Friday Reads – 16 November 2018

On By In Buses, Friday Reads, Nudges, Pedestrians, River, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

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10 comments

  1. Manhattan`s Cow Tunnels is exactly what Rob Nelson investigates in the US TV series Secrets of the Underground which is being shown on channel Quest,episode 3 will be broadcast tonight at 10 pm.
    He`s looked for tunnels under Alcatraz Prison and Denver Airport and at other underground structures,the Airport Security acted cagey and would`t let him see the tunnels.
    I saw one documentary ,Micheal Portillo, I think, at Grand Central Station,New York which showed a secret tunnel and platform which I think was built during the war for President Roosevelt , the crew were only not allowed to film the entrance.
    https://www.questod.co.uk/show/secrets-of-the-underground#recently_added

  2. @Jason Leahy

    Agreed that the TV series Secrets of the Underground is quite interesting. Although the hosts are a bit over the top enthusiastic. The Grand Central secret platform documentary showed, but did not enter, Roosevelt’s armoured train car. Fascinating.

  4. “Will new larger Thames Clipper increase ridership?”

    Maybe. But a more frequent service would seem like a better bet.

    If you time it badly you can end up waiting 20 minutes for a boat.

  5. Thames Clippers are a very good idea – I’ve used them occasionally – Blackfriars – Putney is a useful one …
    But
    I do hope their engine emissions have improved – I’ve seen some appalling filth coming out of their diesel exhausts ……..

  6. The cycle map shown in the trolleybus and tram article has a glaring omission in that the National Cycle Network isn’t shown
    NCN4 runs east/west across London, following the South Bank for much of its length. (Would TfL leave the M4 off a streetap?)

    But it’s “not invented here” so, like national rail services and the Tube Map, ignored.

    Worse still, the construction of CS6 has resulted in NCN4 being cut in two. The traffic lights at their meeting point do not have a phase for users of NCN4.

  7. @Timbeau:

    Sustrans’ map (which is meant to show local cycle routes too*) shows most of London as terra incognita*, so the feeling seems to be mutual!

    *Have a look at the plethora of routes shown on the map around the Chilterns.
    **it did used to be a bit better at showing the London Cycle Network.

  8. More information on the platform of Grand Central Station that is underneath the Waldorf hotel is here and photos are here. It exists mainly by coincidence – the hotel occupies the site of a railroad-owned power station and the platform was for loading coal. The giveaway for the entrance on the surface seems to be a Metro-North emergency exit sign – a bit like the various surprising places in London where a ‘Keep Clear – Emergency Exit’ sign in New Johnston on a door is the external evidence of an Underground escape shaft.

  10. The Thames Clippers article is poor journalism IMO. Reading it you’d think the boats are running up and down empty most of the time which just isn’t true; at busy times people get turned away.
    It also doesn’t mention the cost of tickets, which, apart from capacity, is presently by far the biggest constraint on more significant usage. Signposting to piers is really not an issue; a one way oyster fare of at least £6.50 most definitely is. The season tickets are better value but for most mortals the fares mean the clipper is a luxury once-in-a-while service, not a realistic daily commute.

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