Dinosaurs Wreck Daylight Saving Bill
The latest attempt at saving lives by moving the clocks an hour forward has been wrecked by those MPs, who have gone against the main will of the House of Commons, the government and the people of the UK, by using procedural tricks to talk the Bill out. Read all about it in the Guardian.
It’s funny, but now I live in London instead of Suffolk, I’m more in favour than ever of the bill. I have just walked back from a bus in semi-darkness. So in Islington and Hackney, the lights aren’t too bad, but it was just at this time of night last winter, when a teenage girl was killed as she crossed between two buses, just round the corner from where I live. An hour of extra daylight and she might still be alive. She probably shouldn’t have done it, but who hasn’t.
If the Scots, who weren’t the major objectors this time incidentally, want a different timezone to England, then that is their business.
But how many other pedestrians will have to die before this lunacy is corrected.
The Greenway Bridge Over Stratford High Street Nears Completion
I took some pictures of this bridge in September last year.
Here are some more recent ones from yesterday.
It looks like it’ll be on time for the Olympics.
Smokers, Chuggers and Street Obstructions
I go to Upper Street in Islington quite a few times a week. I had to walk from Boots near the tube station to Carluccio’s, which is a few hundred metres towards HIghbury Corner.
It was the usual obstacle course.
For the first part of the walk, the road was lined by smokers trying to commit suicide, dropping litter and making life unpleasant for everybody else. Several smokers even had babies in buggies. If anything should be made illegal, it should be to smoke in the street within five metres of a child under five.
Then there were the chuggers, protesting this time against torture. I can sympathise with their cause, but whilst they continue to plague my life, they are just wasting their time.
and then there were the street obstructions like these.
Street Obstructions in Upper Street, Islington
My eyesight has got better now and I seldom bump into them now. You will see from the photograph, that Islington Council has improved the pavement, only for the banners and bicycle to be added to make it an obstacle course. I would think that a better idea might be to sell the advertising space on the side of the litter bins at the edge of the pavement. At least those are well out of the main walking route.
There was also this abandoned bicycle.
An Abandoned Bicycle in Upper Street, Islington
Or it certainly looks so. I’ll check tomorrow to see if it is still there.
We wonder why people flock to out-of-town shopping centres. You don’t get any of the annoyances of chuggers, smokers and unnecessary obstructions.
Jams In The West End
There has been a lot of controversy lately about the City of Westminster, bringing in parking charges in the evenings and on Sundays. Here ‘s a report from the Telegraph.
It seems to me that most of the opposition is led by celebrities such as Peter Stringfellow, who claim they are worried about jobs and of course where to park their own limos and excessive people carriers.
As I said the 38 bus was delayed getting to Shaftesbury Avenue and it took half an hour to travel the last bit from Bloomsbury. My progress after alighting from the bus, wasn’t helped by the fact that a coach was parked on the pavement, making both walking and driving difficult.
After the play it was worse and getting back up Shaftesbury Avenue was not easy, as drivers were blocking pavement and trying to go at speed into and out of the side roads. It wasn’t helped by the fact, that a large number of police cars and ambulances were trying to get through.
I finally got to the stop for the 38 bus and after checking by text, I found I had seven minutes to wait.
Whilst waiting you realised that what was holding up the traffic was the vast number of cycle rickshaws, which were illegally touting at the bus stops. A guy in the queue near me, who had the aura of a taxi-driver, said that mos of the rickshaws aren’t insured and he wouldn’t go near them. He was actually a van driver, who’d had a nght out with his family and was also waiting for a 38. There’s more on illegal rickshaws here.
It was also a night, when I wished I’d had my camera with me, as I would ave got a picture of a 19 bus, seemingly pushing a rickshaw slowly along the road.
Finally, I got my 38 back to the local stop.
So what would I do to improve matters?
It would appear that the 38 bus, might be one of the first routes to get the new Routemaster in 2012. Certainly, as they are quicker to board and exit, they should help a bit. Banning the rickshaws from bus lanes would also help.
I’ve always been in favour of pedestrianising Oxford Street or perhaps building a raised walkway above the middle of the street to speed people from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch and perhaps relieve the Central line. Although a bit to the north of theatreland, it would make it easier to get to Soho and then come south to Shaftesbury Avenue. My thoughts on the walkway are in this post.
I think I would make a large area of Soho a pedestrian only zone, as this would increase the capacity of the area dramatically. And the more visitors it gets, the more money gets spent. Perhaps, small electric buses could be used on the north-south routes to move people about.
But perhaps what will help most is already being built; CrossRail. Although it only goes to Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street stations, the high-capacity trains will probably run later than the Underground and they will at least get a lot of West End traffic away after the theatres and shows finish. I would run a shuttle service through from say Stratford to Heathrow to aid those, like essential workers, who had to travel in the middle of the night.
It has always puzzled me why there is no Underground station at Cambridge Circus. Perhaps the walking routes to Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road stations need to be improved.
A Proper Map at Ipswich Station
I’ve never really checked out Ipswich as to how easy it is to get around by walking or public transport, so I checked on Saturday.
A Proper Match at Ipswich Station
There is no excuse for maps of this quality and size to not be displayed at the railway station. And probably several other places in the town or city as well.
Note that the map has a five minute walking ring and an index to all the streets. The tourism information office is also properly shown.
About the only thing not on the map is the hospital, which is some way on the other side of the town from the station. To be fair to the hospital, they have a page, which describes how to get there by train.
One thing that is different at Ipswich station to many I’ve visited in the last few weeks, is that you walk out of the station and you can see the town in front of you.
Ipswich Town Centre from the Station
The picture, shows the bridge over the River Gipping, the council offices and the football group. You are naturally drawn the right way towards the town centre.
I know, I know Ipswich well, but few towns I’ve visited draw you in in a purposeful way from the station. Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Wolverhampton do to a certain extent. One of the best was Huddersfield, which also had a free town centre bus. But others such as Bristol, Manchester and most of the new towns haven’t got their acts together. Burnley was one of many places where a simple map, some fingerposts and a bit of thought could really improve things.
Did They Put This Up For Me?
I saw this sign as I left Vale Park.
Beware of Pedestrians
If it had been for me, the word angry would have been added.
But I do like it. After all, why a lot of people walk, is that they have a slight impediment, that stops them from driving. This might mean that they miss traffic wanting to cross their path.
At Last A Decent Map Of Manchester!
After asking about six Mancunians, where Spinningfields was on Day 26, so I could have supper in the Carluccio’s there, I was finally directed to this map by a young Polish woman.
Manchester City Centre Map
I thought all my prayers had been answered. Until I realised that the You Are Here sticker is in the wrong place! I mean if the Council mapmakers don’t know their city, how can the good people of Manchester get to know it? On the other hand, they perhaps don’t walk at all, except to get into the car!
After an excellent meal, I then had the problem of finding Piccadilly station. There are quite a few finger posts, but none indicated the station where most people arrive at and leave the city by train.
Perhaps, it’s a rather dark plot to entrap tourists and visitors, so they have to spend a night in a hotel!
Luckily, I found a couple of policemen in Piccadilly Gardens and they showed me the quickest escape route to the station. When I said that I found Liverpool so much easier to visit, they both agreed with me!
Nottingham’s Pedestrian Unfriendly Streets
This picture is typical of many I could have taken walking between Nottingham station and the two football grounds and the cricket ground.
A Typical Nottingham Pedestrian Route
It would appear that little has been done to create a safe walking route to and from the city centre for pedestrians. I couldn’t find a bus either.
When I got to the station, I asked a policeman as to his views on walking to the grounds. I won’t repeat his answer here.
To be fair, there is a map in the station. But it doesn’t show the football and cricket grounds in the list of important places!
Let’s hope when they finish the development of the station and the trams, that it will make the journey easier!
Or they could perhaps use the Nottingham Canal as a walking route, as it goes roughly the right way.
A Travelator At Manchester Piccadilly
When I changed trains at Manchester Piccadilly on Wednesday, I used this travelator at the station to get to platform 14 for Liverpool.
Travelator at Manchester Piccadilly
We need more of these in strategic places to speed up pedestrian flows.
Getting Between Kings Cross/St. Pancras and Euston
London’s three major stations that serve the North and of course the Continent; Kings Cross, St. Pancras and Euston, are all close together on the Euston Road.
The first has been superbly rebuilt, the second is approaching the end of a major redevelopment and they now share probably the best Underground station in London. But Euston is rather isolated from the other two, with several ways to get between them.
- You can take a rather unpleasant walk along the busy Euston Road.
- You can use the Metropolitan or Circle lines, but this means a walk to or from Euston Square at the Euston end.
- You can dive into the Underground and take the Victoria or Northern lines, but it is not step free at the Euston end, and not recommended with a heavy case. Both deep stations are also easy places to get lost or confused.
- Going from Euston to Kings Cross or St. Pancras is quite easy by bus 30, 73, 205 or 476, which you catch in front of Euston station, but the reverse journey means you have to cross Euston Road twice.
- There are of course taxis. But not everyone can afford them.
As I had time to spare at Kings Cross, before I caught my train to Hartlepool, I decided to investigate and found a map which showed there was a fairly simple direct walking route that avoided the pollution and traffic of the Euston Road.
I started by walking through St. Pancras station and exited by the cab rank onto Midland Road, with the intention of going down Brill Place.
Crossing Midland Road
There is a light controlled crossing, but it is rather blocked by badly placed railings and the cab rank. Brill Place, which is the start of the road to Euston is on the left.
Brill Place is flanked on one side by the new Francis Crick Institute and on the right, there is a small pleasant park, which could provide an oasis from the crowds in the stations.
Brill Place
Brill Place itself, is not a grotty dusty road lined by parked cars, but a wide tree-lined avenue that leads on to Phoenix Road.
Towards Pheonix Road
At the end of Phoenix Road, you just cross Eversholt Street on one of the two pedestrian crossings and you walk down the road to Euston station.
The advantages of the route are as follows.
- The route is virtually flat.
- It would be easy trailing quite a large case.
- There are only two major roads to cross and both have light-controlled pedestrian crossings.
- There is the park, which would as I said before, be a better place to eat a packed meal than the station.
- You do pass a few shops and a reasonable-looking pub.
But there are disadvantages.
- The route is not signposted.
- The barriers at the St. Pancras end are wrongly placed.
- The side entrance to Euston station could be better.
So how would I make it better, so that in effect we had one super station for the north.
- I’d start with sign-posting. The posts are there at the St. Pancras end already.
- Perhaps, it should be marked on the ground, as a Kings Cross/St. Pancras to Euston walking route.
- You might even provide some eco-friendly transport along the route, like an electric shuttle bus or bicycle rickshaws.
- A couple of suitably placed Boris bike stations would help too.
- Shops and cafes should be developed along the road. There are some already.
To me though, this is one of those things that will happen. But probably first in a very unofficial way, as how many of those that work in the Francis Crick Institute will commute into Euston and walk there? It won’t be a small number.
It took me about fifteen minutes to do the walk and I just got a 205 bus back to Kings Cross for my train from the front of Euston station.
The Anonymous Widower 