Doesn't London have buses? They work quite well up here, though it's a completely different landscape and population density entirely.
I know it was a rhetorical question but buses are not a viable [standard] alternative by any means whatsoever. Bus routes are often complicated/inefficient going distances and they must travel on very traffic packed roads. Same goes for driving into London. Even if you can accept the congestion charge and spend the extra hours dealing with traffic, forget parking. It just doesn't work out. The tube is the best and only real choice for
millions of people.
And they think because they
can make things a misery for millions that this means they are entitled to bigger pay increases in a recession? Reminds me of this image:
Their incessant striking is counter-productive. It seems like they strike over any old thing they don't like, and because of that, they aren't taken as seriously. News flash, LU, lots of people are not getting pay rises and some are even getting proper pay CUTS and some have lost jobs entirely. No one is entirely exempt from troubles of a recession.
I think not having larger pay increases is better compromise than losing more jobs. I know things may be different from an inside perspective (hey, I want to work at the LU, sounds like they've got it pretty good actually) but from where I stand, sometimes I wonder if they're looking at the bigger picture.
(BTW, I am not directing this grumpy post at you, jimmi, just the situation in general but launched from a response to the bus question.)