It’s Not Just Cyclists Who Are In Danger
This article in the Standard tonight, says that the police and other government agencies are working together to deal with the problems of HGVs and the cyclists they hit. Here’s the introduction.
A crackdown on unsafe lorries and rogue drivers was launched in London today in a bid to halt the number of cyclists being killed and seriously injured.
Police began conducting “stop and search” patrols after the Government and Transport for London agreed that action was needed to halt the death toll.
But it’s not just cyclists, who are in danger from some of these trucks and their drivers.
As I walked back from the bus stop round the corner tonight, a skip lorry turned left in front of me and crossed my path very closely. The driver had taken the corner very much in a hurry, but at least he’d used his turn indicators, otherwise I might have not been able to ascertain his intentions.
I am always very careful at the junction, as since I have moved here, there have been a couple of serious accidents, one of which resulted in the death of a young girl.
Seven New Buses for London In A Row
Since I created my personal timetable, I usually leave my house eight or nine minutes before one of the buses arrives. I’m not changing my routine or anything, but say I’m going to Piccadilly Circus, for 11:30, I know that the 10:34 would be an ideal bus, so I break off writing at an appropriate time and walk to the stop.
Since Monday, I’ve done this seven times and caught seven New Buses for London in a row. And one of these was by accident, as I had finished and just got ready and left without reading the timetable. It actually would have been eight in a row, but yesterday, as I got to the stop, there were two 38s at the stop, so the New Bus for London overtook, the humbler buses.
My son, thinks it’s all a bit sad! He’s probably right! On the other hand, because of escalator works at Bank, Highbury and Islington, and other stations, it is a much easier and more pleasant journey on the top deck of a London bus. And if that’s in First rather than Standard Class it’s even better.
But it does show how the New Buses for London stick tightly to their timetable, with the precision of a Clerkenwell engraver. Could this be because of their proven quicker dwell time at stops, that they have the ability to pick up lost minutes?
But for whatever reason it is, it’s all good news for Londoners.
A Fare Oddity In London
This story turned up in one of my news filters. Here’s an extract about travelling between Highbury and Islington and Clapham Junction stations .
TfL is kind enough to assume that you have been the ‘Zone 2 only’ way round. So whichever way you go , you’ll be charged just £1.50 (off-peak) instead of the £2.10 you’d expect to pay for travelling through Zone 1. Bizarrely, this means that it’s cheaper to travel through the 17 stations from Clapham Junction to Highbury, than it is to make the five stop journey from Shoreditch to Highbury along the same tracks.
I don’t think that the sixty pence that Transport for London gives away is going to make much difference. As I do it for nothing on my Freedom Pass, I’m not bothered either.
I would always go the long Overground way round from, where I am near Highbury to Clapham Junction, as the journey is easier, without changes and is more interesting. It just takes a few minutes longer. It’s also very easy with a heavy case or even a bicycle.
London’s Disliked And Loved Tube Stations
This report on the BBC web site talks about a survey of Londoners most disliked and loved Underground stations.
Bank came out as the most disliked and it is not one of my favourites. Having thought I’d cracked getting from the DLR to the 141 bus in an efficient way, this morning I found it was all change today and we had to use a lift, as another escalator was being replaced.
I suspect, it’ll be all right in the end! But when will that be?
The survey also ranks the most disliked stations as Bank, Acton Town, Oxford Circus, Aldgate East and Brixton. I’ve never been to Acton Town, but my five stations in this category with reasons would be
- Bank – It’s just a confusing maze.
- Green Park – So far to walk.
- Clapham North – Dangerous platforms
- Kings Cross – A massive labyrinth
- Euston – Tired and pokey!
The public’s most loved stations are Canary Wharf, Baker Street, London Bridge, Charing Cross and Victoria, which is a pretty nondescript bunch, except for the first. Baker Street isn’t very special except for the tiles, London Bridge is another maze, Charing Cross is rather dingy and Victoria at the moment is a building site.
I would make my list of five from these stations.
Canary Wharf – Just spectacular
Canning Town – Everything an interchange should be.
Farringdon – On completion of Crossrail and Thameslink, it could be the best.
Southgate – Charles Holden‘s masterpiece
Stratford – The Olympic hero!
All Lined Up And Ready To Go
According to this article on Crossrail’s web site, they are at full production of the lining segments for the tunnels at the Chatham factory.
All Lined Up And Ready To Go
There are certainly lots of them at the Limmo site waiting to go underground, after being barged from Chatham.
When the Victoria and Jubilee lines were dug in the past, I don’t think that we saw such well-organised manufacture of tunnel linings and other components.
It all shows how our methods and especially the project management has improved.
When HS2 is built, who can predict accurately how much further improvement is possible?
Custom House Station – 25th April 2013
It does appear that the site clearance is well under way at the new Custom House Station on Crossrail.
I have now tagged all of these posts with Custom House Station.
Canary Wharf Station’s Pedestrian Tube
The Pedestrian walkway (Or is it a tube?) to Canary Wharf Crossrail station is getting to be recognisable as to what it will be.
It does appear that we will see some spectacular stations on Crossrail.
I Meet The Underground Harpist Again
I met this harpist for the second time yesterday, in Oxford Circus Underground station.
The Underground Harpist
The guy in the poster is showing an interesting expression!
It’s good to hear music, of any type of decent quality wafting through the tunnels. In fact, I don’t think, I’ve heard anything underground, that anybody would complain about.
Welcome To Islington
I like this sign.
Welcome To Islington
Let’s hope it cuts road accidents and keeps more drivers out of the streets near me.
Are Cyclists Becoming The New Vegetarians?
I’ve nothing against either group, but although I hope one day to be part of the first, I doubt I’ll ever be vegetarian. I couldn’t be that today, as I’ve just had some delicious meat pate.
But in my view, there are a lot of vegetarians, who are overly touchy. I remember once being served a meal in a five-star boutique hotel with organic wholemeal bread and the vegetarian owner couldn’t get it, that wheat was bad for me. As it was organic, surely that wouldn’t cause me any harm, as animals were the problem. So C gave her both barrels as only a barrister could and we never ate in the hotel again.
Change a recipe for a chocolate bar and the veggies will get you, as Mars found out a couple of years ago.
it now appears that cyclists in London can get just as touchy about changing road layouts, as this story shows. The article even has a go at Crossrail, saying that it will bring lots of shoppers into Central London.
I regularly go to that area and it is a nightmare for everybody and especially pedestrians and cyclists. I found this out a few days ago and posted this.
The question i asked in that post is probably the correct one and the sooner we get New Buses for London in those routes around Piccadilly Circus and down the Haymarket the better, as I’m certain they would get a lot of the pedestrians out of the way. Some pedestrians might even say they’d had enough and see an open platform on a bus and go for it!
What’s the betting though, that in a few months as more and more New Buses for London appear, we will read an article about cyclists complaining about them?
Perhaps to create more road-space in Central London, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put restrictions on taxis. Now taxi-drivers are another group, who act like vegetarians and get touchy at the least provocation.
How about banning rickshaws too?
But the main thing that is needed is some good British design, followed up with a good helping of compromise!
The Anonymous Widower 