Unicycle

Londoners have been told to find alternative ways of getting around the city during the Olympics. A resourceful bunch we're trying out a few ideas.

Trains Galore

This weekend is one of the rare days the London Transport Museum's depot at Acton Town is open.
Everything from miniature steam engines to Victorian trams and buses. Station signs showing the stops that were planned and never eventuated.
More than 70 rare vehicles are on display. I loved the original switchboard and manual signal box. Some real gems on display.
You have until the end of today to catch it.

Travel Chaos

Airports have thousands camping on the floors, trains have been cancelled. All in all travelling at the moment is not a heap of fun.
Yesterday the queue for the eurostar stretched from inside the station along Euston Road, past the British library and down the side street. About 6,000 people, with a wait of 5-6 hours.

According to the papers, tempers were frayed and eurostar staff where surly and rude.

Not so. They were doing a sterling job trying to deal with a difficult situation. Handing out drinks and croissants, all with a smile. Directing people to the end of the mile long queue.

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Not so. They were doing a sterling job trying to deal with a difficult situation. Handing out drinks and croissants, all with a smile. Directing people to the end of the mile long queue.

A perfect opportunity for comedian buskers I thought. Where were they?

Just One of Those Days

Pouring with rain, the tubes are on strike, the Boris bike stand near me is locked and I can't get a bike out and the taxi got a flat!

Actually I made that up. Well not really. You see they all did happen. Just not today. Well actually not all exactly on the same day. They did all happen. I just rearranged the order. Well you do don't you when it's one of those days. Hope I haven't jinxed my train today.

I'm buzzing off for a few days. Not cold enough here thought I'd head north just to feel some real cold. Goodness this doesn't sound very jolly does it. I am jolly though in case you're wondering. Thanks for asking.
I will leave you with a few glimpses of London while I'm gone.

November Theme Day - Public Transport

Bye.

Visit other City Daily Photographers monthly theme day:
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Canal Boats

This mode of transport has been around here since Roman times. Traffic jams on the waterways common. Not until trains were invented did this change. What will relieve the traffic jams on our roads do you suppose?

Rubbish

Londoners produce masses of it. About 15% (700,000 tonnes) of it travel by barge from central London to landfills in Essex.
Many want the site were these containers leave from to be turned into apartments. Mostly developers but also neighbours who want the value of their properties to increase.
Others want more rubbish transported by barge. If this lot was transported by lorry we would see an increase of 100,000 lorries per year on the road.

Planning for the Olympics especially improving travel has meant that anything that reduces road congestion is favoured. Looks like the barges may win.

How Things Were

Mayor Boris promised to rid us of the bendy buses and replace them with the old Routemasters. Londoners loved the Routemasters for a number of reasons. Not the least of which was the open back that allowed you to dodge paying the fare by leaping off the back and into the path of the following traffic, thus escaping the conductor. A health and safety issue -of course. Really dangerous? Probably still not for the faint hearted or wobbly on their feet even though most days you travel around inner London at about 2 miles an hour. The last Routemaster ran in 2005. However, if you long for a bit of how things were there are two heritage routes you can take, and you can also hire them for your own private party.

Route 9 Royal Albert Hall — Hyde Park Corner — Piccadilly Circus — Trafalgar Square — Strand — Aldwych.

Route 15 Trafalgar Square — Strand — Aldwych — Fleet Street — Cannon Street — Monument — Tower Hill.