Platform Edge Doors
I travelled on the Jubilee line this morning and the line has platform-edge doors in the central section around Canary Wharf station.
According to this web page, Crossrail will have them too in the centre section.
Now I know that in theory they are a good way to stop suicides and accidents with drunks, but do they just just move the problem elsewhere?
After all, the preferred way of suicide in the 1950s was to put your head in a gas oven. Suicides continued despite safer North Sea gas.
I suppose we won’t make station platforms totally safe, until all lines have platform-edge doors. But that would be rather expensive.
Who’d Want To Live In Chelsea?
I wanted to go to a shop called Mr.Resistor in Parson’s Green. Hopefully, they’d be able to provide me with lights that solved my lighting problems. Sadly the light that might have solved the problem was out of stock, so I decided to come home. I had gone by taking a bus to Liverpool Street station, then the Central line to Notting Hill station for the District line to my destination, which was close to Parson’s Green station. The problem had been the bus, as all of the traffic in the City was gridlocked. Possibly because of the Crossrail works.
So instead of retracing my steps, I thought about getting a bus to perhaps South Kensington, where I could get some lunch at Carluccio’s. I really don’t like taking pot luck in an area I don’t know, as getting glutened isn’t fun! I did find a bus stop, with a choice of just one bus; a 22 to Piccadilly Circus. At least it was going in the right direction, but then it got stuck in traffic, due to all the tractors and white vans. Kingsland High Street may not have the glamour of the King’s Road, but at least the traffic keeps moving. In the end, I dived into the Piccadilly line at Knightsbridge station and took a train to Holborn, where I got a friendly 38 bus to the Angel. I just had time to grab my supper and some sandwiches from Marks and Spencer before I had to come home to catch an appointment.
Chelsea may have advantages, but I certainly didn’t see any today. Get past Piccadilly Circus and the traffic frees up, you’ve got the Underground and lots more bus routes. But then I suppose those in Chelsea and the surrounding areas of London don’t believe in public transport and clog up the roads with their tractors. It’s significant to me, that Kensington and Chelsea is one of the London boroughs in greatest opposition to the new London sewer. Could it be that the councillors are getting so many complaints about where to park during the construction?
On the other hand, this trip showed how Crossrail 2 or the Chelsea to Hackney line is badly needed. But do the residents of Chelsea want it constructed given the problems Crossrail is causing in the City. Parson’s Green station is incidentally pencilled in, as a station on the new line.
Next time, I go that way, I’ll take the Overground to West Brompton station and then change to the District line.
A Trip To Barkingside
From its Wikipedia entry Barkingside station seems to be a rather nice one. It says this.
Barkingside station is a “Grade II” listed building, marking it as a structure of architectural significance. Probably designed under the direction of W. N. Ashbee, the GER architect, it is dominated by a substantial brick building, surmounted by a cupola. The interior is notable for the fine hammerbeam roof to the ticket hall. Both platforms retain the ornate canopies with the “GER” initials still visible in the bracketry.
So I went to have a look.
There doesn’t seem to be much near to the station though and I couldn’t even get a coffee. But it is a rather charming little station. The only thing it needs to make it better is roaring coal fires in the waiting rooms.
A Movember Thought
This was yesterday’s Thought of Angel.
A Movember Thought
They do very well at Angel tube station to get a new thought every day.
More Football Travel Problems To Ipswich
Sometimes to get back from Ipswich after a match, a friend drops me at Newbury Park tube station.
But not for the next few days, as the line is closed from today until November the 4th, according to this on the TfL website. Explaining the need for the closure, they said this.
By closing the line for a longer period (instead of multiple weekend works) the overall time needed for the work will be cut from 19 to 12 days and will save more than £2.
It seems a lot of hassle for a saving of just £2.
A Stupid Tourist
I was getting a Circle line train at Monument station, yesterday, when I was approached by an English-speaking tourist, who asked if the Ealing Broadway train at the platform went to Camden Town. I told her that she should walk up the platform and take a Northern line train. As I left a couple of minutes later on a train to Notting Hill Gate, she was still standing there asking the same question and I suspect getting the same answer.
All I can assume, is that she’d never been to a city with more than one train line and therefore she believed that all trains used the same platforms.
The London Underground may be a bit daunting, but staff and passengers will generally give you the correct advice.
To Brighton via Cable Car And A Lot More
And a few other things too!
I had plenty of time yesterday to get to the Ipswich match at Brighton, so I thought, I’d see how many different forms of transport I could use.
1. A 21 Bus to Bank
I started the simple way by getting on this 21 bus to take me to Bank station for the DLR.
A 21 Bus To Bank
It didn’t actually go to Bank, as southbound buses have to take a detour at Moorgate because of Crossrail.
2. Docklands Light Railway to Royal Victoria Docks
I then took the DLR to Royal Victoria Dock station for the cable-car.
DLR Train At Bank
I did take a pause at Limehouse station to take pictures of the Hydraulic Accumulator Tower.
3. Emirates Air-Line To North Greenwich
I’d actually come this way to give me a good title to the post. But, as I had a gondola to myself, I was able to take good pictures of the Crossrail site at Limmo.
The Crossrail Site On The Limmo Peninsular
Work seems to be proceeding at speed and hopefully Elizabeth and Victoria will be dropped in the big hole soon.
4. Jubilee Line To Canada Water
This was the point, I realised I hadn’t got an SD card in the camera, so I purchased one by the O2.
Jubilee Line At Canada Water
At least the Jubilee line was working properly.
5.Lift To The Overground
This might seem like blatant cheating to get my count up. It is!
Lift To The Overground
Although it was a nice clean lift!
6. Overground To West Croydon
Those who know London’s transport system can argue that I should have taken the Jubilee line to London Bridge station and got a train from there. But hey! That would not be fun.
Arriving At West Croydon
But even the Overground takes you to wrong station at Croydon for Brighton. But at least, West Croydon station now has a quick exit to the tram.
7. Tram To East Croydon
At least when you’re going West to East in Croydon, the Tramlink is simple.
Tram at East Croydon
In fact, if say I’m coming from Brighton to my home, I will probably go direct to the London terminus. But going south, I tend to take the Overground from close by my house and then the tram to East Croydon station, as I did here.
8. Train To Brighton
I bought my first ticket of the day. a senior return to Brighton for £11.70.
My Train To Brighton Arrives
I arrived in Brighton on time.
I then walked down the hill to Carluccio’s for an early supper.
The Downside of PFI
I found this little story tucked away on the Internet. In 1998, London Underground entered into a PFI contract with a consortium called Powerlink to provide power to the system. Although, they have no issues with the consortium, London Underground have decided to exercise a break clause, that should save them £220m over the thirty year life of the contract.
Sounds like good and sensible business to me, unless you’re a member of the consortium.
Supposedly, New Buses for London cost about £330,000 each. If you divide this into £220m, you get approximately 667 buses.
Didn’t Transport for London just buy 600 New Buses for London?
It makes you think!
Kids’ Scooters and Endless Large Cases On Public Transport
Sometimes, I get a bit fed=up with the amount of baggage people take on Underground trains and buses. I do spot it better than I used to, but for example, there seems to be innumerable people, who always seem to have all their possessions in a large suitcase in tow. Do some peo0ple change where they live every day?
The number of times, I’ve tripped over a badly stowed children’s scooter has been too numerous to count.
At the moment, I’ve only seen anger, but some people have been very so. Especially in busy times!
Corsets On The Underground
I saw this advert a couple of times on the London Underground today.
Corsets On The Underground
Incidentally, I’ve never read the original book or seen any of the various films. You have to ask how Eve Sinclair collaborated with Charlotte Bronte.
The Anonymous Widower 