• The Chinese spy balloon shows the downsides of the technology (Wired) • Fallout London upgrade features working Underground system (TheGamer) • Transforming unused railway station spaces into community hubs (RailTechnology) • Two Types – …
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Friday Reads – 22 July 2022
• UK Court orders Gov’t to explain how it will reach Net Zero targets (Guardian) • Some thoughts & history on the Johnston Memorial at Farringon (DougRose) • World’s most unconventional rail line? Zurich’s S10 …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 27 December 2021
• Overground trains to call at Battersea Park station all day New Year’s Eve (IanVisits) • Vintage Views from the upper deck: London bus videos (LondonInBits) • A bold failure: Rise & fall of Big …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 6 December 2021
• Inside the Elizabeth Line’s Tottenham Court Road station (HiddenLondonHangouts) • How serifs lost the road war but won the streets (BeautyOfTransport) • Netherlands’ trains work well for the visually impaired (ReasonsCheerful) • Old Danish …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 24 May 2021
• Crossrail’s West End station status review (DiamondGeezer) • Rail Alphabet 2: NR’s sequel wayfinding signage – Pt 1 (BeautyOfTransport) • The 5 irrational motivations in transport (Freewheeling) • Aboard the new Paris T9 tram …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 13 November 2020
• Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work Exhibition of her wayfinding designs (IanVisits) • History of Legible London (HydeParkNow) • Interesting way to maintain safe social distancing on a train (AnonWidower) • Childseats on bike increase …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 26 October 2020
• Margaret Calvert updates typeface for Network Rail wayfinding system (DesignWeek) • Blind scientist lost in Tube shines light on TfL red tape (Standard) • Hidden London Hangouts: Routemaster prototypes (LTMuseum) • A 30km live …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 23 September 2019
• Plans to reopen Brentford to Southall railway (IanVisits) • Why fewer people are riding the Underground (TheDeveloper) • The tale of two Underground posters (20thCPosters) • Mexico City’s trolleybus revival for clean air (UrbanTransport) …
Continue readingLondon’s Exiles: Chris Upfold and Toronto’s Second Design Age
At the dawn of the millennium, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) had a problem. The TTC had been a transit world leader in the 1970s, building fare integrated, barrier-free surface transit terminals at most of its subway stations. That was in the past, however, and now the system was a mess.
Continue readingFriday Reads – 23 March 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. This week’s lineup: • I can’t believe it’s not Johnston! (Medium) • Public consultation approves of Canary Wharf pedestrian bridge (CityAM) • Rotherhithe-Canary Wharf walking & cycling engineers appointed (Architects …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 12 January 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. This week’s lineup: • Kew Gardens’ private underground railway (IanVisits) • Is Britain’s rail franchising system fit for purpose? [paywall] (Financial Times) • Global underground/metro typography [many images] (Prototypr) • …
Continue readingLondon bus blind legibility redesign (Doug Rose)
This piece investigates what I believe has gone wrong with London’s bus blinds in recent years and seeks to explain the solutions I put forward when asked by Leon Daniels, TfL Managing Director Surface Transport. …
Continue readingA New Typeface for the Underground: Johnston 100
London Underground’s hundred-year-old typeface is iconic. Designed by Edward Johnston in 1915, it almost singlehandedly revived the sans-serif. Yet after a century of evolution some of the things that originally made it special have gradually disappeared. We look at the typeface’s history and at TfL’s ambitious attempt to rediscover its soul.
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