Scaffolding collapses onto double decker bus on Peckham Road March 2, 2015 Scaffolding has collapsed onto the number 345 bus on one of South London's busiest high streets. Shortly before 11:15am the scaffolding crashed into the side of the double decker bus on Peckham Road. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) were on the scene within the hour and have confirmed the area is now safe. The road [...]
Tube strike dates announced for Saturday night 7 March over driver sacking March 2, 2015 There's more misery for Londoners as Tube drivers have announced the dates for another strike over the sacking of a colleague. The walkout will begin on Saturday 7 March at 9.30pm and end on Sunday 8 March 3.59am, minimising transport chaos by avoiding rush hour but potentially leaving some revellers confused. The London Underground drivers [...]
East Coast rail line returns to private hands after Virgin Trains and Stagecoach bid to end public ownership March 1, 2015 The East Coast mainline returned to private hands yesterday following last November’s successful bid by Virgin Trains and Stagecoach to operate the line after five years of public ownership. The £3.3bn contract, which sees the consortium branded Virgin Trains East Coast running the line for the next eight years, has divided political opinion along party [...]
General Election 2015: What the parties are offering small business March 1, 2015 Before the 2010 General Election, Britain’s small business community was a rather uncoordinated mass, largely invisible to the political elite. This time around, the UK’s 5m small firms can’t and won’t be overlooked. This newly-drawn constituency has legs, and we know how to use them. In a brave small business world, the party that can [...]
Boris Bikes see red: Santander is the next sponsor of Boris Johnson’s cycle hire scheme February 27, 2015 Say goodbye to the blue Boris bikes: Santander about to paint the town red as the new sponsor of London's cycle hire scheme. They're even renaming them "Santander Cycles". Under a seven-year sponsorship deal worth a cool £6.25m a year, Santander will pay £6.25m a year for the rights to naming the bikes, then add [...]
London should take a cue from Paris to build transport of the future February 26, 2015 The Chancellor and mayor of London set out a long-term economic plan for the capital last week, challenging London’s transport authority and business community to make the case for much-needed infrastructure investment ahead of the next spending review. This commitment is hugely welcome. We desperately need to future-proof our transport network, as London’s population is [...]
Could one of these designs be London’s newest bridge from Nine Elms to Pimlico? February 26, 2015 One of the best things about having an enormous tidal river running right through your city is you can build a whole bunch of spectacular bridges across it. Tower Bridge is one of the most iconic structures in the world and, while London Bridge was falling down for a time, it’s now pretty sturdy and [...]
Focus on Hammersmith: The town where prices have grown by half February 26, 2015 When it comes to neighbours, Hammersmith has struck lucky. There can’t be another location in London that’s surrounded by such a cluster of affluent residential neighbourhoods. With Kensington to the east, Chiswick to the west, Fulham to the south and Shepherd’s Bush to the north, it’s a wonder this area is still known primarily as [...]
Green Belt shouldn’t be sacred: It can help solve London’s housing crisis February 25, 2015 There’s a good chance that, when you picture the Green Belt, it’s scenes of parkland, forests, and wetlands, thronging with animal and birdlife, that come to mind. So here is a question for you: how much of London’s Green Belt do you think is actually made up of environmentally-protected land, parks and public access land? [...]
Elephant and Castle named the most dangerous junction in London as top 10 cycle hotspots revealed February 25, 2015 The 10 worst hot spots for cyclists in London have been identified – and Elephant and Castle has been named the most dangerous junction in the capital. There have been 80 accidents between motorists and cyclists reported to police between 2009 and 2013, topping the list of locations surveyed by insurance giant Aviva. The next [...]