They're taking the piss!
Just got a letter through my door saying they are closing the Blackwall tunnel every weekday night for 3 years.

That seems bad enough ... but instead of running a contra-flow in the other tunnel, they are swapping the direction of it entirely and putting in 20mph average speed cameras (that can't be safe!)
Wanna go southbound? .. Tough.

As they say, the tunnel is 112 years old so can't just be left as it is.... but it wouldn't take 3 years to stick an entirely new tunnel in... which could have been associated with a replanning of all the roads around the north side which get clogged up all the time.

I suppose the only reason they aren't running it contraflow is that the speed cameras work in one direction.

I don't often use the tunnel itself but will mean getting anywhere round here after 2100 is going to be a nightmare - especially trying to get into docklands from the a12.

Big fat FAIL.

This is the story about it:
http://ta4.at/.1o3xg
 

Dear Friend,

You may have heard the scurrilous rumour that I have reneged on my promise to remove the Western Extension of the congestion charge. I am writing now to tell you that is emphatically not true.

When I was elected, I promised to give Londoners the consultation they never got. Londoners expressed the overwhelming view that it should be removed, and I promised to honour that judgement. I maintain that promise today, and to make it absolutely crystal clear; we will be removing the Western Extension next year.

We have to jump through a number of tedious bureaucratic hoops before the axe can fall, but fall it will. The extended zone will be no more. It will be an ex-zone, the area formerly known as. It will be a dead zone!

Regards,

Boris
 

Boris to the rescue!!!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/put-thames-back-mayor-tells-tube-bosses-1789008.html
 

Comments: (Most recent first)

and when the river comes back, maybe they should take out that kink that isn't there.
:)	16:15 17/09/2009

http://ua.am/84.P is the broken one... still confusing 'cos the lines could be much straighter they've just removed useful info to tidy it- what twonks
:)	16:12 17/09/2009

They've buggered up the tube map :(

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8258821.stm

Give us the river back!
I know it had a kink in the wrong place but it was hardly adding to the confusion - rather the opposite.
And weren't river services going to get oyster and be encouraged more?
What they need to fix is that the disabled symbol mean you can't see if it's a transfer station.
 

It's over a year into his mayorship and Boris is still announcing things to make life better.

Most of the time driving/riding through london seems to be waiting at the lights - which have previously been phased to cause disruption, and lights on the far side removed to cause delays and reduce safety.. so...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/6106891/Traffic-lights-to-be-switched-off-in-safety-experiment.html

Remember the almost weekly news from ken (except 3 weeks before an election) where your life would be made more difficult or annoying?

Keep it up Boris!
 

http://ua.am/7yqg


There's something rather odd going on. Imagine you are sitting at home, having a quiet night in. Maybe you are letting Eastenders seep into your room, allowing it to effortlessly flow around you- not much bothered by it, content merely to be. Then you hear a muffled sound coming from the wall. At first, you don't really notice it. Then it starts to sound distinctly like raised voices.
Short of holding a glass up against the wall, you mute the T.V and try to make out what is being argued about. However much you strain to hear- you can't make out a single word. All you know for sure is there's an argument. A big one.
So it is with the current row over public spending. Dave and Gordon slug it out each week, I throw my toast at the radio every morning as yet another Labour Minister trots out the fiction that they will increase spending indefinitely.
But, listen a little closer, because the words behind that noise are rather important. However much the Government try to block out the truth, everyone knows one thing- the country is damn near bust and anyone who thinks they can continue spending money that doesn't exist is living in cloud cuckoo land
Well, Londoners, now it's time to smash that wall down and absorb the subsequent clarity.
It turns out that our city is being stung to fund another one of Brown's attempts to persuade us that his credit is good. He recently announced a load of cash for affordable housing. Great, you may think. Except he has raided our budget by £22 million, money that was there to help small businesses and the unemployed.
And no, he didn't ask me first.
So that is money (scarce as it is) that could have been spent on getting London through the recession. Instead, it's going into the Keep Gordon In Power fund.
I'm now keeping a closer eye on my other budgets, and tracking Peter Mandleson's Oyster card just in case. (Ok, I can't really do that and nor would I want to- civil libertarians be assured)
The truth is that London is going to come under severe pressure from any Government, red or blue. We've got a fair wedge of cash, but the point I'll be making to everyone (including Dave) is that we need it. Here's why.
London generates a minimum of £8 billion more cash for the country than it receives in public spending. So, investing in things like Crossrail will mean we have the capacity for more office space, more companies moving to London and more jobs as a result. More money floods into the economy, and thus helps restore health to the national finances.
I won't startle you with a Brownian stat attack, but here's one set of figures I want you to take away. The budget for Crossrail is £15.9 billion. Excessive, some might protest. But our figures show that the benefits to the U.K economy exceed £36 billion, with tax revenues that will pay for the scheme in the long run. Now that is bang for your buck and that is why investment in the things that will get our country through the recession must be protected.
Everyone knows times will be tough. We all have to prepare for spending cuts, regardless of who is in government. It's no longer ideological- it's reality. So instead of spraying money everywhere, you need to fire short sharp bursts in the right places. That place, my friends, is London. Like a dog with a bone, they'll have to do some fairly rigorous wresting before I allow a single penny to be relinquished.

Boris Johnson
 

Well, our city is still here despite the best efforts of the RMT leadership. Our 21st century city is more than capable of dealing with the occasional intrusion from the 1970's.
I salute the grit, determination and spirit shown by all Londoners and transport staff in keeping London moving during the completely unnecessary strike action. They have shown that a strike will not bring our city to a halt.
Despite the RMT leadership's intention to force a total shutdown of the network, many thousands of London Underground staff came to work and services operated on nine out of eleven tube lines on both Wednesday and Thursday.
60,000 fans were transported safely to see England triumph over Andorra at Wembley.
So life goes on, and my focus is returned to the major issue facing our city - getting through the recession.
The epicentre of this recession is surely the drying up of the river of credit that has forced many companies to downsize or go out of businesses altogether. This has been particularly bad for small businesses - arguably the rock upon which our economy sits.
This is why I have launched a £3 million scheme http://ua.am/7ikU to offer loans to small businesses who are struggling to access credit. There are many businesses out there with viable business plans, but find themselves turned away by the banks. For those with nowhere left to turn, this scheme will give them a lifeline and help them stay afloat and secure jobs.
This isn't just a PR opportunity - businesses are already benefitting including a sandwich shop in Bishopsgate and a ticketing agency in Hackney.
Speaking to small businesses gives me great heart that our city will get through this recession. I'm inspired by the can-do spirit of so many, and I will do everything in my power to help them.
This week has given us definitive proof - if any were ever needed - that London is at its best when faced with a challenge. The same spirit that kept us moving during the strike is the spirit that will get us out of the recession quicker and with a greater recovery than anywhere else.
Have a great weekend,

Boris Johnson
 

IN YOUR FACE RMT!

SUCK ON THIS:
Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said: 'Services are now running on nearly all London Underground lines, with good service on the Northern line and a decent service across the Jubilee line.

'Clearly, support for the RMT leadership's actions is far from the level they were expecting.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/11979.aspx

Bet you feel all small now bob crowe you tiny little excuse for a man.
 

http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=22199

Press Release

Response to RMT's threatened Tube strike
28-5-2009 269

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

“Here we are in London trying to do our best to cope with the most challenging economic climate for a long time, and I cannot believe the RMT leadership are asking their members, the majority of whom have not voted for this strike, to take part in this ludicrous and unnecessary disruption to our city.

“Tube workers are being offered the security of a sensible long-term deal, and I urge the RMT leadership to get back to the table as soon as possible.”

Commenting on RMT leadership’s proposed strike action announced today, LU Chief Operating Officer, Howard Collins, said:

"The RMT leadership has failed to engage in any meaningful talks on pay, instead submitting a wildly unrealistic claim - demanding a five per cent pay rise for fewer hours in the middle of a recession. On jobs, the RMT leadership knows full well we are seeking to end the duplication of back office jobs and that no front line staff will be affected. No responsible union should be asking hard-pressed fare-payers and taxpayers to fund jobs that are no longer needed and vastly inflated pay demands.

“Our employees have good pay and conditions and we are seeking to negotiate a further fair and affordable pay agreement that provides them with long-term stability in an extremely tough economic climate. Our offer guarantees real wage increases for the next 5 years. Very few Londoners have that level of certainty for the future.

"Bringing Metronet under the control of London Underground, which the unions have been calling for years, has led to the duplication of many back office roles. We are making every effort to avoid compulsory redundancies by releasing temporary staff, removing vacancies, and offering voluntary severance for those who wish to take it.

“This review does not impact on front-line staff working on trains, stations or maintenance and there will be no impact on Tube services. In fact, with all the investment now going into renewing and upgrading the Tube, we will be running more services in future, not less.

“The RMT leadership should start talking to us rather than threaten strike action that will simply lose their members pay and cause unnecessary frustration and disruption to Londoners.”

The RMT leadership has said that a pay increase of anything less than five per cent would be simply unacceptable. Amongst other things, RMT has also demanded a reduction in working hours without loss of pay and improved travel facilities.

London Underground has offered staff a fair and affordable deal of a one per cent pay increase in year one of a new deal, with increases of RPI + 0.5 per cent in years two to five, offering stability for staff during a period of global uncertainty.
 

http://ua.am/7SaY

The RMT leadership have let down their members, and all Londoners
Boris Johnson , Tuesday, June 9 2009

As you will have heard, the RMT leadership have confirmed they are going on strike from 7pm tonight, for 48 hours.

Londoners and commuters trying to do their level best to cope with the most challenging economic climate for a long time will be furious with this decision.

It is quite simply outrageous for the leadership of the RMT to ask their members, the majority of whom did not vote for this strike, to take part in this ludicrous and unnecessary disruption to our city.

Talks were going well last night, and agreement was in sight. But at the last minute, the RMT leadership put in a demand that London Underground re-instate two drivers sacked for serious disciplinary offences- throwing a huge spanner in the works.

We will do our utmost to keep Londoners moving while the implacable RMT leadership continue to posture. My message to the RMT is that strike action will not move the prospect of a deal an inch closer. I urge them to stop disrupting the lives of millions of people, put the needs of their members and of Londoners first, get back to the table and reach an agreement.

I am determined to do everything in my power to help make your journey as hassle free as possible during the strike. We've set out alternative measures available to keep London moving. There will be more buses, more river services, taxi sharing and opportunities to cycle. For up to the minute travel information and more options, please visit the TfL website.

Over the next two days, those staff not on strike will be doing their best to keep London moving. These will be the unsung heroes, the hard working men and women who take pride in delivering a great service. It will be a tough time for everyone, and I ask for your patience.
 

Dear Andrew,
This seems rather a doddle, I thought, about a month into the job. There weren't mass demonstrations calling for my head, or furious denunciations in the press. What was Ken complaining about? Then it happened.
My first major decision, taken in the warm embrace of a fresh electoral mandate, was to ban alcohol on the tube and buses. When I was told that a 'few people' were planning to hold a small 'event' to mark the passing of this particular liberty I thought nothing of it.
My friends, I can tell you that the subsequent chaos engendered a certain pride in achieving such protest at my actions in such a short space of time. It took Maggie years.
That decision was the start of my continuing efforts to make public transport safer. Since then, there are now more uniformed police on the buses than at any time in the last few decades, and we have put more police at suburban railway stations. Recently, I launched a new team in Romford and more will follow. Together with the alcohol ban, these measures combine (hopefully) to make the experience of using public transport more pleasant and safer.
This week, the latest crime figures for the tube were released. Just like the overall crime stats for London, they paint a promising picture. Overall crime on the Tube and DLR is down by 8%. Robbery is down by 29.2%, violent crime is down 2.6% and public disorder offences are down by 4.5%.
This week also marked the first anniversary of Operation Blunt 2, my attempt to reduce the number of knives carried on our streets. So far, over 5,000 knives have been lifted from the streets and 10,000 arrests have been made.
Whilst it would be easy to declare victory, I do not for a minute want to get complacent on this issue. These figures are an encouragement, and they suggest that the measures I promised I would enact are having a positive effect. But, of course, there is always more to do and making London safer will continue to be one of my main priorities.
Have a great bank holiday weekend.

Boris Johnson

Comment in the blue blog:
http://news.conservatives.com/a/hBKFswVB7R6poB7t9UYB4VcBn9D/cons5
 

They're trying to kill us all by controlling our cars by sattellite for us!
of course you could go slower than it says, but who would? most people would just go foot to the floor everywhere and then blame the system when they drive into things or people drive into them when it brakes sharply at limit reductions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8043000/8043450.stm

Claire Armstrong,co- founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(www.safespeed.org.uk) said:

"ISA is a fatally flawed technology as far as road safety is concerned.
Safe driving depends on drivers being fully engaged, adjusting their
speed to the immediate conditions.

With ISA ordinary motorists will turn into zombies with their foot planted to
the floor, trusting the satellite to control their speed. They will not be as ready
to deal road hazards. They will behave like zombies. Clearly those who advocate
this system understand nothing about the process of safe driving or road safety.

Driving isn't a behaviour to be controlled - it is a skill to be nurtured.

Initial trials from Leeds clearly demonstrated the dangers of the system as
drivers paid less attention, tailgated more and pulled into smaller gaps.
Problems like it resetting itself, leaving motorists in neutral, or slowing during
in an overtake, as it changed from one posted limit to the next, leaving the car
behind, nearly rear ending the car in front, making all road users, and drivers
vulnerable to it's 'intelligence' systems, and making for highly dangerous maneuvers

Making cars go slower will not help with congestion, but add to it. Nor will turning
drivers into 'zombies', make them have less accidents, but more.

Satellite speed control is anything but intelligent. Remember there is no such
thing as a safe zombie.
Since the introduction of HGV speed limiters, deaths amongst HGV drivers have
risen alarmingly.
Anyone who understand safe driving will know that safety depends on drivers
being fully engaged in the task.

We do NOT have a widespread safety problem caused by responsible motorists
driving too fast for the conditions. Crashes involving 'excessive speed' are
only about 5% of all injury crashes.

Reduced traffic speeds DO NOT give drivers more time to react. Time to react
is something that drivers routinely create for themselves, with appropriate and
effective observation, anticipation and planning.
It is likely that dumbed down driving will provide lower levels of attention and
planning and lead to higher average impact speeds.

Driving isn't a behaviour to be controlled - it is a skill to be nurtured. We have had
the safest roads in the world because we have, on average, the most skilled drivers.
Taking state control of drivers' choices is already slowly but surely deskilling our
drivers. I am certain that this is the main reason that Serious Injury figures are
remaining high. Policies like these fail to recognise the true psychological
foundation of road safety and would certainly lead to more dead people in the future.

ISA is the worst of the lot. It will encourage people to drive at deadly
speeds trusting the technology to take responsibility. It is absurd to suggest
that a speed can be safe because it is posted at the roadside. Speeds are only
safe when aware drivers can stop comfortably within the distance that they know
to be clear. Even 20mph is a deadly speed if used without appropriate skill and attention."
 

All these expenses things going on... they have been theiving our money behind our backs... but is it worse when they do it in front of our faces, like the lamp-post banners we now have around TowerHamlets proclaiming the glorious achiements of our great council - ALL HAIL OUR GREAT LEADERS.


 

£80m ‘living bridge’ planned for Thames

Plans for a new bridge across the Thames lined with shops and homes - similar to the Ponte Vecchio in Florence - are being drawn up by Boris Johnson.

http://ua.am/7Te9

Just like London bridge used to be... We we just talking the other day about how 'they' should do this!
 

Right now, without thinking, can you say what day it is today? For the (I suspect) sizeable majority who said Thursday, feeling rather smug at their mental sharpness, I am sad to say you are wrong. Well, not technically. Today is indeed Thursday. But the real point missed, is that it is St George's Day.
Living in such a vibrant, cosmopolitan city you end up celebrating all manner of national and religious days. Some you celebrate as heartily as those to whom they apply. St Patrick's day is an obvious one, where every pub in the land is decked out in green.
But St George's Day is still without fanfare, either forgotten or tucked away in a cupboard somewhere. This year, I want London to wholeheartedly celebrate. That is why the flag of St George will fly above City Hall today. I will be getting on a Routemaster bus and going across the river to the famous Leadenhall Market to join traders and Londoners in celebration.
Last weekend, the Globe Theatre held a celebration event to mark Shakespeare's birthday. This weekend, there will be an English music festival in Trafalgar Square.
St George's Day has been ignored in London for too long. We have much to be proud of in this great country. England has given so much to the world, politically, socially and artistically. There are many who feel that London is not just the capital of the United Kingdom, but also the capital of England.
So I am calling on all Londoners to don silly hats, step out into the sunshine and celebrate England's great patron saint.
Let me know what you think by commenting on the Blue Blog.
http://news.conservatives.com/a/hBJ8DihB7R6poB7gpMUB4VcBnbD/cons5
It would be great to hear from you.
All the best,

Boris Johnson
 

Here's the latest letter from Boris:
http://ua.am/7cfs


There are a few, unique occasions in life that warrant genuine joy and wonderment. Births, marriages, lottery wins and without doubt the day Gordon Brown gives his last press conference as Prime Minister.

There are also a few, unique occasions in life that warrant genuine fury and despair. The headlong, kamikaze dive of the buttered side of toast, descending majestically earthwards. The fact that Gordon Brown is still Prime Minister. Or the tie chewing rage caused by being penned into one side of the road, engine running with nowhere to go as the other side is coned off, a gaping hole unattended.

Lately, it seems as if the fly diggers have slipped in by night and taken over the city. They're everywhere you turn and they are the scourge of us all. When I was elected, I promised to launch a holy war on holey streets. Well, this week I was able to announce the start of, if not a war, then what the U.N would call a diplomatic offensive.

It all started one Sunday many months ago. I was required to drive across London for an official event. The journey was hell. I came across hole after hole, unmanned, impenetrable. I was so furious at the delay that I summoned my transport officials the next morning and demanded to know what was going on. They scurried away, and soon returned with a large map of London, a constellation of dots spread across it. The dots, they explained, represented each roadwork site that they didn't previously know about that weekend. They were as flabbergasted as I was.

The problem, they said, was that under existing rules, any utility company can roll up, start digging and ask questions later. At no stage are they required to ask permission. Yes, they have to notify us, but this is often done with about three days notice. Or none at all, as was the case that weekend. How could they be allowed to get away with this?

Emboldened by my righteous anger, I summoned every Chief Executive of all the utility companies into my office to demand an explanation. Sensing the Mayoral fuse was short, they readily acknowledged that, as a New Labour minister would say, more could be done.

Flowing from that showdown overlooking the Thames, this week I was able to announce that indeed, more will be done. Thames Water get the most brownie points for agreeing to start 'plating' some of their sites. This means cars can literally drive over holes dug in the road when they're not being worked on. All the companies have signed up to a Code of Conduct, agreeing to do things like putting up signs explaining who they are and who to shout at, and work out of peak hours where possible.

The most technocratic, but easily the most significant promise was to start preparing for a permit scheme. Once the Government gets it act together and approves a formal permit scheme, the companies will be ready to implement it from day one. This will mean that every time they so much as look at a shovel, they will need to get our sign off first.

The code is self policing, so as much as I would like dish out eye watering fines, I can't. But the companies have approached this in good faith, and they know the eyes of Londoners are on them. I will be holding them to account on their promises, and I need your help. If you come across an enigmatic hole, and there is no sign or no explanation as to why it seems to have been abandoned get in touch and report it.

Hopefully, they will up their game. And then the only thing you need rage about is why Gordon Brown is still in office.
Let me know your thoughts by commenting on the Blue Blog.

 

Comments: (Most recent first)

With this and Dave's latest it looks like they are going to push for an election soon!
Norm	18:32 17/04/2009

Boris writes about increasing the traffic on the river.

Maybe when we get the airport on the thames gateway we can get fast boats or ecranoplanes from the city/city airport all the way to the new airport along the river - Now that would make coming to london a great experience:

"No, can't be done. We tried it before, didn't work. Sorry. Welcome to the default position of many when asked about expanding transport services on the river Thames. Well I say that's piffle.
The river is surely London's most prized asset- the thing that gave life to the city. Once an integral part of our economy, it's waters now remain mostly undisturbed, bar the occasional cruise ship that settles alongside HMS Belfast.
This week I announced my plans (PDF file) to encourage greater use of the river. What many people don't know is that there are commuter services. And they're reliable too. You'd be amazed at how easy it is to hop on and hop off without once being in any danger of coming a cropper in between boat and dock. If I can do it, anyone can.
There's no congestion, and for once health and safety works in your favour- you are always guaranteed a seat.
I've persuaded the biggest operator, Thames Clipper to accept Oyster Pay As You Go on their services from November.
And Transport for London (TfL) is providing extra funding to extend Tower pier to help meet rising demand. I've also brought together TfL, river operators, pier owners and local councils to focus on increasing access to services, utilising the river for the Olympics and improving piers.
Yes, previous attempts have been made to turn the river into a thriving commuter network. Yes, those attempts have failed in the past. But that shouldn't stop us looking at imaginative ways to encourage greater use of the river once more. It will never be an alternative for many people, but existing services are well used and growing. By making it easier to access, and by enabling the use of Oyster I hope more people will be able to enjoy this much underused resource.
This is all part of my agenda of improving quality of life in our city. Improving the convenience of public transport is a major part of that. All modes of transport should be pleasant to use and reliable. My vision is of a transport system that is easier to navigate, and where Londoners and visitors alike have an array of attractive options open to them.
The river played an important role in London's past. I believe it has an important role still to play in London's future.
Let me know your thoughts by commenting on the Blue Blog.
Have a lovely Easter weekend.
All the best,

Boris Johnson
"
 

Dispatches on C4 look to be up to their normal tricks of starting with an opinion and then trying desperately to wedge other peoples' opinions and over excagerations to fit.

Now I may have pre-empted the content of the programme, but there's something about the title that leads to be think that it may not be a totally fair and honest review of Boris' first 11 months as mayor:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-7/episode-1

"The trouble with Boris"


Who knows, maybe they are just using the title to trick people and say how wonderful he is or something!

Here's what I've had to say about dispatches in the past:
http://normbrainer.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/recipie-for-dispatches/
 

Comments: (Most recent first)

You were right - Typical dispatches carefully editing life to fit their opinion.
Percy	07:25 31/03/2009

Is Boris taking the piss?
http://ta4.at/.1bdwl

nope, he's letting you have one!
 

Well, I think we can safely say the snow won't be returning and I can't tell you how relieved that makes me feel! Until that momentous day, I had always been rather fond of it. Even, in fact, up until the point where the roads were still navigable.
However, now I've experienced its majestic power to halt our great bus system I'm afraid I view it with some suspicion. Huddled in urgent Cobra style committees with my officials, I've never seen grown men so shaken with something so closely associated with Father Christmas.
But we move on, and hopefully to warmer climes. And what better time to start planting the first 1,500 new street trees I promised? Or to announce the winners of my Priority Parks scheme, which will see 10 parks across London benefit from £400,000 each. They will be buffed to a high sheen and paraded as models of excellence. They will make areas they serve more pleasant to live in.
Indeed, improving the quality of life in our city is one of my main ambitions. We often make sense of things through numbers. The name of Fred Goodwin's profession is now used in the terms in which it is colloquially understood, primarily because of the numerical size of his pension. Our success or failure rests on something called GDP. Our stock market is either up or down. Yet is that the only measurement we should use?
I would be thrilled if, by the end of my first term, crime figures had shown epic reductions. But if people didn't feel any safer, I wouldn't leap to declare victory.
This is why I am focusing on the experience of living in this city. Hard to measure, yet universally understood. I want all neighbourhoods to be as pleasant as possible, with access to green space, high quality affordable housing and clean streets. So we're planting more street trees and improving parks. We're investing in urban realm projects and cycling.
Over the last 8 years, Londoners grew wary of the constant tractor production figures being pumped out of City Hall. They never took account of the quality of people's lives. When people complained that rowdy kids were turning buses into mobile Felthams, Ken Livingstone simply insisted that crime was falling and told them not to be so silly. What he didn't realise was that it doesn't matter what your figures say- if people feel that their quality of life is declining then you have failed.
This was felt acutely in suburban areas, most of whom were ignored by City Hall. I am determined to change that.
The mindset of simply providing the bare minimum has got to change. This is why I'm not just scrapping the bendy buses, I'm introducing a brand new- hopefully iconic- bus for the 21st century. I'm not just seeking to build more affordable homes, I'm insisting that they have beauty and reasonable amounts of space.
I don't want the Olympics just to happen - I want them to permanently transform east London.
As I approach my first year in office, it is becoming increasingly clear that we must be positive, we must aim high. Despite the bad economic news, we must have our eyes fixed, even fixated, on the horizon. Now more than ever, London needs a champion. This is the task a directly elected Mayor was created for, and while the Government continues to flail around, I will be banging the drum long and loud until we not just recover, but prosper again.
All the best,

Boris Johnson
 

First it was public bicycles he was bringing to the streets of London. Now Mayor Boris Johnson is looking at pinching another green travel idea from the French – a public electric car hire scheme.


The project would allow casual car users to pick up a publicly-owned, battery-powered, zero-carbon vehicle in one part of the city and easily drop it off in another.

Mr Johnson says it would help make London the "electric capital of Europe". His officials are studying plans to introduce a similar scheme in Paris next year called Autolib – a brainchild of the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë.

http://ta8.at/.1a5an
 

Top marks to Boris for suspending the congestion charge, and probably a wise choice to stop the buses as they'd be a nuisance to anyone struggling with all the traffic or walking in the snow.

I expect that it's due to the rarity of these events that we can't manage with a bit of snow, but even in Russia they have problems on the first day of snow.
Best to have a day off every year or 2 than to put in measures like having and storing a huge fleet of snowploughs and drivers and such which aren't often used (I could imagine livingstone would spend billions on such things, but he thinks all money belongs to the government)
...as long as there's no damage like there would be if their was floods, we'll just have to work at home for the day, or spend quality time playing with the kids. Maybe will help some people get some perspective and realise that work isn't everything.

It's a bit crap the airports can't run themselves, most of the planes are off to places that have snow already so it's not like they can't fly. BAA look to be a bit unprepared and I expect will get a bit of flak from the airlines, although again if it's due to being exceptionally rare amount of snow then it's fair enough they have been overwhelmed.
 

Another advantage of the thames estuary airport is that it could accomodate other transports such as an ekranoplane link to the huge airport at schiphol, or up to Newcastle and Edinburgh
 

So it officially go the go ahead:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7829676.stm

I'm no environmentalist, but it just seems a lot of hassle to expand a dying airport and put thousands of people worse off, be it without a house or just more noise etc, when there is a suitable alternative that can be built in the thames esturay ... Boris Island.
A visionary scheme that can be done cheaper with better results.

I'm not sure what brown was on about when he levered 'Climate change' into his speech as if he could control or even measure it - He probably thinks he can, like he tries to micromanage everything else.

The environmentalists must not be able to claim the sole anti heathrow banner, or else it will just get ignored as a green and hippie issue.
 

The government is due to announce approval of a controversial plan to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport, the BBC understands.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7829676.stm
 

Labour rebels opposed to third runway give backing to new airport in Thames estuary
• Takeoffs and landings over water would reduce noise
• Government decision on runway possible this week

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/12/heathrow-third-runway1
 

More on the winners of the new routemaster:
http://ta4.at/.13ev3

The prize is shared between an Aston Martin design and another one.
 

The Mayor is to unveil the new design for the routemaster this morning:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7790082.stm

Let's hope it's an inspirational design which doesn't feel oppressive when inside or scary to those outside like on the Bendies.

I would guess it might have some sort of electric power, maybe regenerative breaking?
Electric power is looked down on as there's still pollution created when the power is made if it's not nuclear or wind/solar etc, but it does mean that the pollution is not in the middle of the crowded city and can have better filters applied as they don't have to be carried around.

I'd love there to be some crazy feature that shows that it was designed by a person and not a committee ... like they are half-hovercraft or something.
 

BBC London news' bias seems to be showing again when running as quite a big story that there was a problem with what he said regarding the Damian Green events. Reporting that people are calling for him to resign as Met authority leader, when he was also just doing his job.

Can't see it on the BBC news site but here is a times article on it.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5279705.ece

There are some nasty labour types hanging around after livingstone I think
 

Here's what Boris' has to say about the disgraceful Green affair...
http://ta4.at/.0vfk4