ELT wins an award

The East London Transit is widely mocked for its name and the insistence that it's not a bus, even though it stops at bus stops, charges bus fares, is shown as a bus on maps and in journey planners as a bus, runs over the route of a bus that hasn't run since it was introduced, and - above all - uses the same vehicles as a bus. Writing "transit" on the side of a bus doesn't stop it being a bus, writing "Rolls Royce" on a Datsun Cherry would achieve the same - nothing except a laugh.

It was going to be  a tram, and at one point monorail plans were if not drawn up, given the artist's impression treatment.

Anyway, to crown it all it's now won an award, partly because it serves Barking Town Centre, from where buses were excluded in the early 1990s.

So that's divert buses away from a town centre and 15 or so years later undo your work, but calling a spade a material extraction device, and get an award for it. Hmm.

Parking charges will stop people using their cars! D'Uh.

In today's Evening Standard (London) there's an article about councils putting up charges for parking to help meet the shortfall in revenue that the current swingeing cuts will cause. One vox pop contributor says: "driving costs more and more, and it'll put most of us off doing it." It isn't really clear whether she thinks this is a bad thing, though the general tenor of the article is anti, but yes, if you put the price of something up, usage will typically fall - it's called elasticity. If car use falls, car ownership will fall too, public transport ridership will tend to increase and so will cycling. This will ease the environmental problems caused by cars, as well as meaning they'll take up less space between them. Basic.

What we want from our transport and communication system(s) is the reduction of the problem of people not being near the resource they need to access. People should have a big fat broadband pipe in their home, with an easy to use terminal connected to it. Amongst the services they should be able to easily access from this is the use of an appropriate vehicle to move things and people to a certain place by a certain time. More private cars is not the solution.

Countdown out - part 2

My useless bus information post reminded me of my adventures earlier in the month, trying to get to the National Theatre. Here is the text of my complaint:

"From:
Sent: 12 December 2010 20:42
To: 'enquire@tfl.gov.uk'
Subject: Jubilee Line Sunday 12/10/10

I’m writing to complain about the train information at West Ham (Jubilee line platform) today. I arrived there at about 1.30pm, and for the next 15-20 minutes the display was showing that a train would arrive in 3 minutes, the 2, then 3 again, then 2, and so on. I understand that you had problems with the trains – that’s not what I am complaining about. If you had advised us to use another route that would have been fair enough, but instead you caused us all to wait there in the belief that there was a train coming shortly.

Surely your information systems on this new line can actually tell us with a reasonable degree of accuracy when a train is actually coming?

Countdown out

Because of the recent bad weather, I have been catching the bus home from Barking station more often recently. A few weeks ago I noticed that 'countdown' displays had been installed - not new hardware, but that's not the point. On the last two occasions the display was giving out the useless information that it had no information about buses. Hmm. Tonight, I noticed that some standard transport tortured prose was in use: Words to the effect of "full information is not available."

More to the point, no information was available, whether full, partial or sketchy. I'm sure that the bad weather is causing problems, but if they don't know when the bus is coming, can't they just say so?

Tannoy oy oy oy oy

I can remember the days when there was no train information on many barking & Gospel Oak line platforms. I can also remember having an argument with Silverlink a few years back, over whether there were any speakers installed at Harringay Green Lanes. After flatly contradicting me (a daily user of the station), they finally said they had been delivered to the site. Fat lot of good if they're not up-and-running.

Well now we have an embarasse de richesse at HGL, with two speakers systems up and running, producing a nice out-of-synch duet between the voices as they announce differently worded versions of the same information. Maybe I could forgive a few days overlap of the systems (better to have double announcements than none), but this silliness has been going on for weeks now.

Gospel Joke Line

Wooden spoon to TfL for introducing a temporary timetable (not corresponding to the new National Rail Timetable) for this week, and another one for next week, without bothering to tell anyone, even on TfL's Overground we page, and then the new one the week after that. Thanks to the ever vigilant Barking and Gospel Oak Line Users Group for publishing links to them on their website http://www.barking-gospeloak.org.uk/

Hi tech minicab company - "changing minicab booking forever"

http://www.minicabcompany.com/

This is the website of the minicab company that is using the hi tech solution I have been referring to: I have relented and posted this on the ground that if people use thisand it is good, it will encourage others and therefore lead to a more efficient overall minicab system.

You can book by phone (voice call), SMS, and on the web.

Minicabs and tech

http://www.iamdespatch.com

Looking around for the software that is behind the web based taxi firm mentioned in my last posting, I came across this company, offering a package based on smart phones in vehicles and a cloud computing based system for clients (passengers) and operators. A well thought out system.

Minicabs

I've been updating my records of minicab firms and I list below ones that have IG11 postcodes. I have not checked the information, neither can I personally vouch for / recommend any of them.

I got some of this information from several on line directories, all doing the same thing, but rivals to each other and presumably holding the information separately. None of them had all the information shown here. That's a bad start.

Then we have to consider that for the 10 companies (or company names - some seem to share a postal address) show below there are 17 phone numbers. This isn't competition, it's just poor overall service caused by confusion and poor information. Many other companies show when you search on line for cab companies in Barking / IG11, because they all want you to book with them, of course. One company (not listed) even has multiple web addresses, with different place names in, and claims to have the biggest fleet of minicabs in Barking, or whatever area you have typed in! If they are a portal for other minicab firms, then perhaps this claim is supportable on that ground, if it is not true in the strict sense.

I wrote over a year ago (http://stibasa.blogspot.com/2009/12/transport-software.html) about software (Mentor Intellifleet) that  intelligently manages taxi fleets logistically. (This is not an advert - other suitable software may be available). Surely there is a need to reduce the number of phone numbers for taxi firms (more customer friendly) for starters, and them to arrange dispatch of a suitable vehicle that is near the pick-up and available in time to complete the journey by the target destination arrival time, or pick up the traveller soonest for asap dynamic bookings. I am not saying that scaling up operations like this is easy, but it's possibly something TfL could have a go at.Cabwise seems to be a start - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/taxisandminicabs/taxis/default.aspx

TAXI/MINICAB FIRMS IN IG11

A-to-B Minicabs             020 8594 5536, 020 8594 9290
Best Way Cars                020 8594 8844, 020 8507 3303, 020 8593 4414    
Essex Minicabs                020 8591 9000
Gateway Cars                  020 8591 7000, 020 8591 4444
Hawk Cars                      020 3371 1551
I'M Cars Ltd                    020 8594 4996
Ripple Cars                      020 8594 2553, 020 8594 2045
S.A.M Cars                     020 8594 9394, 020 8594 9395
Thatched House Car Hire 020 8594 4444, 020 8591 2721
Westbury Cars                 020 8594 2045

New cycling magazine - ish

http://www.cyclelifestyle.co.uk/

This new magazine available on-line and on paper seems to aim itself at a readership new to cycling - those who have taken it up since it became "fashionable" in recent years. I'm not scoffing at it  - just trying to describe my first impressions of it, from a quick skim. Issue 4 is out already. The earlier issues seem to be available as a pdf but not in the format that emulates a paper magazine on screen.

Havering College - Cycle Maintenance Apprenticeship

http://www.havering-college.ac.uk/college-calendar-dates/college-news/news.aspx?p=109625

Havering college has launched a cycle maintenance apprenticeship. I have edited this post thanks to a comment from the college - thanks  - that an apprentice can be any age, though the government subsidy decreases with age.

Passenger focussed train announcements

When my train was cancelled one morning this week, I had some twenty minutes in Barking station. c2c trains were badly affected by the bad weather and were pretty much all running late. The computerised announcer was steadfastly announcing the problem like this:

"We're sorry that the 0853 train to Fenchurch Street is delayed by approximately 17 minutes. c2c apologises for this delay and the inconvenience it may cause you." Announcements like this were practically back to back - trains are frequent at that time in the morning and one train was running 25 miniutes late. If this was announced every 2 minutes we would have heard the announcement a dozen times.


Every so often, the human announcer would override the computerised voice and give people the information they actually wanted where the next train to Fenchurch Street (and to West Ham and Limehouse) was platformed.


This is not some Luddite claim that humans are better at announcing trains than computers - it is about the relevance of the information. What people want to know is when the next train to their destination will arrive and on what platform, not how late it is, or what the driver wants for Christmas.

This may not apply to those travelling away from London, as several destinations are served and delay information may well help people, but for those going into London, the auto information was useless and its presentation irritating. It would have been better to turn it off.

Double our voice

You may have seen the articles about this campaign in London Cyclist or on the London Cycling Campaign  website.

Although cycling has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years, there is still much campaigning to be done, and membership groups like LCC and CTC can be a powerful voice for cyclists, both directly, and in the support they offer to local campaigners. They also of course offer membership benefits, such as free insurance.

So, in your travels, so try to recruit new members for these groups. If the B&D LCC branch were to grow, perhaps we could become more viable, and do more things to encourage cycling / attract new members

Safer Cycling in Barking and Dagenham - A new initiative encourages cyclist-awareness amongst freight drivers

A Council officer writes:

"Following our recent recognition by Transport for London as an Outer London Biking Borough, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham remains committed to promoting and encouraging cycling. We’re continuing to improve and integrate our comprehensive cycle networks, develop the greenway network through our parks and open spaces, and provide free cycle training for all residents and workers. We’re also engaged in a range of ongoing promotional and awareness campaigns.

With the launch of the new Cycle Superhighway Route 3, which links Barking with Central London, raising awareness of the increasing number of cyclists using our network has become a key priority. In conjunction with Transport for London, M2 Training has been commissioned to run a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) module called “Safer London Driving”, tailored for the freight drivers operating in and around London.

The training module is designed to help equip vocational drivers with the knowledge, skill, motivation and confidence to operate safely on London’s roads. As well as highlighting the vulnerability of other road users, it explains how London’s streetscape is evolving to encourage more active travel and facilitate the ever-increasing cycling journeys within the capital and beyond.

The course aims to make freight drivers and operators aware of London’s changing streetscape and the need to be able to identify road users who are vulnerable and why. It will highlight drivers’ responsibilities with an emphasis on professionalism; promote tools, techniques and technology that can improve road safety; and review driver attitudes through reflection and discussion, to improve personal driving practises.

In early autumn, Barking and Dagenham rolled out a pilot course to local borough businesses, which was very well attended and benefitted from positive feedback. Subsequent to these events, funding has been secured to roll out 18 courses for local borough-based haulage companies, providing training for 360 freight drivers, helping them develop the knowledge, awareness and skills to adapt to the changing nature of the capital’s roads.

If you are a local business based within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and feel you would benefit from this free training, please contact Lee Thornton at Lee.Thornton@lbbd.gov.uk or telephone 020 8227 3352. Please note places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis."

Oyster Extension Permit

Inquisitive, I added one to my Oystercard at Barking Station (using a machine of course). It showed up on my account as "PAYG enabled" or similar, with "Bus" (which puzzled me as I hadn't been on one. Some time later, I noticed I was being charged £4.20 entry each morning and evening at Barking. I never bother swiping at S Tottenham or Harringay Green Lanes as I have a zones 3 & 4 annual travelcard loaded onto the Oystercard. I resumed swiping. The first time the system deducted £4.20 at Barking and credited £4.20 at S Tottenham, and then the problem was fixed.

So that's how an OEP works.

Police on bikes

I've commented before on how times have changed. Again a local firm (or branch) has donated bicycles to the police, this time in Abbey Ward, saying "We believe these bikes will be positive for the community".

It doesn't seem that long ago when bicycle based policing would have been seen as absurd, and parodied as a nostalgic hark-back to "bobbies on bicycles".

Heaven for petrol heads

Not a headline to gladden the hard of a sustainability campaigner, but Motorways' advert in the council newspaper The News features a photo with bicycles outside, and mentions being "expert when it comes to ... bicycles" in the text. They are in Church Street Dagenham. Tel: 020 8592 0294

Boris Bikes

I've just signed up for the Boris Bikes. I had to pay £3 for the key and £1 up front for an access period of 24 hours. That period doesn't start till I use the key, and it will auto renew once it expires (ie 24 hours after I use the key).

Doesn't seem too bad given that I'm unlikely to use it enough to warrant annual membership.

The Road to nowhere

The "new" road from Freshwharf Road to Jenkins Lane is still blocked off by gates near Jenkins Lane, a heap of bricks at the southern gate and concrete girders at the junction with Jenkins Lane. I just found in my records an e-mail from 2004 when I complained about the no-entry except buses signs that they managed to erect before even completing the road. They're still there.

Cyclists not welcome at Abbey Retail Park

I noticed this some time ago and suspect it has been like it for a long time. The Abbey Road emtrance to the estate has been segregated - HGVs in one lane and "Cars only" in the other. Charming.

Helsinki cycling study

http://www.bikexprt.com/research/pasanen/index.htm

The author comes down in favour of helmet compulsion where there is a low cycling rate anyway, and against the (segregated) cycle tracks that are a feature of many continental cities and often held up as best practice.

He says that cyclists are better off in mixed traffic than on (segregated) tracks.

LCC wants space for cycling

This is likely to be the tag line for London Cycling Campaign's headline campaign for the 2012 Mayor & GLA elections. It is suitably broad to allow for the spectrum of views within LCC as to what to do on the ground to encourage and facilitate cycling, without opting for any one type of solution.

www.lcc.org.uk

3 feet please

David Love, progenitor of London's Freewheel event (Skyride) has started a new campaign to persuade motorists to leave three feet between their car and cyclists. The idea has provoked debate in cycle campaigning e-mail discussion groups, but it does try to deal with the rather subjective guidance in the Highway Code - leave at least as much space as you would for a car.

http://3feetplease.org.uk

Commuter cycling and sickness absence

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20580736

Conclusion: "Cycling to work is associated with less sickness absence. The more often people cycle to work and the longer the distance travelled, the less they report sick"

The Health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20587380


Says (according to CTC's CycleDigest) that the health benefits of cycling are on average nine times greater than the risks associated with driving a car.

Bye bye Class 150

The class 150 trains on the Barking & Gospel Oak line, introduced in 1999, have bowed out gracefully in favour of the shiny new class 172s. The last 150 I saw was on Wednesday, I think.

Video production workshop Sat 16 Oct

Video workshop (Sat 16 Oct, 10-1pm)

Capture – Edit – Deliver: three simple steps to your campaigning video. There are still spaces available. To book go here http://lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1722.

LCC needs new office manager

The London Cycling Campaign is recruiting an office manager. Salary c £25K, closing date 20 October.

http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=2094

Ask for Cycle Parking

There's now an interactive website you can use to pin point on a zoomable map where you think there should be cycle parking. The site has been created for the London Cycling Campaign. Please note that the map doesn't show where there is cycle parking.

http://www.cycleparking4london.org.uk/

Abuse of cycle lanes, ASLs, etc

There's now a website where you can upload photos of motorists parking / stopping in or otherwise obstructing cycle lanes/tracks, advanced stop lines, etc. The perpetrators shown this far include not only "white van man" and taxi drivers, but the police.

http://london.mybikelane.com/

Barking Station Ticket Machine Oyster Compatability

At least one of the ticket machines at Barking Station can now handle Oyster products - I used one of the newer, taller machines and managed to load an Oyster Extension Permit onto my card.

Cycle Super Highway under construction in June

I say "under construction", but the vast majority of the work - and all the work I saw between Barking & Bow Creek - was putting on the blue coating.

A few photos here:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/cardinal1962/CSH_26_Jun_10#

Outrageous Illegal Parking

Here we see again the arrogance of parking on a cycle track. This is in Pickering Road, Barking. The track is even demarcated by bollards with the "safe routes to school" logo. The pictures were taken at about 9.45am and 12.40pm.

New train on Barking & Gospel Oak Line - my first ride

On the 1800 service from Harringay Green Lanes to Barking. The air-conditioning is a delight and the ride is very quiet, though not as quiet as an electric train and a bit noisier at stations when the doors are open.

As we knew from the world of cycle campaigning there is no dedicated cycle accommodation - and Bromptoneers who use Barking and/or Gospel Oak Station will have to find a new place/angle to stash their machines as the vestibule layout is so different. At the moment there are no maps or line diagrams, but I'm sure that will be remedied soon. There are no tube style dangly things to hold onto.

A couple of minor details niggle - they're probably of no consequence, but why not get them right - and more to the point how do they get them wrong. They concern the on train station name announcements. Walthamstow, with a soft 'th' as in 'them' rather than a hard 'th' as in 'theme'  (I'll let them off the authentic 'Wharf-em stow'). And "One stead" Park, whereas the 'Wan' is always pronounced to rhyme with 'John'

Foodcycle

http://www.foodcycle.org.uk/

"FoodCycle combines young volunteers, surplus food and a free kitchen space to create nutritious meals and positive social change in the community!

The idea is simple. Food retailers throw out millions of tons of edible food every year due to supply overstock. The aim of FoodCycle is to redirect this food so it can be used to cook nutritious meals for people in the local community that do not have access to healthy foods for a variety of reasons, such as lack of income or knowledge of healthy nutrition.

The result? Personal health and well-being increase with proper nutrition, food waste is reduced, and young volunteers create positive change in their communities!

And for those who like numbers this means we have reclaimed 3,000 kg of food, served 6,000 three-course meals clocking over 3,000 volunteer hours!"