Is The Cause of High Unemployment Our Housing and Transport Policies?
There was a program on BBC Radio 5 this morning about unemployment. It was the usual left versus right battle, which has been fought so many times to a non-conclusion, that the program got boring, so I went shopping at Upper Street.
I have lived in several houses and flats in my life and in some ways, where I am now suits me best. Visitors like it too and they feel it is absolutely right for me.
So what is this house like. It’s a three bed-roomed house with two en-suite bathrooms and one that isn’t. It’s modern and it’s built upside down, with two bedrooms, a bathroom and the garage on the ground floor and a seven-metre square living area, kitchen and a bedroom on the first floor. It has a lot of chocolate-coloured steel and big glass windows. Unfortunately, it was built by Jerry. It doesn’t have a garden, but it does have two patios front and back.
In some ways the nearest to it in feel, was our flat in Cromwell Tower, in the Barbican, where we raised our three sons for the first few years of their lives. There we had three bedrooms, a large living room, kitchen, an underground car park and superb views across to St. Paul’s.
My house is however not the sort of house that most people aspire to or in fact that many can afford.
So many prefer one of Pete Seeger ‘s Little Boxes on a new estate somewhere in the countryside with space for two cars. After all, these sort of estates don’t get inhabitated by the riff-raff do they? They are also as eco-friendly as Obama’s Beast.
I have now come to the conclusion that I don’t like to live in the countryside. It is all so sterile, unfriendly and full of lots of little cliques. After the loss of C and my son, not one person in the village came to see me. After all I was a loser wasn’t I, especially as I had a stroke? There’s a great belief too, that widows might decide to walk off with your partner! It was a real relief to escape on a train to somewhere, where something actually happened. But there was no public transport, so simple things like getting any food meant a taxi or scounging a lift.
I also should say I hated living in Cockfosters as a child. There the problem was that there were no children of my own age and most of my school friends lived some distance away. Only when I was old enough to work in my father’s print works and ride my bike all over the area did I feel liberated.
How I live now, is surprisingly similar to how C and I used to live with the boys in the Barbican and St. John’s Wood before that. Except of course that I am now alone and do the things like food shopping, that C used to do. But then when I wander round Chapel Market, it’s like going back to the early seventies and she’s still guiding me.
It’s a friendly and a mixed area, with some good shops, four pubs that know their gluten-free within walking distance, several gardens and superb public transport links. The people are friendly too and I’m starting to add to my circle of friends. In this sort of mixed area, you also develop passing acquaintances with people, who you say hello to as you pass. In the countryside, it’s a bit difficult to talk to someone about their basset hound as I did today, when the dog is in the back of a 4×4 passing at speed.
So the sort of mixed area where I live is not to most people’s taste, but in my view, if we want to decrease unemployment and create worthwhile jobs, then this sort of area can do it’s bit. Another mixed area, I know well is the centre of Cambridge and it could be argued that that mixing helps with the development of ideas.
How many good ideas have been hatched in pubs or coffee shops? Sterile country villages might have an award winning gastro-pub, but the only ideas that come out of places like that, are things like better ways to cook asparagus.
One of the complaints in all the villages I’ve lived was the lack of any staff locally. This was mainly because, those same people didn’t want any affordable housing built, that might spoil their view and lower the tone of the place. I have a lovely lady, who sorts my house out, once a week and she was fairly easy to find. Incidentally she comes on a bus from the other side of Dalston JUnction station. so just at a selfish level, good public transport helps people to get to their jobs. In those much admired villages, there is no public transport, so everybody has to drive, so those that can’t afford their own car, often can’t get a decent job. But then a lot of those that live in villages don’t want more public transport, because of all the noise and inconvenience of passing a bus in a large 4×4. But they have their own cars anyway!
To illustrate what I say further, I will take the Suffolk town of Haverhill, which has large numbers of little boxes, which asre being added too at a fast rate. There are jobs in the town, but many require a car to get to, as the town isn’t the most cycle-friendly and the public transport is limited. Haverhill is also a sensible commute to Cambridge, where there are far better-paid and more worthwhile jobs, but the only way to do it, is to use a bus or car. There used to be a railway, but that was axed in the Beeching cuts. Axing it actually wasn’t the problem, but building over the right-of-way was, as that railway, which is needed to provide a link etween Sudbury and Cambridge, could have been reinstated. In Scotland, they have been reinstating railways like Airdrie to Bathgate with some degree of success.
If I was in charge of eployment policy in this country, I would reinstate railways like Sudbury to Cambridge, as they not only create employment, but allow people to get better jobs. Recently, the line from Ipswich to Cambridge has been updated with better and bigger trains and the investment has led to a large increase in passenger numbers.
Where I live, we also have the example of the recently-rebuilt North and East London Lines of the London Overground, which are now used and liked by everybody. In fact, so much so, that frequencies are being increased.
I have also read and heard stories how the new lines have decreased unemployment, just by enabling people to move more easily from where they live to where the jobs are.
I think too, we concentrate on unemployment and rightly so, but in many cases better transport links will enable people to move up the employment ladder. This is just as important, as not only does it create a need to replace the person who’s left, but if people earn more, they tend to spend more and that helps to create jobs.
Branas Boxes Bite Again
I have a new delivery of some IKEA furniture tomorrow and to finish it off I need some more Branas boxes.
As I was going to have a coffee with a friend in Covent Garden, I thought that I might go on from there. But getting to Covent Garden had been difficult on the Piccadilly line as someone had stupidly been hit by a train at Southgate. So the obvious route back to IKEA at Edmonton which involved using the Piccadilly line to Manor House and then a 341 bus, was probably a no-no!
So I decided after my coffee to take the circular route from Embankment of a District line train to Wimbledon and then the Tramlink to IKEA at Ampere Way. Afterwards I intended to continue on the tram to West Croydon to get the London Overground to Dalston Junction.
The Chimneys at IKEA Croydon
The two chimneys of the old power station that give the road its name are still there.
As are the concrete blocks, that sit in the pedestrian entrance to catch the drunk, the lame and the elderly.
Welcome to IKEA - Again!
They may have been moved since I last visited the store.
I did have a nice lunch in IKEA before I bought another eight boxes.
Or should I say seven and four-fifths boxes? As when I checked out, a bottom was missing! I did check them, as I’d been caught once before, but I obviously didn’t check well enough! It meant another walk through the store as punishment to get a replacement. At least I didn’t take it home and now will be plotting a return.
IKEA at Croydon at least has one advantage over Edmonton. It is easy to take a trolley to the tram stop. Not that I did as many had done and dump it somewhere awkward for pedestrians, but I was able to leave it in a handy trolley park to shorten the walk considerably.
From Ampere Way I took the tram to West Croydon to get the East London line to Dalston Junction.
Overground Directions at West Croydon
The picture shows the excellent signage at the West Croydon interchange.
I actually changed trains between West Croydon and Dalston Junction, at Surrey Quays, so that I got on a train that ended its journey at Dalston Junction, which meant I only had a short walk to the lift.
It was then a couple of stops on a 38 bus home.
It would be so much easier, if I could buy the Branas boxes online in fours.
Dalston Junction Gets a Step Nearer To Being Fully Open
I went past Dalston Junction station this morning and the Southern entrance can now be used by pedestrians. Not only does this give me a safer route to the trains, without fighting my way through all the obstructions on the Kingsland Road, but it’s a couple of minutes quicker.
The Almost Fully Open Southern Entrance at Dalston Junction Station
There is still a wire fence, but according to the staff, I sopke to, it will remain open.
It also means that if you want to change at Dalston Junction to or from a 76 or 149 bus say, then it is all very quick and easy, as there is a light-controlled crossing across the Kingsland Road.
All the station needs now is the opening of the bus stand in the station itself, the extension of the 488 route and another light-controlled crossing over Dalston Lane.
Incidentally, it has been announced that there will be more trains on the North and West London Lines. So a trip to Earl’s Court will be just one across platform change from Dalston Junction.
The Sign Goes Up At Dalston Junction
They’ve now put up the sign at the Southern entrance to Dalston Junction station.
Dalston Junction Sign
But the barriers are still in place, with no sign of an opening.
Improvements at Dalston Junction
The Southern entrance to Dalston Junction station is still not open, but at least there has been some progress at the Northern one.
The New Temporary Bus Stop at Dalston Junction
Today, I took a train back from Highbury and Islington and there was a queue of four buses at the new temporary stop outside the station.
This gives a good route for anybody, who wants to go say from Canada Water or Shadwell to the Essex Road or the Angel at Islington. Just change at Dalston Junction to the 38 or 56 bus.
Stirrings At the Dalston Junction Station Southern Entrance
I went past the entrance yesterday and took this picture.
A New Fence at Dalston Junction
Could they be getting ready to open the entrance, as they have put up another barrier fence to create a walkway alongside the wall of the station?
A helpfl member of the station staff, thought that they might be waiting for the CCTV to be installed.
Incidentally, I did complain to London Overground about the non-opening and have not had a reply yet!
Let’s hope so.
Disabled Access to the London Olympics
I am not disabled, although it is probably true to say, that for a time after my stroke, whilst I was in hospital in Hong Kong, I needed to be moved everywhere in a wheel-chair. I do suspect though that if I had been in a top hospital in the UK, like Addenbrookes from the start, they’d have dispensed with one pretty quickly. It’s not to save costs, but there is thinking from the Norwegians, that it is better to get people up and on the move sooner rather than later after a stroke.
But I do think I appreciate the problems of people with disabilities a bit better than I used to. So when Liz put a comment on the post about the London Aquatic Centre, I thought I’d investigate a bit.
I started by typing the title of this post into Google. By the time you try it, you might get better information than I did. The only thing of value was an old political statement from Boris, saying that the access will be the best. He would say that wouldn’t he!
There was also quite a few paid for Google entries trying to sell disabled-friendly accomodation in London for the Olympics.
On the other hand, when I applied for my tickets, I could have applied for wheelchair friendly seats, if I had wanted to. So at least the ticket ballot is disabled friendly. I suspect too, that the venues will have an appropriate number of seats for the disabled, as we have lot of experience of building stadia with them in mind.
Getting to the Olympic Park probably falls into two time periods; before the Olympic Park is completed and after it’s opened.
I’ll deal with the first one now, as why shouldn’t those with limited mobility want to go and view the construction site, as I have in the last couple of weeks? After all lying my hospital bed in Hong Kong, being able to watch the Olympics on television was a hope, rather than something for which my odds of seeing for real,are only a little bit less than say Lord Coe’s.
The Greenway, that I used to access the viewing site is absolutely flat and I think in my current state I could push an average man in a wheelchair from the station at Hackney Wick to the Olympic Park. As with all new London Overground and Docklands Light Railway stations, Hackney Wick has full wheelchair access using lifts. At a weekend, there is quite a bit of free parking in the Victoria Park area, which is not far from the start of the Greenway.
The ViewTube has pretty good disabled access, so you could get a good coffee and a snack.
The problem would come in getting off and on the Greenway at the Pudding Mill Lane end. It is still very much a construction site and although the DLR station has a lift, it might not be easy to negotiate your way through.
Another word of warning is that the best views of the site are at the other end of the Olympic Park to Stratford station.
So don’t go there!
Obviously, once the Olympic Park and the Eastfield Shopping Centre are open, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
More on the Clutter Around Dalston Junction
I now avoid Dalston Junction as much as I can because of the bad pedestrian routes, as I want to go on my terms and not those of a driver who feels pedestrians are targets to be hit. However today, I wanted to explore an address to the east of the station, so I had no excuse but to try and walk up the Kingsland Road and turn into Dalston Lane.
Pavement Clutter at Dalston Junction
The picture illustrates why I said try and walk. note the several advertising hoardings and the cafe encroaching towards the road.
As it was sunny and I’m feeling better, I was able to get through and then had to cross Dalston Lane and walk down an equally restricted narrow pavement on the north side of that road. There was nowhere to cross until a set of pedestrian lights, well past the station. One point I noticed, was that if you had wanted to take say a 30 bus to Hackney Wick, you’d have to walk some way to the stop and where it was wasn’t at all obvious. In the end I walked south and then used Forest Road to get back to the Kingsland Road. At least I was able to ascertain, that the bus station at Dalston Junction appeared to be complete.
opening the Southern entrance to the station would make things so much better and safer.
Pedestrian Flows Around Dalston Junction Station
Getting into and out of Dalston Junction Station is a very dangerous exercise for pedestrians.
I live to the south east of the station and usually cross the busy Kingsland Road at the pedestrian lights about a hundred metres short of the junction with Dalston Lane and the Balls Pond Road. I then walk past the still closed southern entrance to the station and walk up the rather narrow pavement on the eastern side of the road, round the corner and into the north entrance to the station. I have to walk perhaps another fifty metres and due to various works outside the shops there, it always seems that I have to walk in the main road.
One other thing on this route is the number of unofficial pavement obstructions.
Unofficial Pavement Obstructions
Six months ago, they would have caused me a real problem, but with the sun and the improvement in my eyesight, they’re almost good practice for me. And certainly, they’re not as intrusive as the obstacles in Athens.
Coming home, I reverse the process and it is usually a tiny bit easier, as I suspect it’s usually later in the day and there are less pedestrians about. Until a couple of weeks ago, if I was feeling rather lazy, I would often catch a convenient bus for a couple of stops along the Balls Pond Road to save walking.
Closed Pavement at Dalston Junction Station
But this second method is no longer available as due to road works and no pavement, the bus stop has been moved two hundred metres back on Dalston Lane. Incidentally, it is impossible to walk to the stop from the station, due to barriers being in place. To do so, you have to cross Dalston Lane twice and there are no safe crossing points.
The problem was illustrated yesterday in a very graphic manner. I had shown a friend around Victoria Park and we had taken a bus back from there to Dalston Junction station so that they e could take the East London Line south to where her car was parked at Canary Wharf, by changing at Shadwell to the DLR. We ended up walking inside the anti-pedestrian barriers as it was the only way to get to the station. There were several women and couples with children in buggies and at one point one couple virtually had to walk in the middle of Dalston Lane to get past the obstructions. I did think about doing the double crossing of Dalston Lane, but that is easier said than done.
At the entrance to the station, there is a notice saying that the pavement to the east of Dalston Junction station will be closed for 16 weeks from March 14th.
Last night, as I returned from Canary Wharf, there was a passenger with a heavy case completely bemused about where to go as she left the north entrance to Dalston Junction station. So she was young and fit, but she was yet another pedestrian ready to join the queue of those who will get knocked over in this dangerous area.
I hate to say this but someone will get seriously hurt or even killed, unless something is done to rectify the various problems in this busy area for pedestrians.
The Closed Southern Entrance to Dalston Junction Station
One solution would be to open the southern entrance to the station now. This would have major benefits, even if pedestrians were channelled through temporary barriers.
1. People like me, who need to walk to and from the station from the south and south-west would be completely removed from the congested streets. As it is, if I want to go south on the East London Line and the weather is good, I often cut across to Haggerston station.
2. If you needed to take a bus north from Dalston Junction, then you could cross the Kingsland Road at the pedestrian lights and then use any of a number of buses going north.
3. Those going west on a bus would find it easier to get to the stop on the Balls Pond Road, as after crossing at the pedestrian lights, they’d be able to walk up the relatively uncluttered western side of the Kingsland Road.
So would opening the southern entrance be feasible. I suspect yes, but Transport for London are waiting for everything to be finished. The lights all seem to be working and the station entrance appers to be finished.
So why isn’t this entrance open?
It would relieve the pressure at the northern entrance, but that won’t be completely safe until they reopen the pavement along Dalston Lane.
If nothing is done, there is going to be a serious pedestrian accident here.
Shoreditch High Street Station is Now Connected to Spitalfields
I had to go to a party in Spitalfields last night and took the Overground to Shoreditch High Street station.
The last time I walked between the two places, it was a tortuous route crossing a couple of main roads on bad crossings.
Now they’ve opened up this well-lighted underpass.
Underpass to Spitalfields at Shoreditch High Street Station
Just turn right out of the station. If you turn left, you’ll see these lovely Victorian brick arches.
Victorian Brick Arches at Shoreditch High Street Station
I do think that some of the gaps and missing links in the London Underground and Overground systems can be fixed by well-signed walking routes.
The Anonymous Widower 