London Reconnections

Empire of the Air Part 2 – R.100 Overseas

On 17 June 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Aerial, Long reads

Whilst we in LR have generally been bound to the ground or under it, we once again turn our eyes up to the skies. The Imperial Airship Service was a very serious scheme authorised at …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 14 June 2021

On 14 June 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Cycles, Friday Reads, Stations

• Gear change: review of the govt’s active travel plan (Freewheeling) • History of Heathrow Express webinar (IARO) • Amsterdam bans fossil fuel, cheap flight ads in its Metro (PublicRadioIntl) • The Most Passenger Friendly …

Friday Reads – 11 June 2021

On 11 June 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Cycles, Design, Friday Reads, Logistics, Old Oak Common, Overground, Pollution, Roads, Sleeper Trains, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• South Kensington station heritage upgrades & development tensions (OnLondon) • Virtual tour of proposed West London Orbital Overground (CapitalWestLondon) • Berlin’s free cargo bikeshare program (StreetsBlog) • Opening up a brutalist bus terminal (Dezeen) …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 7 June 2021

On 7 June 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Data, Friday Reads, Funiculars, New York, Roads

• Transreport app greatly improves rail accessibility for disabled passengers (Railway-Tech) • Germany’s other historic suspension railway (UrbanTransport) • NYC MTA breached by hackers as cyberattacks surge (NYTimes) • Regional rail makes most sense on …

Friday Reads – 4 June 2021

On 4 June 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Buses, Friday Reads, Micromobility, Pedestrians, Stations

• Could pantographs make a return to London’s buses? (IanVisits) • Get on your e-bike: ‘have a go’ scheme proposed for England (Guardian) • Sweden converting street parking to community space (WorldEconForum) • Can Lebanon’s …

The Political Myth of the Driverless Tube Train

On 1 June 2021 By John Bull In Boris Johnson, Long reads, Piccadilly line, Politics, TfL

Both meaningless and meaningful, the phrase ‘driverless trains’ is a recurring one in London politics. In this piece, we explore the reality behind the phrase and what it means in a London context.

Monday’s Friday Reads – 31 May 2021

On 31 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, New York, Pedestrians, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Tunnels, Uber

• Uber’s GMB union deal doesn’t mean its battles are over (Wired) • Finally a new rail tunnel under Hudson River is to be built (NYTimes) • The planning that goes into Amtrak livery designs …

Friday Reads – 28 May 2021

On 28 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Aerial, Freight, Friday Reads, Maps, Nudges, Stations, Uber

• Plans to improve rail freight on London’s railways (IanVisits) • Airlander airship city hops could cut flying CO2 emissions by 90% (Guardian) • Schematic rail network map of France (Inat) • World’s largest model …

Vehicle Design is an Inside Job ft. New Tube for London

On 27 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Long reads

Aeronautical designers have a saying, ‘Pretty works’. That is to say, an elegant and aerodynamic aircraft generally has excellent handling characteristics and good speed (the Spitfire and Concorde come to mind). London Transport’s Lord Ashfield …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 24 May 2021

On 24 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Buses, Crossrail, Design, Fonts, Friday Reads, Stations, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• 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 …

Friday Reads – 21 May 2021

On 21 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Arts, Bridges, Cable Car, Friday Reads, London Overground, Overground, River crossings, Taxis, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Uber

• Epic row brewing over Uber’s Soho ‘taxi rank’ (Wired) • Bakerloo line Oxford Circus platforms get Harrington Humps (HydeParkNow) • Longest public art commission in the world (Guardian) • History of East London Line …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 17 May 2021

On 17 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Cycles, Friday Reads, Maps, Pedestrians, Pollution

• Over 25,000 Low Traffic schemes already existed before LTNs (Guardian) • Rail to Refuge program for women celebrated (RailBusinessD) • Increased hate crime against disabled rail users (RailTechMag) • Paris to ban through traffic …

Friday Reads – 14 May 2021

On 14 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In COVID, Friday Reads, Maps, New York, Pedestrians, Stations, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Tunnels

• Stratford Station to undergo massive transformation (ArchitectsJ) • Why noise pollution is bad for your heart (BBC) • Toronto to buy 60 more streetcars from former Bombardier (TheStar) • NYC subway stations now offer …

Reconnections’ Transport Miscellany – May 2021

On 14 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Long reads, Miscellany

Tube Map Footnote Symbol Hierarchy Where footnotes are required, the hierarchy is in descending order as follows: † – dagger ‡ – double dagger § – section mark || – parallels # – number or …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 10 May 2021

On 10 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, COVID, Cycles, Design, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Friday Reads, Stations, Sustainability

• Integrating Grimshaw’s iconic terminal back into Waterloo Station (Wallpaper) • Cycling 10 times more important than electric cars to reach Net Zero (TheConversation) • The importance of a transport vision, from LA of all …