London's Rail & Tube Services map

The 6 May 2014 edition of this map, valid from 18 May, shows the effect of some long running engineering work by omitting some interchanges. This is interesting as the map has no expiry date and often people keep and refer to editions of this map long after they are superseded. The absence of a station is quite misleading to the uninitiated who might not know of its existence and would not look it up.

At Embankment the Northern and Bakerloo line stations (so to speak) are not shown. Trains won't be stopping until early November and as the closure is not just shown by an obelisk, there must be a new edition of the map ready for the re-opening.

Similarly, the Gloucester Road Piccadilly Line "station", closed until mid December 2014, is not shown. I would have shown it with a white - ie unfilled / outline - tick.

Covent Garden is more complex - westbound trains are not stopping at weekends until mid November, and the station is exit only until then, too. This is marked with an obelisk, but no change to the map.

Bond Street is the oddity and I think may be an error. The Central line station was to open in late June, yet it is not shown even though the map is valid from 18 May. The Jubilee line station is shown, even though it is closed from early July to early December. I would have shown two separate Bond Street ticks, unfilled, with one name label and the obelisk.

Gascoigne Cycling

Sustrans' Gascoigne Cycling Project delivered by Trailnet and various volunteers goes from strength to strength. They now have a shop from where they operate their bike repair / training / exchange projects. See http://www.trailnet.org.uk/gascoigne-cycle-centre

Refurbished Bike Sale in Barking on Sat 26 July 2014

See http://www.meetup.com/Hubbub/events/196134442/

Bygone Barking By Bike

A few photos taken at this year's histiry bike ride.

https://plus.google.com/photos/105158567856821703505/albums/6027032924025679409

Unreconstructed B&D Council

Prospective and successful councillors in the recent council elections weren't the most supportive group in London of LCC's Space 4 Cycling campaign initiative. Maybe their support was passive, maybe they were unaware, maybe they didn't get around to expressing their support. Almost certainly at least some of them had, or believed they had, bigger fish to fry.

I thought, though, that cycling had made it from being the pariah of transport modes to the paragon - yes with some reservations about the behaviour of some cyclists sometimes, but basically cycling crossed the floor from loser-loony to normal, on trend, hipster, mainstream.

It's hard to describe my reaction to a newly built (or re-opened) road down which cycling is not allowed in both directions. Is it frustration that after about 23 years of cycle campaigning in this borough the council still pulls stunts like this, or is it amazement that the ostrich like organisation can still operate a de facto anti-cycling policy in the face of the cultural shift that even the most petrol headed myopic sand blinded ostrich must have got wind of.

Anyway, attached is an image of the offending road, off North Street in Barking. Yes, it is only short but it's the principle of the thing.And far be it from me to suggest that perhaps the car facing away from the camera was not illegally driven through the no-entry.

Ironically, the new block of flats in the background of the photo has apparently got a large cycle parking facility. You just have to get off and walk  to get to it from here.

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London Cycling Design Standards

Tfl is inviting comments on the draft London Cycling Design Standards (LCDS).

Last published in 2005, this revised LCDS sets out the approach needed in London to deliver a step-change in quality. Now comprehensively updated to reflect established and emerging best practice, it is a document that should inform design options and promote an integrated and ambitious approach to delivering high quality infrastructure for cycling in all parts of London.

You can comment on the draft LCDS until Friday 25 July 2014. To view the document, and to comment,please visit https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/cycling/draft-london-cycling-design-standards

New look stibasa website

I have transferred www.stibasa.org.uk  to Wordpress, but I intended continuing to blog here at blogger.com, which is entirely separate.

Following the Wordpress site (which has a blog) will not give you updates from this blog. This may change, but for the moment, the website and the blog remain separate.