London transport officials in early-stage talks to bring mobile coverage on to underground June 19, 2016 The London underground could be getting mobile coverage after it emerged Transport for London (TfL) is in talks with several potential providers. The discussions, still in their early stages, are thought to involve a division of the US networking giant Commscope, Airvana, which specialises in providing mobile signals in small spaces. The plans to bring [...]
Cyclists need a new Thames bridge to Canary Wharf – and you can help fund it June 17, 2016 It's no secret that cycling is big, and getting bigger, in the City. But while progress is being made, London’s cycling infrastructure still needs to get on its bike and catch up with demand. And if it’s going to catch up, it’s going to need the City’s help. What we see on our commutes is backed up [...]
Focus On Bloomsbury: House prices are blooming marvellous in this intellectual corner of central London June 16, 2016 Bloomsbury conjures up images of fusty intellectuals like former residents Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, EM Forster and John Maynard Keynes. Home to austere, prestigious institutions like the British Museum, the Royal Portrait Gallery and University College London, it isn’t necessarily somewhere you’d think of moving to. But the recent clamour for central London property has [...]
London’s drinking hotspots outdid the rest of the UK in May June 16, 2016 Ahead of the annual summer drinking boom London's pubs and bars were buoyed in May, as sales at the capital's drinking holes outpaced the rest of the country. Like-for-like sales at pubs and bars in London were up 3.8 per cent, while the pub and restaurant sector as a whole grew by 0.9 per cent. "With a [...]
Do Transport for London’s stricter ad rules present a problem? Not if the rules are applied with common sense. June 14, 2016 The Mayor faces two issues following his decision to have more restive rules on the type of ads that will appear on tube and buses. First is the principle that ads should not encourage impossible or unachievable body images. I think that many Londoners will agree with Transport for London and our new Mayor. These [...]
Watch out PayPal: Now you can use Apple Pay online June 13, 2016 Apple has made a major move with its mobile pay service, adding support for it online. This means users can simply use a "Pay by Apple" button when browsing on the iPhone or Mac, in addition to using the iPhone to pay at tills. An Apple Pay button will appear when you pay online, via [...]
Focus On Walthamstow: the outer London hotspot where house price growth is frankly ridiculous June 13, 2016 There was a time when the postcode East 17 was tainted in the popular consciousness by a band of shirtless youths with odd taste in hats. But, thankfully, those days are gone, and it’s been restored to its rightful owner, Walthamstow in north-east London, and it’s one of the fastest-growing, up-and-coming places in the capital. [...]
Sadiq Khan is cracking down on “unhealthy” body image adverts across TfL properties June 13, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan will ban adverts featuring unrealistic, or unhealthy, body shapes from next month. Following up on a pledge from his mayoral campaign, Khan has issued a new advertising policy for all ads submitted to TfL in tube and bus stations. He has also asked TfL to establish a steering group featuring the firms [...]
Why peers must press for a rethink on HS2 into Euston June 10, 2016 It’s been a rough few weeks for the HS2 project. Within days of winning election to City Hall Sadiq Khan questioned the current plans for HS2's London Terminus. News also leaked that the Cabinet Office, concerned at its exorbitant and escalating cost, is undertaking an urgent review of the whole project. This came after news [...]
Sadiq Khan’s pledge to crack down on Uber smacks of the worst of crony capitalism June 10, 2016 In the fight to succeed Boris Johnson as mayor of London, one thing that did not attract much attention was that both candidates attacked the ride-sharing app Uber. Sadiq Khan did so first, threatening a crack-down on the service in response to a black cab driver who called into a radio show, and Zac Goldsmith, no profile [...]