Appointment times and NHS discounts: How retailers plan to lure shoppers back after lockdown May 23, 2020 After more than two months of enforced closure during the UK coronavirus lockdown, retailers across England are preparing to potentially reopen to shoppers from 1 June. The high street will look different when retailers are allowed to open their doors. Social distancing signage will be in place, shop assistants will wear masks and a number [...]
We need a new approach to city resilience May 22, 2020 Globally, cities are fundamental drivers of economic performance. If a nation’s major cities function well, the overall economy benefits in terms of jobs and innovation of products and services. The World Bank states that 55% of the world’s population – 4.2 billion people – now live in cities, generating 80% of global GDP. Protecting cities [...]
Khan and Bailey clash over congestion charge hike May 21, 2020 A row has erupted between Sadiq Khan and one of his challengers to be the next Mayor of London over the conditions of the government’s bailout of struggling Transport for London. Yesterday, the Mayor said that the government had forced him to reinstate and expand the congestion charge as a condition of the £1.6bn rescue [...]
HS2’s new west London mega-hub gets planning go-ahead May 19, 2020 HS2’s west London rail hub at Old Oak Common has this evening received planning approval from the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. The green light means that work can progress on building what will be the largest new railway station ever built in the UK. The station will have 14 platforms, a mix [...]
The 20 busiest Tube stations TfL wants commuters to avoid May 18, 2020 Transport for London has issued a list of the Tube stations that commuters should try to avoid as more people begin to return to work after lockdown. From today, London’s transport network will aim to run 75 per cent of Tube services and 85 per cent of bus services. Government advice remains that those who [...]
Railways introduce crowd control measures to help stop coronavirus spread May 18, 2020 Rail and Tube chiefs today put in place crowd control measures at stations around the UK and added more train services amid fears overcrowding could help spread coronavirus. Last Sunday Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged those who could not work from home to go back to work in an easing of the coronavirus lockdown. Network [...]
Bailout shows the need for a TfL rethink May 18, 2020 We will probably never know exactly how close we came to TfL going bust and services across London not running last week. Unless, of course, when today’s bailout agreement expires in September, there isn’t another crunch. The capital’s transport network has had another log thrown on the fire, but central Government remains in control of [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for coronavirus inquiry into BAME deaths May 17, 2020 Sadiq Khan has called for a government inquiry into BAME deaths from coronavirus. Khan today called the higher rate of deaths among BAME ethnicities “shocking” and called for Boris Johnson to set up a public inquiry. Numbers published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this month revealed that black men and women were four-times [...]
Central London’s streets to be car-free under new mayoral plan May 15, 2020 Miles of London’s streets will be car-free under a new plan announced by the mayor to encourage cycling and walking and to help the transport system cope with social distancing. Sadiq Khan said the plan would transform parts of central London into one of the largest car-free areas in any capital city. “Covid-19 poses the [...]
Rail franchises to introduce social distancing measures as lockdown eases May 15, 2020 Rail franchises including Avanti West Coast and LNER are set to introduce measures to help passengers socially distance on journeys, it was announced. From Monday, LNER, which runs services on the east coast, will introduce mandatory seat reservations for all passengers. Passengers will be required to have a reservation for the specific train they wish [...]