The Anonymous Widower

And Some Think London’s Got Traffic Problems!

I just read this piece on the BBC web site about a legal challenge to a new bus lane in Delhi.

I think it is interesting to look at how well London survived the Olympics. A lot of the road network was closed down and people found better ways to work or get to work. I started referring to buses as Big Red Taxis.

Since the end of the Olympics, you’d think road traffic would have got back to previous levels.  I’m not sure, but when I walk up the Balls Pond Road at rush hour, it may be busy, but not as bad as I remember before the Olympics. The only really bad times are when Arsenal are at home, as a large number of people still drive to one of the easiest stadia in the country to get to by public transport.

I would love to see some properly collected figures on traffic in Central London. Do they publish the amount of money raised by the Congestion Charge? I can’t seem to find any recent results.  They should publish the takings on a regular basis. Probably daily!

October 15, 2012 Posted by | News, Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , | 4 Comments

The Spectacular View From The Cable-Car

Today was exceedingly clear and I was able to take this image looking back to where I had walked earlier.

The Spectacular View From The Cable-Car

It’s just a pity the reflections got in the picture.

October 14, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | 1 Comment

Walking From Leamouth To Canning Town Station

This morning in what could be the last of the summer sun, I took a 277 bus to Leamouth and then walked to Canning Town station along Bow Creek.

The area is one of the more interesting in London, with the River Lea of which Bow Creek is part, gradually silting up and reverting to reed beds. The inside of the bend used to be the the home of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company and now it is one of the tunnelling sites for CrossRail. The successor of the works football team of the Thames Ironwork still exists as West Ham United, but the company is long gone, deespite building many ships for the Navy and companies like P & O.

From Canning Town station, I  got the DLR, the Emirates Air-Line cable-car and the Jubilee line to Canary Wharf for lunch. I suppose, I could have taken the Jubilee line from Canning Town station, but the cable-car has better views.

Thinking about the route, you could take the 277 bus from any number of places like Highbury and Islington and then go back to Central London on the Jubilee line.  but on a sunny day, don’t cut out the cable-car as it gives some spectacular views.

October 14, 2012 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Double-Headed Wedding

These two Routemasters were parked at the Angel today.

Is it getting hitched in style or just showing off?

October 13, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | Leave a comment

Looking Backwards

I took this video this morning backwards from a New Bus for London.

On the way home, I got another of the new buses.  The driver/conductor said that they are debriefed about road safety and the incidents they see.  Now that’s a good idea.

October 13, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | Leave a comment

Red Bull Strike At A New Bus for London

Or that’s what it looked like!

Red Bull Strike At A New Bus for London

The bus made a quick turn and got away safety down the Essex Road.

October 13, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | 1 Comment

Cabin Baggage

Apparently, an airline is going to cut down the amount of cabin baggage, we can take on a airliner.

It took me about forty years to moderate C, my late wife’s packing for holidays.  In the last year of her life, we had seven holidays and by that time we could do a weekend with a small bag between us.

Sadly she died of cancer in 2007 and I doubt at 65, I have enough time to find or train another lady.

I would solve the problem in another way. Some of the things we take are quite bulky, like hair rollers, laptops and books, but they could easily be picked up or even rented at the other end.

If we were really seriously about cutting the weight on flights, which of course is the way to better fuel efficiency and lower fares, then all passengers should be weighed and charged accordingly.

Since C died, I did meet one lady, who had an obsession about buying the largest case, that she could use as hand baggage.

On the subject of weight with aircraft, there’s always the story of the charter pilot, who used to fly the flat jockeys around in a Piper Seneca.  Brimful with jockeys and a few saddles, he could fill the fuel tanks completely and not exceed the maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft. After a summer flying jockeys around the UK and Europe, he then had a job to fly a group of businessmen to a meeting. He followed the habit of the last few months and filled the tanks, only to realise that with his passengers, the plane was too heavy.  So he had to drain some fuel out of the plane! He never made the same mistake again!

October 12, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | Leave a comment

The Bus Windows Aren’t Steamed Up!

It was a filthy wet night, as I came back from supper with my son. But the bus windows aren’t steamed up.

The Bus Windows Aren’t Steamed Up!

Two years ago on a similar day in Cambridge, the bus to Haverhill was steamed up inside and nothing could be seen through it.

It could have been the weather was worse, or that the London buses have better air circulation.

October 11, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | Leave a comment

Meet Frank!

This is a dachshund, I met on a 38 bus.

Meet Frank!

You really do meet a good class of dog on that route.

October 11, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | 2 Comments

Dalston’s Diagonal Crossing

Oxford Circus may have the latest X crossing, but here in Dalston, we’ve got a simple diagonal one.

Dalston’s Diagonal Crossing

Time will tell, if it works or not. It could certainly do with a countdown number for the green. But then like the other stroke of the cross, lights is extra. I suppose though, if you do get knocked over, you haven’t far to go to get help from a solicitor.

Safety isn’t helped at the junction as the bus stop has been removed, prior to relocation.

Wot No Bus Stop!

People coming out of the Overground at Dalston Junction station get completely lost looking for a bus.

October 11, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »