Is Now The Time To Visit Chernobyl?
Chernobyl isn’t that dangerous a place to visit, unless you go very close. Especially, if you go on a properly organised tour.
Today, the BBC web site has a report on the construction of the steel umbrella to go over the reactor.
I’ve looked up tours to Chernobyl and it would appear they run daily from Kiev according to this web page.
So an ideal itinerary would be to fly to Odessa to see the Potemkin Steps and the Black Sea coast.
Then it would be a train to Kiev and after Kiev and Chernobyl, it would be a series of trains home, by way of Warsaw and Berlin.
If anybody fancies the trip, just put a comment here.
Only those with a serious love of travel, trains and engineering need apply. Being slightly off your trolley might be a good idea too!
A New Bus For London On Route 27
I was surprised to see this New Bus for London, all dressed up as being on route 27 and going to Turnham Green.
A New Bus For London On Route 27
But note that the bus is in Metroline livery and route 27 is contracted to London United.
The clue to this sighting was round the corner, where they were filming the new Paddington Bear film.
More Sense About HS2
The Standard today has this headline on the front page.
Crossrail and HS2 Superhub Will Bring £6bn Boost to North-West London
The article goes on to describe how where HS2 and Crossrail are supposed to meet at the new Old Oak Common station is going to be developed. Here’s the first two paragraphs.
Boris Johnson is to set up an Olympic-style regeneration agency to transform a rundown area into a thriving new district and deliver a £6 billion economic boost to London.
The Mayor wants to use Crossrail links and the planned HS2 route — which will converge at Old Oak Common — to spur the creation of 80,000 homes and 20,000 jobs.
At last someone has seen some sense in how to link HS2 into London. I talked about it earlier, so I won’t repeat myself.
A Tale Of Two Cyclists
Coming back from the shops this evening, I needed to cross the zebra crossing by my house. There were no cars in view, but I could see two cyclists coming towards the crossing. I couldn’t miss one, as he had a high visibility jacket on and lights flashing away. But the second was not so visible.
The first cyclist stopped and as I expected the second to do the same, I stepped onto the crossing shouting a loud thank you to the first cyclist.
I started to cross, when I realised the second cyclist was intending to overtake the first and ride straight across in my direction. I think the first cyclist could have obscured his view of me on the crossing.
When he saw me, he braked hard and virtually ended up in a heap on the crossing. He said nothing, picked up his bike, whilst the first cyclist who’d stopped, shrugged and made a long face, at the antics of the other cyclist.
Luckily there wasn’t any other vehicles behind him, otherwise a simple mistake might have become a serious one.
We may need more cycling and better routes for cyclists, but we also need better standards from all road users.
Cyclists may come off badly, when hit by buses and trucks, but pedestrians don’t fare well, when hit by a fast moving cyclist.
Stopping Suicides On The Railway
Some months ago, I posted about how the rail industry and The Samaritans were getting together to cut suicides.
Today, there is a good article about the results of that initiative, on the BBC’s web site.
The training would appear to be working.
So perhaps we ought to look at other suicide points like bridges and car parks and create some appropriate initiatives, drawing on the railway’s experience.
Speeding Between Silicon Roundabout And Cambridge Science Park
There is an article in the Sunday Times that says that Ministers want to improve the links between Silicon Roundabout and the Cambridge Science Park. Here’s the guts of the story.
The aim is to slash travelling time between them and accelerate growth in Britain’s hi-tech industries.
The trip between London and Cambridge has long been considered a stumbling block to greater collaboration between the two tech hubs.
A station is already being built at the Cambridge Science Park, which should open before 2014, although the report in the Sunday Times says this is only being considered.
The article also talks about a Shoreditch stop on a fast train from Liverpool Street station to Cambridge.
It strikes me though that if you look at the proposals for Crossrail 2, which are slated to possibly go via Dalston Junction and the Angel, then this could be eventually an integral part of the new rail route, especially if Crossrail 2 links to the West Anglia Main Line.
I say eventually, as Crossrail 2, will be unlikely to open in the next thirty years.
Alternatively, there is the option of running the fast Cambridge trains into Old Street and Moorgate stations on the Northern City line. They would then use the Great Northern route to Cambridge.The stations would need to be enlarged, but the tunnels could probably take the full-size, Class 365, trains currently used on Kings Cross to Cambridge services. Remember that Old Street station is actually under Silicon Roundabout.
There are a lot of possibilities.
Battersea Park Station
I saw something in Modern Railways about the refurbishment of this station. So I went and took a few pictures.
It may be a nice station, but it certainly isn’t one you’d use, if you had diofficulties with stairs.
The Bus Station At Vauxhall
According to Wikipedia, the bus station by Vauxhall station is the second busiest in London after Victoria.
However, it is certainly more dramatic, than Victoria.
It also must be one of the few bus stations in London with a Waitrose about thirty metres or so away.
As the bus station has routes to a lot of South London, I think I’ll be looking to use this bus station more on my travels.
London Underground Goes Bilingual
There is not much bilingual signage in London. So I was surprised to see this.
London Underground Goes Bilingual
I must check, if the machines have instructions in various languages.
Are These A Good Idea?
This advert for noise-cancelling head-phones are on buses all over London.
Are These A Good Idea?
Personally, I have always hated head phones, even when I flew aircraft, but surely to cut the noise of traffic out, is not necessarily a good idea for pedestrians and cyclists.
We need a serious analysis of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists.
The Anonymous Widower 