City lovebirds flock to skyscrapers and cable cars for Valentine’s Day bookings February 1, 2016 Valentine's Day is now less than two weeks away, and you’ve only just realised, haven’t you? Securing a restaurant with a view might be hard this year, as the Square Mile’s skyscrapers are already fully booked. Saturday 13th February is the big day for London’s lovebirds, as many venues won’t be open on Sunday. Jason Atherton’s City Social in [...]
Tube strike 6 to 8 February 2016: New RMT dates to disrupt TfL services over jobs dispute February 1, 2016 Transport union RMT is planning a 48-hour Tube strike beginning this Saturday and running until Monday evening, this time over job cuts on the London Underground. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will down tools from 9pm on 6 February and continue until the same time on Monday night over a long-standing dispute regarding [...]
From concrete diamonds to timing: Here are seven things you can expect from Crossrail construction in the year ahead? January 29, 2016 Crossrail has been little more than an annoyance for passengers over the past few years, but as the 2018 deadline draws closer it’s all starting to feel a bit real. So what can you expect from Crossrail in the year ahead? 1. It’s being delivered on schedule No, really. As of now, the project is [...]
Mayor of London Boris Johnson accused of “cover up” over Garden Bridge meeting January 29, 2016 The Mayor of London has been accused of misleading the London Assembly over the controversial Garden Bridge, amid claims he targeted Apple for corporate sponsorship before the scheme had even received backing. According to trade magazine Architects' Journal, which has been running a series of exposes on the matter, Boris Johnson and Garden Bridge designer Thomas Heatherwick travelled [...]
Britain’s worst trains: London’s passengers are the unhappiest as Thameslink, Southeastern and Southern trains voted worst for customer satisfaction January 27, 2016 Commute into London? Feel like it's the worst journey in the world? Quite possibly, you're right. Thameslink, Southeastern and Southern have been voted the worst train companies in the UK, with passengers on their services the least satisfied in the country, after being rated on everything from how much room there is to stand and how helpful [...]
Will there be a Night Tube launch in 2016? London’s 24-hour underground service could be delayed until after the mayoral election January 27, 2016 May could be the earliest we see a Night Tube running in London, as unions have warned the 24-hour service could be delayed until after the mayoral election. Hotly anticipated by Londoners and debated by Transport for London (TfL) and unions, the weekend night services were announced 18 months ago, but their launch has been [...]
How the next mayor can turn London into a truly digital city January 26, 2016 In a little over three months, Londoners will elect a new mayor. When we last went to the polls in 2012, London’s tech industry was only just starting to bloom, but since then it has gone on to become the driving force of the capital’s economy. The next mayor will take the helm of the undisputed [...]
Forget speed bumps and cycle lanes: Why Britain’s roads should be more like ice rinks January 26, 2016 Over the festive period, many of you would have ventured to Somerset House or Winter Wonderland to ice-skate. Taking to the rink, you would have seen children skating for the first time while clasping their parent’s hand, as other adults whizzed round at high speed. Each individual, including you, moved at their own speed, judging [...]
How we can mobilise public sector land to build the homes London needs January 26, 2016 In 1941, under tremendous pressure to increase food production, the war cabinet commissioned a National Farm Survey. It sought to identify uncultivated agricultural land, as well as new land to support the dig for victory. It resulted in 36,000 maps and was nicknamed the “Second Domesday Book”. Under pressure to identify land for new homes [...]
Tube strike 2016: RMT has called off action scheduled for 26 January at 11th hour – but February’s strikes could still be on January 25, 2016 Update: The UK's largest transport union RMT has called off this week's Tube strike, after receiving a new pay deal from Transport for London. The Tube strike was due to start at 9.15pm on Tuesday 26 January and run until the same time on Wednesday 27 January. This was then to be followed by two further 24 hour strikes [...]