Public Transportation - Southern England

Hi!

I'll be moving from the US to Shoreham-by-Sea, near Brighton in southern England in the a few months, after my fiancée and I are married.  I'll be dependent upon public transportation and will not be able to drive.

I'm just wondering if there's anyone who can give me tips on public transit in that area?  Would there be anywhere I could turn to learn the ins and outs of the system and get oriented to it?

Thanks, and cheers!
Teddy

Try these websites for information about time tables, etc:

http://www.buses.co.uk/
http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1000144
http://www.carlberry.co.uk/rfnshowl.asp?L1=SHO023

fast green trains to just about anywhere you might want to go...

http://www.southernrailway.com/

Thank you sooo much Cali girl & Trémula!!!     Very helpful links!!!

Teddy

Hi Teddy, i recently moved from Worthing which is next to Shoreham. Shoreham is not a big place and basically you can catch a bus that will take you east towards Brighton or west towards Worthing/Bognor. To get anywhere in Shoreham itself is a 15 minute walk, like i said its a small place.
I always used the 700 coastliner to go to other towns along the coast. http://www.stagecoachbus.com/usercontrols/GetUpload.ashx?Id=66

The buses all go through Shoreham high street and stick to the coast road going in either direction. The railway line from Shoreham also goes east/west. To get to London catch the train east to Brighton and change to go north London/anywhere else.

To get anywhere in Shoreham itself is a 15 minute walk, like i said its a small place.
I always used the 700 coastliner to go to other towns along the coast. http://www.stagecoachbus.com/usercontrols/GetUpload.ashx?Id=66

Hi english bloke,

You've just supplied one piece of info I'd been looking for but could not find.  The Stagecoach bus goes right past my fiancée's house, but I'd not been successful in finding its website.  Thanks so very much!

While I was there, we did a good bit of walking - but mainly up around Tesco's,  down to the harbor (harbour!!), and through the neighborhoods.  I saw bike lanes everywhere, and walking was easy.  But now I'm wondering a couple of things...  Is the whole of Shoreham fairly pedestrian-friendly?  That is, safe pedestrian crossings with clear markings, walk signals, and so on?  This is a matter of concern to me, since I have some vision problems.  The roundabout near Tesco's was confusing to me, mainly because of the left/right business and heavier traffic.

Also, what are the rules for bicycling?  Is there a requirement for any kind of permit or license?  I seem to have gotten the notion that, unlike here, some sort of test or permit is required?

Thanks again for all the help!!

Teddy 

There are no licenses or permits required for cycling in the UK. There are rules about lights and how to drive in traffic and that sort of thing, but you don't need to take a test or have any kind of permit for a normal bicycle.

Yes Shoreham is easy for walkers in as much as every street has pavement (sidewalk) on it but as i said it's really not a big place as you would have seen. The look left /right thing will be the main thing to get used to.
Shoreham has had an increase in restaurants and bars along the high street in recent years but fr shopping and more varied eateries/nightlife etc head off to Brighton, its only about 20 minutes on the bus. To the west, Worthing and Bognor/Littlehampton don't have much going for them but Chichester, Arundel and Portsmouth are worth a visit.

This website was a Godsend for me while I was in England.


http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2/Home.aspx

There are no licenses or permits required for cycling in the UK. There are rules about lights and how to drive in traffic and that sort of thing, but you don't need to take a test or have any kind of permit for a normal bicycle.

Is a helmet required?

No.

There are no licenses or permits required for cycling in the UK. There are rules about lights and how to drive in traffic and that sort of thing, but you don't need to take a test or have any kind of permit for a normal bicycle.

Most UK kids (at about age 10) take a 'Cycling Proficiency' course and test while they're at primary school so that they know the rules of the road for cyclists, how to take care of their bike and things like how to indicate to turn, slow down, be safe etc (http://www.bikeability.org.uk/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_Proficiency_Test). I believe it is available for adults to take as well.

Is a helmet required?

It's not required legally, but it is usually advised that it is safest to wear a helmet and reflective clothing (if necessary for the conditions) when cycling (http://www.cycle-helmets.com/england_helmets.html).

Cyclists are legally obliged to follow rules of the road such as paying attention to what they are doing and where they are going, stopping at red lights, riding on the left, using one way streets in the proper direction, etc, and you can get fined for infractions.

The police can prosecute cyclists who ride dangerously, carelessly, ignore traffic signs or signals, cycle on the pavement or commit any other road traffic offence. These offences carry maximum fines between £500 and £2,500. Also, £30 fixed penalty notices can be issued for cycling on the pavement, by police and community wardens.

When used on the road during "lighting up time" which is from 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after dawn, by law a bicycle must have:

* A front lamp showing a white light, positioned centrally or offside (right hand side), up to 1500mm from the ground, aligned towards and visible from the front. If capable of emitting a steady light it must be marked as conforming to BS6102/3 or an equivalent EC standard. If capable of emitting only a flashing light, it must emit at least 4 candela.

* A rear lamp showing a red light, positioned centrally or offside, between 350mm and 1500mm from the ground, at or near the rear, aligned towards and visible from behind. If capable of emitting a steady light it must be marked as conforming to BS3648, or BS6102/3, or an equivalent EC standard. If capable of emitting only a flashing light, it must emit at least 4 candela.

* A rear reflector is required, coloured red, marked BS6102/2 (or equivalent), positioned centrally or offside, between 350mm and 900mm from the ground, at or near the rear, aligned towards and visible from behind.

* Pedal reflectors four are required, coloured amber and marked BS6102/2 (or equivalent), positioned so that one is plainly visible to the front and another to the rear of each pedal.

If the bicycle does not have these, you can get street legal ones from a bicycle shop or many big stores including a chain called Halfords.

At the point of sale (ie shops) bikes have to come fitted with bells but there's no legal requirement for them to be fitted to bicycles no longer on shop display.

Section 30 Road Traffic Act 1988 says that it is an offence for a person to ride a cycle on a road or other public place when unfit to ride through drink or drugs.

Most UK kids (at about age 10) take a 'Cycling Proficiency' course and test while they're at primary school so that they know the rules of the road for cyclists, how to take care of their bike and things like how to indicate to turn, slow down, be safe etc (http://www.bikeability.org.uk/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_Proficiency_Test). I believe it is available for adults to take as well.

It's not required legally, but it is usually advised that it is safest to wear a helmet and reflective clothing (if necessary for the conditions) when cycling (http://www.cycle-helmets.com/england_helmets.html).

This is exactly the piece of info I'd heard that made me wonder if some kind of permit was required.  Thanks for the explanation, ksand24.  And thanks to smocha & Trémula for adding other extremely useful tidbits.

Cheers!
Teddy