option: walk, cycle hire, bus or tube?

• Walk - about 1 mile in about 20 minutes according to Google. Free but it is a bit too far for me.
• Cycle - there is a cycle lane part of the way but could still be dangerous. £60/month
• Bus - Quick and often but not sure how busy it is? £81.50/month
• Tube - Not sure if this is quicker then bus? Very busy. £126.80/month.

 

[telstarbox]

Is this for a daily commute?

 

[GodAtum]

Yes, from Victoria in the morning rush hour and back from Vauxhall in the evening rush hour.

 

[Romilly]

I think I recall previous threads in which the OP may have indicated that they travel into London from the Croydon area. If that is the case, why not simply change at Clapham Junction: despite it being a busy interchange, would that not save time?

 

[steamybrian]

I think I recall previous threads in which the OP may have indicated that they travel into London from the Croydon area. If that is the case, why not simply change at Clapham Junction: despite it being a busy interchange, would that not save time?

also saves money..!
A ticket from Croydon to London Terminals is also valid via Clapham Jn -Vauxhall- Waterloo.
Anyone wish to argue that Waterloo is NOT a London Terminal

 

[maniacmartin]

Its not that easy to board the busy Waterloo-bound trains in the peak though.

 

[GodAtum]

I'm hoping to not be in Croydon anyway. Even if I am, I'd rather not queue for ages trying to board a train.

 

[steamybrian]

Its not that easy to board the busy Waterloo-bound trains in the peak though.

Did it for many years and whilst I had to let the occasional train go because there was no standing room there was another train a few minutes later. There are between 0800-0900 around 30 trains per hour in the morning peak. A frequent service of trains on the up main slow (platform 10) plus the up Windsor slow line services.
The back of the train was always less crowded.

 

[theageofthetra]

How about a train to Battersea Park and walking/cycling from there? Can go along the river now too.

 

[deltic]

Which is the best option: walk, cycle hire, bus or tube?

• Walk - about 1 mile in about 20 minutes according to Google. Free but it is a bit too far for me.
• Cycle - there is a cycle lane part of the way but could still be dangerous. £60/month
• Bus - Quick and often but not sure how busy it is? £81.50/month
• Tube - Not sure if this is quicker then bus? Very busy. £126.80/month.

Walk easy - except can be a bit cold going over Vauxhall Bridge in the winter
Cycle - quite a bit of new infrastructure put in place reducing conflict with traffic on the most dangerous sections
Bus - should be able to get on first bus in each direction although diverting the 436 to Battersea has reduced frequency a bit - can be slow in evening returning from Victoria getting over Vauxhall Bridge
Tube - can be slow due to be being restricted getting though barriers at Vauxhall and often crush loaded but very frequent - returning from Victoria tends to be easier

 

[GodAtum]

I was leaning towards the 36 or 185 bus.

 

[steamybrian]

I was leaning towards the 36 or 185 bus.

Likely to be very crowded :roll:
Recommend save £81.50p per month and get the train

 

[James H]

Cycle - there is a cycle lane part of the way but could still be dangerous. £60/month

Where do you get the £60 figure from?

Annual membership of Santander Cycles is £90.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Not the tube. In terms of both cost and time it doesn't really measure up for this journey. I'd favour bus, or if you're OK with the roads concerned, bike.

 

[hassaanhc]

Did it for many years and whilst I had to let the occasional train go because there was no standing room there was another train a few minutes later. There are between 0800-0900 around 30 trains per hour in the morning peak. A frequent service of trains on the up main slow (platform 10) plus the up Windsor slow line services.
The back of the train was always less crowded.

The 10-car trains from Hounslow appear to be noticeably quieter than those from Richmond, often there is even space at the front after Clapham Junction when I've used the 0659 or 0759 from Hounslow (not quite high peak services though, reaching Clapham Junction at 0728/0828 and Waterloo 0742/0842)

 

[deltic]

Likely to be very crowded :roll:
Recommend save £81.50p per month and get the train

Busy but many people get off at Vauxhall, there is also the number 2 route

 

[cuccir]

[*]Walk - about 1 mile in about 20 minutes according to Google. Free but it is a bit too far for me.

A genuine question - are you disabled or have some other mobility issue (have things to carry for work etc)? If the answer is 'yes' then fair enough, but if 'no' then a 1 mile walk should not to be too far. When you factor in that buses/trains will sometimes be late and there's usually at least some wait time, the difference in time between the methods reduces.

If your issue with walking is lack of confidence/experience, then I really think you should give it a go: try walking around your neighbourhood or something first. If the distance is tough at first, try getting the bus half way and walking the rest for a couple of months, then extend your walk: I'm pretty confident that within 6 months you'll not be bothering with the bus any more.

 

[Clip]

Not sure why you would buy the monthly bus pass if youre only doing 2 trips a day thats £15 per week so you would be saving a few quid if you just used contactless or PAYG

 

[SA_900]

Did it for many years and whilst I had to let the occasional train go because there was no standing room there was another train a few minutes later. There are between 0800-0900 around 30 trains per hour in the morning peak. A frequent service of trains on the up main slow (platform 10) plus the up Windsor slow line services.
The back of the train was always less crowded.

Yes I have found it is surprisingly OK. The throughput is astounding.

 

[GodAtum]

Not sure why you would buy the monthly bus pass if youre only doing 2 trips a day thats £15 per week so you would be saving a few quid if you just used contactless or PAYG

i take 4 buses a day, but can actually take advantage of the hopper fare, as the first 2 and last 2 trips are withing an hour. So instead of paying £1.50 x 4, it's actually £1.50 x 2. And that might be cheaper over a year too?

 

[Joe Paxton]

i take 4 buses a day, but can actually take advantage of the hopper fare, as the first 2 and last 2 trips are withing an hour. So instead of paying £1.50 x 4, it's actually £1.50 x 2. And that might be cheaper over a year too?

These are the sorts of calculations that only you can make really.

I have to say that I would just change at Clapham Junction and take advantage of the significant saving that comes from not needing a ticket for a London termini (i.e. avoiding zone 1).

Also, as James H pointed out upthread, the cycle hire annual membership is £90 - I'm curious how you arrived at the (erroneous) £60 a month figure?

 

[talldave]

I'd say walk every time. I've spent ages queuing to get into the Underground station or waiting for buses to arrive. Leave Victoria station by the Wilton Road exit.

 

[Busaholic]

Likely to be very crowded :roll:
Recommend save £81.50p per month and get the train

Not in that reverse-peak situation! The 185 also starts from Victoria, so an empty bus. There is also the no. 2 bus, by the way. Plus, barriers may well prevent you entering Victoria tube in a.m. peak, regardless that you're not trying to get to Oxford Circus.