Consumer’s guide to blockchain: How the cryptocurrency will revolutionise life for the consumer February 18, 2016 When I spoke to Peter Kirby, chief executive of blockchain startup Factom, he laughed when I described myself as a “blockchain traditionalist”. I meant that I still think of blockchain as the technology that made bitcoin credible – a peer-to-peer distributed ledger which immutably logs all transactions. This all sounds like jargon, so what does [...]
London house prices: These are the best commuter towns to relocate from the City to, based on house price, travel costs and commuter time February 17, 2016 Thinking about quitting the City in favour of suburban paradise – but not sure which way to head? With London's house prices on a seemingly inexorable rise, commuter towns are gaining in attractiveness for many, but those who are looking to make the move still need to find a way to make the balance of [...]
HSBC isn’t leaving – but London can’t be complacent if it’s to stay the world’s best city for business February 16, 2016 No doubt there was much relief in the Treasury when HSBC announced that it will be keeping its international HQ in London. And the news gave everyone reassurance that London still has what it takes to house the headquarters – European or global – of international companies. Undoubtedly, centuries of stable, democratic government and the [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Liberal Democrat candidate Caroline Pidgeon talks childcare, Tube and bus fares, congestion charge, airport expansion February 16, 2016 As the Liberal Democrat candidate for mayor of London, Caroline Pidgeon dismisses suggestions that the contest to replace Boris Johnson in City Hall is a two-horse race between Labour hopeful Sadiq Khan and Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith. But she does not shy away from slamming the front-runners for being too self-important in their efforts to become [...]
Underwater cities and 3D printed homes – Here’s how houses of the future will look in 100 years’ time February 15, 2016 Prepare yourself for underwater cities, super-tall skyscrapers – and homes simply printed out on-demand thanks to 3D printing technology: these are just some of the ways we will live in a century's time. There'll also be colonies on the moon and eventually Mars and beyond, while personal drones will let us transport our home to any holiday spot. The [...]
This alternative Tube map shows you the travel time from every station on the London Underground February 12, 2016 When reinventing the Tube map, why settle for half measures? A new version designed by developer Peter Trotman throws out Harry Beck’s iconic 1931 design entirely to create an interactive map based not on geography but travel times. The map distorts based on the time it takes to travel from the station you’re starting from. [...]
London cabbies not ’app-y over Uber’s offer of commission-free bookings February 11, 2016 London's black cabs have rebuffed private car hire app Uber’s offer of 12 months of commission-free bookings, with only the odd one or two hackney carriages available for hire via the app in the City over the past two days. Attempts by City A.M. to book a black cab through the app were fruitless with hours [...]
Black cabs and Uber can co-exist in London – and can even help each other get more custom February 10, 2016 Famous the world over, London’s black cabs are an iconic part of our city’s transport infrastructure. That’s why the impact of apps like Uber on traditional taxis has generated such a heated debate in the capital. Of course competition has affected the taxi trade. But surely the answer to the pressures faced by black cabs [...]
Black Cab protest is already snarling up roads in central London including Whitehall as drivers demonstrate over TfL and private hire vehicles including Uber February 10, 2016 If you're planning on travelling through central London this afternoon, you might want to avoid roads – Black Cab drivers went out on protest earlier today and it's taking a while to clear. The protest was due to start at 2:30pm, but pictures and videos on social media showed that many cabbies had convened on [...]
Why Barking and Dagenham’s tunnel vision could boost property and jobs in east London February 10, 2016 Barking and Dagenham is London’s growth opportunity. We have enough land in this east London borough to deliver more than 35,000 new homes and 10,000 new jobs over the next 15-20 years, yet we are hampered by a poor transport infrastructure which is not only frustrating us but crippling London as a whole. One of our key issues, getting [...]