r/Glasgow Tools

Title
Author	scotswizard
Comment	The bike lanes are a recent thing, they weren't all over the city when I was doing my lessons and that was about a year and a half ago I stopped. Then they have these barricade things up to widen the pavements. I just think it makes a mess of the roads. I can understand you riding on the pavement, it's a fear of getting knocked down but when I'm on a bus, it's not like the roads are moving at a fast pace. Everybody is stopping and starting and the bus thing is a con. I've talked to many people who work here but are not from here and they all tell me the same thing, it would never happen in their home town. The buses go at the same speed as cars and the buses are on all night and day. I get that the drivers are just doing their job, they're probably told they need to make a 7 mile journey last 30 minutes regardless of the time of day so they're gonna stretch it out and pretend they can't start the bus quickly, maybe stop at a bus stop where someone is sitting even though they haven't put their hand out just to waste a minute stopping then opening the door then closing the door and then getting into first gear again and then....wouldn't you know it, it's another red light. Need to sit for a few more minutes and then all the cars drive past while the driver tries to get going in first gear again. I get it. They're just doing their job. They have to drag the arse out it. The prices are another thing, even in other parts of Scotland I couldn't believe people telling me the prices they pay for buses and trains. Glasgow is definitely getting fleeced, big time. I think that is something to do with the big companies like First Bus, where as in other parts of Scotland and down south, there can be many companies running services so they're competing where as here it's First Bus, McGills and the Colchri buses? They can get away with charging what they want. It just seems like the roads aren't what they were even 18 months ago and I've no doubt my instructor will have raised their price to £29 or £30 an hour now. It's a lot to pay for an hour. I think what went against me was I didn't get any driving experience outside of those lessons and when I gave them up I had done everything I had to do, I was only practising the things I needed help with so there was certain roundabouts I wasn't good on, reverse parking was hit and miss and then it was mostly practising but to be told another 4 - 6 months to be ready and then I'm adding that up in my head how much the money is and then a few other things happened I quickly put the kibosh on it. I do think about it often though and if it would be worth my while trying it again or if the future is indeed electric cars and maybe all major city centres are closed off and there will be no more roads at all in them and it will just be walking spaces.
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/k41md4/is_it_still_worth_learning_to_drive/ge6dgcw/
Created	Mon 30th Nov 2020 7:15pm
Status	normal ()

The bike lanes are a recent thing, they weren't all over the city when I was doing my lessons and that was about a year and a half ago I stopped. Then they have these barricade things up to widen the pavements. I just think it makes a mess of the roads.

I can understand you riding on the pavement, it's a fear of getting knocked down but when I'm on a bus, it's not like the roads are moving at a fast pace. Everybody is stopping and starting and the bus thing is a con. I've talked to many people who work here but are not from here and they all tell me the same thing, it would never happen in their home town. The buses go at the same speed as cars and the buses are on all night and day. I get that the drivers are just doing their job, they're probably told they need to make a 7 mile journey last 30 minutes regardless of the time of day so they're gonna stretch it out and pretend they can't start the bus quickly, maybe stop at a bus stop where someone is sitting even though they haven't put their hand out just to waste a minute stopping then opening the door then closing the door and then getting into first gear again and then....wouldn't you know it, it's another red light. Need to sit for a few more minutes and then all the cars drive past while the driver tries to get going in first gear again. I get it. They're just doing their job. They have to drag the arse out it. The prices are another thing, even in other parts of Scotland I couldn't believe people telling me the prices they pay for buses and trains. Glasgow is definitely getting fleeced, big time. I think that is something to do with the big companies like First Bus, where as in other parts of Scotland and down south, there can be many companies running services so they're competing where as here it's First Bus, McGills and the Colchri buses? They can get away with charging what they want.

It just seems like the roads aren't what they were even 18 months ago and I've no doubt my instructor will have raised their price to £29 or £30 an hour now. It's a lot to pay for an hour. I think what went against me was I didn't get any driving experience outside of those lessons and when I gave them up I had done everything I had to do, I was only practising the things I needed help with so there was certain roundabouts I wasn't good on, reverse parking was hit and miss and then it was mostly practising but to be told another 4 - 6 months to be ready and then I'm adding that up in my head how much the money is and then a few other things happened I quickly put the kibosh on it. I do think about it often though and if it would be worth my while trying it again or if the future is indeed electric cars and maybe all major city centres are closed off and there will be no more roads at all in them and it will just be walking spaces.