THE once-proud London metropolis that built the world’s first metro’ system and first-ever tunnel deep under a major river is languishing today near the bottom of the pile for public transport. That’s according to a transport survey across Europe

By Mike Brooke

THE once-proud London metropolis that built the world’s first metro’ system and first-ever tunnel deep under a major river is languishing today near the bottom of the pile when it comes to public transport.

That’s according to a transport survey of 23 European cities for the Institute of Advance Motorists and other driver organisations on the Continent.

It’s mainly the rocketing fares making London the most expensive city in Europe to get around which brought us down.

Only Budapest, Ljubljana and Zagreb are rated lower than London out of 23 cities in the survey. Top of the pile appears to be Munich.

“The researchers found London journey times and connections were good,” the Institute’s research director Neil Greig told the East London Advertiser tonight.

“But fares brought us down. We’re the most expensive place of the 23 cities surveyed.”

He added: “The survey shows we need to make our Tube system, train network and buses more affordable if we are to tempt Londoners out of their cars.”

The researchers from Stuttgart University also found the London Underground had too few escalators and lifts, had poor accessibility for disabled passengers, contradictory exit signs and not enough cycle parking bays.

Yet our public transport is described as “one of best in Europe”—that’s if you can afford to ride on it.

It won approval for the Oyster smart’ cards and the website which researchers found easy to navigate, informative and multilingual. Ticket office staff were also rated helpful.

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For transport buffs: The Metropolitan Line was the world’s first Underground opened in 1863. Brunel’s Thames Tunnel between Wapping and Rotherhithe was completed in 1843.