Busways And Sat-Navs Don’t Mix
This story from Cambridge on the BBC’s web site, shows an idiot, who got his lorry onto the Cambridge Busway.
The driver is apparently blaming his sat-nav. It should be part of the driving test and especially for those, who drive heavy lorries, that you have the ability to read a map and road signs.
On the subject of sat-navs, some couriers and others seem to have difficulty finding my house using them, as they get directed round the back to the mews. So in this case, it probably isn’t the sat-nav, but the data it’s loaded with.
Dalston Junction To Gatwick Airport
Since it opened, I’ve usually taken the Overground to Clapham Junction station and changed for Gatwick Airport there.
This morning, for my flight out on Monday to Budapest, I looked up to see what the standard train information site said. They recommended changing at Clapham Junction station.
I’ve just bought a ticket from Clapham Junction to Gatwick Airport on-line. No problem there, but why can’t I pick it up at Dalston Junction station?
George Osborne Must Be Getting Paranoid
Those on the Left, blame George Osborne for all the country’s troubles.
So he is under the attack in two major stories this morning.
In the first story, it’s Osborne’s comments about convicted manslaughterer; Mick Philpott.
Mr Osborne said a debate was needed about whether the state should “subsidise lifestyles like that”.
But shadow chancellor Ed Balls condemned Mr Osborne’s comments as “a cynical act of a desperate chancellor”
I have a feeling, that most voters in the UK, except those living on benefits with umpteen children would agree with Osborne. But then those in that group, probably wouldn’t have time to vote.
He is also brought to task, by getting into a car, that was illegally parked in a disabled space. Read about it here. It does appear he wasn’t driving,
But a Treasury source said Mr Osborne had been dropped off to buy lunch.
The unmarked police Land Rover was not driven by the chancellor at any point, added the source.
I bet Osborne wished he’d taken the train. But then, those that want to get him, had a go at him when he did.
He must be getting to dread, saying anything or going anywhere!
It seems as if the job of Chancellor of the Exchequer has taken over from that of Home Secretary, as the most vilified job in Government.
But then Theresa May has a great advantage over George Osborne, in that she can be spun for her dress sense, as she was in this double-page story in the Standard last night. George Osborne never got a headline like this.
Theresa May-nia: sharp-suited, well-heeled, the Home Secretary is on fighting form
Perhaps, he should wear a dress!
Visiting Heathrow Airport By Bus
Today wasn’t the first time, I’d been to the airport by bus, as when we were in our teens, a couple of times, we went to the airport by bus on a Saturday or school holiday. We went all the way round the houses on about six buses, finishing with a 140 to the airport. It was all for a few shillings on a Red Rover ticket.
A couple of times too, C and I went to the airport by coach from Newmarket, as in some ways it was quite convenient. Now, I just take the train or the Tube.
But after today’s crowded and slow journey on the Piccadilly line, I feel strongly, that Crossrail is needed now.
Reading’s Style Before Substance Maps
On my trip today, I’d planned to have lunch in Carluccio’s, so before I left, I looked up the address and the walking route from Reading station.
So after taking the photos of the station, I walked into the town centre and traced the way my mind told me to go. I had hoped to get help from a map, but all I had were ones like this.
Reading’s Style Before Substance Maps
Stylish they may be, but they aren’t the best, if you want to find a street, you’ve looked up previously, as there isn’t enough detail and no street index.
Luckily in the end, I found a local who knew where Carluccio’s was and I walked there and had an excellent lunch.
Londoners like me, are very used to good maps, as I can always remember them from my childhood, when every Tube station had a local map. Now every bus stop does, like this one at the Angel.
Local Street Map At The Angel
At the Angel too, there are also informational maps of the area, with all of the major buildings and landmarks indicated.
informational Map At The Angel
Reading’s maps may be stylish, but they are useless if you’re not a local and don’t use a smart phone.
But say you want to find Carluccio’s at Islington, you would just say
The restaurant is by St. Mary’s Church, opposite the Almeida Theatre.
Both places are mentioned on Islington’s informational map.
Perhaps the maps in Reading, were designed, by trendy smart phone freaks, who don’t realise how a lot of people think and operate.
The problem was made worse at Reading, because there was no local information or map at the station. This was probably due to the rebuilding. I didn’t even notice the finger posts, I saw the last time I was in the town. Have they been replaced by the maps?
Is It Architecture,Engineering Or Art?
I heard good reports on the television of the rebuilt Reading station, so today, as I hadn’t anything specific to do, I decided to go to the town and have a look at the work that has been done.
I think Isambard would have been proud of what has been done, as he rarely did boring! And the new Reading station is certainly not that!
The concept of the station is very simple. The thirty metre wide overbridge is connected to all the platforms by escalators and lifts. Then at one end there is another set of four escalators and lifts to take people to the main south entrance.
But in all my life, I’ve never seen so many people walking wide-eyed in awe around a new building or even an art gallery. One guy told me he’d come into the station specifically to photograph the building and had taken fifty pictures. Even railwaymen who’d probably seen it all, were walking around giving the new station a critical look.
There was also the teacher, who’d travelled with me from London. She was amazed at it all, especially as she had left on Thursday from the old Reading station.
Very little has been reported on the media about the design and quality of this new station. The only news seems to be stories pointing out the fact that the handover is a few days late and there’s a bit of chaos. None of the stories mention, that the project will be completed a year ahead of the original plan.
I do wonder if Reading is the shape of stations to come.
The wide overbridge concept is used in a similar, but smaller and less dramatic form at Leeds and Derby, but how many other stations could benefit from this type of design?
In the pictures, you’ll see some of Inter City 125 trains, that are used on all services from London to the West and Wales. They are genuine high speed trains capable of 200 kph, ride as smooth as silk and they are now forty years old. I doubt they’ll all ever be retired, as for running through the Highlands of Scotland and from Bristol to Cornwall, where electrification is virtually impossible, there is no other fast train, that can handle the route.
So at last, these trains have got a modern station, to complement their design.
Countdown Comes To Hackney
I don’t think it was working yet, but Pedestrian Countdown has arrived in Hackney, as this picture shows.
Countdown Comes To Hackney
I was on my way from my doctors to Paddington station, so I was going to Haggerston station, which you can see in the background.
It is not a simple journey and it requires two changes at Canada Water and Waterloo stations. The latter is a change to avoid.
Waterloo Interchange
At least there is a moving pavement in the long tunnels. I think of all London’s main stations, Paddington is the most difficult to get to from Hackney and other parts of North East London.
Rail Europe And Deutsche Bahn
In my trip, that i outlined in this post, i needed to book a sleeper from Munich to Paris on the night of the 12th of April. The oracle of all things rail, Seat61.com, recommended Rail Europe, so I tried that last night.
I don’t think I’ll be using that site again.
The main problem was that after choosing my ticket, the site seemed to get into a loop with Verified by Visa and in the end, the time limit to buy the ticket expired, with me not sure, if I’d actually bought a ticket or not. I haven’t had a debit on my account, so hopefully everything is alright,
Then, this morning, I tried to phone them to find out what had happened. After hanging on for several minutes, I got through and they couldn’t even find the account I’d created.
Another think about Rail Europe is they don’t take American Express, the card of choice for my travel.
I also wasn’t sure how they got the tickets to me. I think they are posted, which is not the best way to receive rail tickets if you might have left for Budapest.
So after trying to talk to the monkey for a few hours, I decided I had better talk to the organ grinder; Deutsche Bahn.
I chose the same ticket, at perhaps a few more euros, but at least I was able to get the ticket to my Inbox for printing easily.
Although, why you have to print seven pages for one ticket, I do not know. The British system of little orange cards is so more economical with forests. Incidentally, Easyjet did my flight out in one page.
So if you need to buy a train ticket to, from or inside Germany, I’d use the Deutsche Bahn web site. But isn’t this just the same as buying a ticket to Derby on the East Midlands Trains web site, as I did this morning?
Rail Europe may have failed to sell me a ticket, but they didn’t deduct money from my credit card account.
It was
The Anonymous Widower 