Touch In, Touch Out

When Blackfriars finally reopens to the public it’ll be the first station in London to have entrances on both sides of the Thames. Amazing. It was supposed to reopen this month but it’ll now be the end of February unless it gets delayed again (which is always quite likely).

“AND WHEN YOU DANCE, DANCE LIKE THERE’S NO ONE WATCHING YOU”

I kinda feel sorry for the guy at the end of the vid. I often just want to mosh my way through tube trains forever.

Talk: Navigating Hidden London

Date: Tuesday 17 January 2012
Time: 18:30 - 20:00
Central London is permeated by secret alleys and little-known passageways. Often left off the map, these little-appreciated spaces can be used as handy shortcuts or to avoid busy shopping streets, and serve as alternative means of navigating the city. Editor of Londonist - Matt Brown, and David Long, author of Hidden City: The Secret Alleys, Courts and Yards of London’s Square Mile, discuss the surprising history and modern importance of London’s alleys, ginnels and snickleways.
Tickets: £8.00 adults, £6.00 concessions

I love little events like this. Look at the London Transport Musuem website for tickets.

“A book-sharing scheme for Tube and rail commuters has won a competition for ideas on how to improve life in London.

Residents were asked to tweet suggestions before an inaugural conference on the capital’s future being held next week.

Political researcher Chris Gilson proposed “book swaps for Tube and train stations” in his winning tweet.

His scheme would involve shelves in stations for passengers to leave unwanted books for fellow travellers.

Mr Gilson, 30, will now have the chance to present his idea -endorsed by all four main mayoral candidates - to the two-day London Policy Conference starting at the Southbank centre on Monday. A spokesman for Boris Johnson said: “Sounds like a great idea and so apt that it resonates with the Evening Standard’s Get London Reading campaign and also the Mayor’s work to improve literacy in London.”

Labour candidate Ken Livingstone called it a fantastic idea. “I’m sure it would be incredibly popular with Londoners.”

Brian Paddick, for the Liberal Democrats, said he was “prepared to commit to providing bookcases at stations” if elected.

The Green Party’s Jenny Jones added: “Books are so much easier to read than newspapers in a crowded train.”

Mr Gilson said he knew of no similar schemes anywhere in the world. He has already set up a pilot version in his local station, West Ealing, but said he would like to get it going fully across London in time for the Olympics”.

This would be awesome as long as people weren’t leaving copies of the bible or war and peace for me to read.

In two days the bendy bus will be no more. Route 207 is currently the sole survivor of Bojos articulated bloodshed. It’s so bizarre to not see any bendies in South London considering I’d see the 12, 436 and 453 on a daily basis. The public are sopping into their Asda value tissues. That’s all they can afford, now they actually have to PAY for buses.

Pic of the chaos at Waterloo Station earlier, due to a fatality at New Malden and all trains being delayed/cancelled.

I don’t care how old you are or how many years you’ve worked on the railway, It is fully against rail regulations to walk on the lines unless you are actually trained too. Similar thing happened in Lymington a few months and the end result was the same. Guy got sacked and the public complained. There is no way that i’m stepping let alone walking across train tracks where I work (baring some sort of unimaginable emergency).

Angel station is just the best. This is another reason to add to the growing list of them. I’ve only seen Bob twice but he’s literally the coolest cat. So bloody laid baid. What a winner!

I’m going to sell tickets and control the gatelines on the East London Line from the luxury of my bed.

I’m gonna attempt this one day. Was fully immersed when I was reading this :)