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@bq
Hi Oliver,
Yes, I was stating an extreme, tongue in cheek statement of why public transport is crap, but each of those objections is true enough to be used by a car driver (and me on my bike) to justify their continued avoidance of public transport. Humans are not really social animals (or else vibrant conversations would be the norm in lifts), so being forced to share space with others is stressful. For many it is more stressful than being stuck in a traffic jam, or coping with the risks and dangers of cycling on London's streets. (And I think driving a car is already far more difficult and expensive than getting on a bus, so I think we may be well into a law of diminishing returns vis a vis pricing drivers off the road.)
My problem with the advocacy of 20mph limits as any kind of solution is that you assume people will obey it. I seriously doubt that they will. On my commute, (along what I would consider major roads for the most part, though not all are red routes) I would say that in the average London street with a 30 limit, when they can drive freely the modal traffic speed regularly reaches 40-50mph. In a 20 limit such as some in Islington (sorry really bad at street names), where the road is a nice wide main route and the limit is stupid then the max traffic speed is 30-35. Drivers will drive at a speed they perceive to be safe for the road and conditions (which may well be too high of course), and will ignore speed limits. I just don't think it will work (blanket fixes rarely do). A more creative solution is needed.
I personally don't like (current) 20 limits because they are designed to be self enforcing. This means road humps, chicanes and other hazards which are just not cycle-friendly, even when they have supposedly been designed to be. gutters fill up with broken glass and stuff. Split humps force you into the path of cars, etc. Static speed cameras are useless because they only enforce speed at one point, which, like traffic calming measures, directly contributes to the "slam on the brakes, then speed up again" practice. And sometimes this itself causes accidents. Average speed cameras can't work on any road with junctions, crossings, bus stops, street parking, traffic lights or any other interruptions: they can only be effective in a decent stretch of uninterrupted road - e.g a motorway - which is precisely where speed enforcement is least needed.
Also, this is a personal thing, but I don't find queues of slow moving or stationary traffic that nice to cycle near. There are too many fumes, cars get in your way, etc. Moving traffic is nicer, because cars just overtake you and then they are out of your hair.