A rant about the 384 bus and the TFL bus times app which simply doesn't work properly

 Last night, I went to watch Hadley FC at the Brickfield Lane Stadium. They were kicking off at 7.45pm. As part of the fun for me is to have a couple of beers with friends at the ground, I took the bus. I can walk up my road and get a 384 from Glendor Gardens. As I rather like a pint before the game, I set off in good time at around 7.10pm. The TFL app said that the bus was coming in eight minutes. The journey takes around ten minutes, so I had plenty of time. After ten minutes, the app was still showing  minutes. A 292 going to Borehamwood was showing 3 minutes, but turned up. I was tempted to take it and walk the rest. I'd have still been on time, but it is still about 1/2 mile walk. I decided to wait. After another 20 minutes, another 292 came. That bus was actually showing as due in 2 minutes, a minute after it departed. By this time it was nearly kick off time. The 384 was showing as 8 minute still.

So cutting my loses, I got on the 292 at Scratchwood open space and started walking. I took the precaution of checking if a 384 was due. It said 7 minutes. I set off. almost immediately a 384 bus  zoomed past me. Half way to the ground, another 384 zoomed past. By now I was furious. A mate saw me and took pity and gave me a lift the last 1/4 of a mile. I was fifteen minutes late. 

I ask the question to TFL. What is the point of travel apps if you can't rely on the information. If there had been a warning about the delays, I'd have made other arrangements, either taking the 251 and walking or driving. I'd not have missed 15 minutes of an enthralling game that Hadley won 3-1 after going 1-0 down to an amazing free kick. 

The point is serious though. People get the 384 to Barnet to use the hospital, for appointments. I get that occasioanlly things go wrong, but the app is relied on. There should be notifications when it isn't working properly. I get that me watching Hadley is not a matter of life and death, but for some people missing hospital appointments are. 

If the Mayor of London is serious about his commitment to clean air, we need public transport systems that work. That means travel apps must work properly.

----

A couple of years ago I wrote a song amd made a video about the awful state of the UK's transport systems. I rather like it.

My opinion on the new names for TFL lines

 TFL has announced new names for London Overground Lines. Whilst I think this is a wonderful idea, on reflection, I think he's not got it right. Here are my views on the new names, line by line, with a mark out of 10

Lioness - 10/10 - I like this. It goes to Wembley and the Lionesses deserve the accolade. This is the one they got right. It makes sense

Mildmay - 0/10 - This has always been the North London Line. People know it. It doesn't need changing.

Windrush - 1/10 - Windrush is associated with the arrival of Carribean workers from the West Indies. They largely settled in areas in South and West London, such as Brixton and Notting Hill. If the line ran from Notting Hill/Harlesden/Willesden to Brixton, this would be a great name, but it is on totally the wrong axis of London. I gave it a 1, as the line does need a name. As the main area served is East London, the old name, The East London Line might have been OK. I'd have called it The Cablestreet line if I was going to change it

Weaver 2/10 - Another line that needed a name. The Weaver line says nothing that I can associate with. I'd have called it the Grassroots line, as it stops at Hackney Downs, the home of Grassroots football in London. Association Football is the sport of London and I doubt too many would argue. There are quite a few proper grass roots clubs of repute on the line, they should have bigged this up. I guess that our Mayor isn't interested in what ordinary Londoners are interested in

Suffragette - 0/10 - Again, Londoners know this as the Goblin Line as it goes from from Gospel Oak to Barking. To me, the Suffragettes were a national campaign, this implies it was a North London quirk. Totally inappropriate.

Liberty - 4/10 - I wasn't aware of this line, three stops from Romford to Upminster. As such it clearly needed some sort of rebrand, but why 'Liberty'. I know little about Romford (other than I dated a girl from there) and even less about Upminster. I did a little google and apparently the Speed of Sound was first calculated in Upminster. I'd call it the Sonic line, but let the locals decide.

In short, I get that it helps to have distinct name, but whoever the Mayor of London asked to do this, did an absolutely crap job. It stinks of change for the sake of it and displays a total lack of imagination. 
 

The strange tale of the West London Orbital Railway debacle

Last week, the Mayor of London has announced that the West London Orbital Railway has moved a step closer to being built and an article in the Evening Standard detailed progress that has been made to date. This blog has been following this scheme since it was first proposed, The first mention in this blog was in 2017, although John Cox had been promoting a far more ambitious scheme for nearly a decade before the plans were announced in around 2017. 

Unlike Crossrail or HS2, the West London Orbital line already exists. I have even travelled down much of the route, when I took a special train from Mill Hill Broadway to Bristol a few years back. The line is not open to regular passenger trains and there are no stations. It is largely used for freight and stock movements, but is perfectly functional.  The financial benefits of the scheme are extremely sound, the railway exists and as much of the work is based around resignalling and track upgrades, it will add a huge improvement to existing freight timetables, as well as making public transport around the crowded North Circular corridor far more practical. 

When it was first announced, I had a tea with the then Barnet Council leader, Richard Cornelius, who was a champion of the scheme. He expressed a firm desire to work with Mayor Sadiq Khan, stating that this sort of thing should be above politics and should be a top priority for TFL once Crossrail was done. Sadly, TFL has become a football, with the Tory government seeking a good excuse to put the boot into Khan. A coalition of West London Boroughs of all manner of politucal persuasions have championed the scheme, pushing forward feasability studies etc. The case is proven, but Mayor Khan is still talking about 'developing a firm business case'. It seems that now they are talking about services starting in the early 2030's. This is ridiculous. Such schemes, where the infrastructure exists should be fast tracked. They are not sexy, super high speed lines. They are just simple suburban services, that make thousands of people's commute to work better. By removing car journeys, people using cars and buses will also benefit. 

In truth, the fact that it has taken six years to get to the point where a robust business case can be prepared, to open an existiong line to passengers, is crazy. It demonstrates what a complete debacle infrastructure planning is in the UK. What is even more crazy, is that the Mayor, having spent the last few years berating us owners of diesel cars, introducing a ULEZ to make it even more expensive, is planning for the line to use old fashioned diesel units. Whilst I understand that this is cheaper than an electric line, why not use hydrogen or battery technology? some of the line is electrified and making the whole line electric would mean that freight from the Midlands to the West Country could do away with diesel. A friend with a knowledge of such things has suggested that there are former Thameslink trains, which have been fitted with diesel back up generators that could open a service tomorrow, albiet without most of the stations being completed, but a service from Hendon or West Hampstead to Acton and Old Oak Common and Acton could be opened almost immediately, with stations added along the route as needed. There is a precedent for this. When the Thameslink service was first opened in 1988, it was a rather ramshackle service, with far less trains and lower speeds through London than we see today. The final upgrades to make it the service we see today were completed 30 years later.  In the meantime, I used it on a nearly daily basis for work. It isn't perfect but transport in London never is and even one or two trains an hour travelling at 30mph max over clapped out old routes, would make a huge difference to many people who need to commute.

Federation of Small Business calls on Mayor of London to have a ULEZ expansion rethink

    Don't let the ULEZ destroy the London Music Industry

FSB London has written to the Mayor of London, prior to the end of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone Consultation, urging him to rethink the proposal as it will negatively affect too many small and vulnerable businesses.    

  

After the long-running soap opera of Government-TfL week to month bail-outs, FSB London Chair Rowena Howie states in the letter that “FSB lack any confidence that an all-encompassing vehicle scrappage scheme to help small businesses will materialise”.

 

Key Headlines of the Survey

 

• The survey was completed by just under 600 businesses – 77 per cent of those within London
• 84 per cent of businesses responding to the survey oppose the proposal to expand the ULEZ
• Majority of responses from small businesses with 1-5 employees
• 80 per cent of respondents reliant on business based vehicles
• 30 per cent agreed to an Emission-based road pricing system as opposed to the current Congestion Charge, Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and ULEZ
• Of those businesses whose vehicle(s) do not comply – 25 per cent intend to pass charges onto customers, which will create further inflationary pressures; and 18 per cent said they would close their business.
• 19 per cent of small businesses were unaware of the proposed ULEZ expansion in 2023

 

 

 

Many small businesses will have to start making difficult decisions on whether they continue to serve central, inner, and outer London, and FSB London are calling for:

 

• Time to comply by having a similar lead in period to previous Zone extensions. During a cost of doing business crisis, we need London businesses to thrive and with a heavy reliance on service-related businesses, we feel that implementing a ‘no charge’ period until at least 29 August 2024 is a sensible measure.
• An all-encompassing Vehicle Scrappage scheme for small businesses which can be supported by Government, Mayor of London and financial institutions providing low-cost finance.
• A project bank account for any small business paying the charge from August 2023 to August 2025. The funds would be protected in a TfL ULEZ Bank Account, and a business would be able to use the funds towards purchasing a new or second hand-vehicle – subject to an upper limit.  If the fund is unspent then the money will go to TfL.

 

Rowena Howie, FSB London Policy Chair, said:

 

“The expansion of ULEZ will negatively impact thousands of small businesses through a myriad of issues including but not limited to customers choosing not to travel, businesses not being able to provide services in London and employees experiencing increased costs.

 

“To put these additional pressures on small businesses at a time when business has been adversely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, where uncertainty and planning and reliance on supply chains has been further interrupted by new international trade agreements and where the energy crisis has further pushed up the cost of doing business, will be too much for some businesses to bear.

 

“FSB recognises the climate emergency and the commitment to move to net zero – but the Mayor must support the small business community through a ‘carrot’ and education approach to make greener decisions, discouraging non-essential business private vehicle journeys,  and not to punish essential business journeys at this time of economic crisis.

 

“We need the Mayor to ensure policy promotes a small business friendly Greater London”.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our position.

Roger Tichborne, the editor of the Barnet Eye is a member of the FSB. Roger wirtes.

Whilst we 100% agree with the objective of the Mayor of London in reducing air pollution, we feel that the ULEZ expansion has not been thought through, the timing coming at the end of the pandemic is terrible and it will be highly damaging to the sector of the economy (music and entertainment) that we operate our business in. 

Like many small businesses, our finances, which were extremely healthy at the start of the pandemic are now precarious. Our revenues for Q2 of 2022 are around 70% of the same period in 2019, which in effect means that we are not operating profitably and are just about breaking even. Our business uses a 2008 registered Ford Galaxy Turbo Diesel for deliveries and our main hire equipment subcontractor uses a similar aged diesel van. We purchased these at the time as the government was encouraging us to use diesel as it was seen as a less polluting option. Our vehicles are well maintained and in good condition, but now have lost all resale value. The pandemic has depleted our financial resources. Our intention was to replace the vehicles in 2021, but we are in no position to take on a large financial commitment, especially when we are not 100% sure of the long term viability of our business or the industry it operates in. 

We completely agree that large companies that have big fleets should comply and we are also of the opinion that people driving gas guzzling cars primarily for pleasure should also be discouraged from polluting. For us and many small businesses, we are in no position to take on the commitment of new vehicles. We believe that the Mayor and the government should offer a viable scrappage scheme and an exemption of two years to small businesses, musicians and other people who are not in a position to viably re-equip at the moment.

We are already passing on the costs of ULEZ to charities that hire equipment from us and require delivery. We have used electric bike delivery services for some bookings, however when an engineer is travelling with the equipment this is logistically not feasable, especially when there are time limitations and several drop offs required. 

We support the FSB's suggestions as pragmatic compromise solutions and hope the Mayor Listens. We beleive that it is in no one's interest if a business such as ours can no longer viably operate. We also ask the Mayor to think of the impact on musicians who are not well off and have old vehicles. Some minor modifications to the scheme would make a huge difference. I'd like to see the Mayor set up some sort of scheme where musicians  (and other affected small businesses) had access at a relatively low cost to compliant, subsidised hire/lease vehicles, with minimal paper work and financial guarantees to ensure that the vehicles can be accessed. 

We are not calling for the abandonment of the scheme, which we generally support. We are however calling for it to be a progressive scheme, not just a ploy to hoover up cash for TFL. All schemes can be improved and we believe that offering suggestions to do this is a positive way forward. If the Mayor of London simply ignores the struggle of small business, he is not serving London's best interests

 

TFL and Barnet Council conspire to cause traffic chaos in Mill Hill

 My studio manager was 45 minutes late for work yesterday. He lives on the Fairway which is a side road off the A1 north of Apex Corner. He was fuming. Due to TFL bridge works on the A41, Barnet council agreed to the closure of Pike Road, the slip road onto the A41 by APEX corner, for 'storage of plant', the only way to get to Mill Hill is to drive an mile north to Stirling corner, then return south. Temporary traffic lights on Hale Lane have meant this route is also jammed, it is an alternative route from the A41 to Mill Hill from Broadfields, so drivers are left  with little option. This picture from the Apex traffic cam shows the queues at 10.21, normally when the road is quiet.

I asked a Conservative Councillor about the A41 works, they said this was 'down to TFL'. I contacted our GLA rep Anne Clarke yesterday. Anne is a very good rep on casework and got straight back to me. This was the response she received.

While we are sorry for the inconvenience these closures are causing to residents, they are required as we need to complete essential maintenance work on the A41 Edgware Way bridge (over the M1 and National Rail tracks). The full details of the works can be found at 

https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/major-works-and-events/a41-edgware-way-bridge?cid=edgware-way

The closure of Pike Road and diversion route were agreed with the London Borough of Barnet following extensive discussion - including a site visit - as the best location to site welfare, storage and recovery facilities. These facilities are vital for ensuring the works are carried out as safely and quickly as possible. Marshals are on site to provide assistance. Any changes to the welfare, storage or recovery facilities location would require a change to our programme and method of working, which could extend the period when we are on site.  

Several alternative sites were considered for locating the welfare, storage and recovery facilities, and the impact on residents as well as agreement regarding the site location was considered through discussions with Barnet. Oakmead Gardens was considered as an alternative, but as a Traffic Order would have been needed to reopen it for access and it is on the wrong side of the road, this was deemed impractical. The footway in front of the nearby KFC restaurant was also considered, but it was deemed that there would not be enough space. The carriageway was discarded as an option as it would have required us to move the welfare and storage facilities and recovery vehicles when we switched approaches and it was deemed that there would not be sufficient space. 

Although we would not generally carry out a formal public consultation for operationally essential works such as these, the closures for the Edgware Way works, including the closure of Pike Road, were advertised in the normal way. This included a letter-drop to properties and a customer email to registered users, and Public Liaison Officers canvassed the area from 21 March, advising local businesses and residents of the works. 

We will consistently monitor the traffic and bus impacts of the closure and respond appropriately to minimise the impacts of the closure. This will include monitoring congestion on routes impacted by the closure and making optimisations to traffic signals to support traffic flows. Extra buses have also been added to the most impacted routes through the area.         

I appreciate this is not the answer that Anne’s constituents were hoping for, but I hope that it helps to clarify the need for the closures as part of these essential maintenance works. 

Please let me know if you have further questions.

As you can see, Barnet Council did agree to the closure. The reason for using Pike Road was that TFL would need to move the site welfare, storage and recovery vehicles across the road when they started on the other side. In plain English, this means that they are quite happy to cause massive inconvenience to residents for months on end, if it spares them a bit of hassle. It is quite outrageous. 

Add in the works on Hale Lane, the closure of Hendon Wood Lane etc, Mill Hill is in gridlock and it is fairly and squarely down to lack of planning by Barnet Council.

One can only wonder why local councillors for the former Hale Ward did not kick up a stink when this was mooted. 

I have written to the local councillors who approved this, a Mill Hill Councillor and the CEO of Barnet to try and get some answers. IF you are affected, I suggest you do the same. Their emails are below

------ Original Message ------
From: "ROGER Tichborne"
To: Cllr.l.Jajeh@barnet.gov.uk; cllr.e.simberg@barnet.gov.uk; cllr.l.gurung@barnet.gov.uk; cllr.v.duschinsky@barnet.gov.uk; John.Hooton@barnet.gov.uk
Sent: Wednesday, 11 May, 22 At 10:21
Subject: Pike Road Closure

Dear Former Hale Ward Councillors, CLlr Duschinsky and Mr Hooton,

Please can you advise why you agreed to the closure of Pike Road for TFL works. I have queried this with TFL who confirmed that this was done, purely because it was more convenient for their works "The carriageway was discarded as an option as it would have required us to move the welfare and storage facilities and recovery vehicles when we switched approaches"

These works are causing massive disruption, making residents late for work and having a hugely detrimental impact on people's lives. With the roadworks on Hale Lane and the temporary traffic lights, Mill Hill was in gridlock yesterday. This has had an impact on my business with both customers and staff arriving very late for sessions/work/music lessons.

Barnet council needs to have a strategic plan for such roadworks and take into account the impact of such works on residents. The closure of Pike Road means residents of the Fairway now have a detour of nearly 2 miles just to get across the A1. WIth the closure of Barnet Gate Lane, there is even more pressure on Apex Corner than ever. This is no way to run a council

Regards

Roger Tichborne

**** Update ****

I have received this email via Councillor Gurung

Dear Roger,

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. I am sorry for the disruption it has caused to the residents and local businesses. We have received many emails and phone calls about this road closure and road works. I have raised this issue with the TFL and the council several times in last couple of weeks. Finally, we are meeting with TFL tomorrow. Please see below email from the Liaison Officer Re. Let's see what we can do to improve the traffic situation around apex corner. 

As far as I know TFL & Council officers didn’t consult with local councillors before they made the decision. I will raise this issue during the meeting. Will keep you posted the outcome of the meeting. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

Kind regards 

Lachhya

Thank you for your email and I am really sorry to hear about the traffic delays experienced

Your concerns and the request to re-open one lane on Pike Road will be discussed with TFL colleagues tomorrow and I will provide you with an update before the end of business Thursday 12 May

Regards

Cris

Cris Tavares
Member Liaison Re 
2 Bristol Avenue | Colindale | NW9 4EW 
Email:      cris.tavares@barnet.gov.uk  

#### Update 12/5/2022

Barnet Council and TFL have confirmed that, following pressure from the Barnet Eye and local residents, One lane of Pike Road will open today. Thanks to everyone who emailed local councillors 

#### Update 13/5/2022

From: "Hooton, John" <John.Hooton@Barnet.gov.uk>
To: "ROGER Tichborne" <roger.tichborne@btinternet.com>; "Duschinsky, Cllr Val" <Cllr.V.Duschinsky@Barnet.gov.uk>; "Gurung, Cllr Lachhya" <Cllr.L.Gurung@Barnet.gov.uk>; "Jajeh, Cllr Laithe" <Cllr.L.Jajeh@Barnet.gov.uk>; "Simberg, Cllr Elliot" <Cllr.E.Simberg@Barnet.gov.uk>
Cc: "Clarke, Cllr Anne" <Cllr.A.Clarke@Barnet.gov.uk>; "Rawlings, Cllr Barry" <Cllr.B.Rawlings@barnet.gov.uk>
Sent: Friday, 13 May, 22 At 09:22
Subject: RE: Pike Road Closure - Update please

I received this update from John Hooton, CEO of Barnet Council this morning:

Roger – we had a solution to this yesterday but unfortunately a number of issues were raised by TfL which mean that we are still trying to get them to resolve. I am very sorry for the inconvenience  and we are pushing hard to get TfL to sort this out today.

 

John

Is Jensen Button now driving the 303 Bus?

Last night, I had a real white knuckle ride home from the Chandos in Colindale. I had a masterful experience of the highest quality of rally car driving. The only minor problem was that I was on a 303 bus. Standing passengers were hanging on for dear life as the bus accelerated and braked with high precision at great speed. I thought I'd pay a compliment to TFL, letting them know that I appreciated their efforts to get me home in record time. Here is my tweet and their reply.

This is brilliant. On the 303 bus back from Colindale and we've got Jensen Button driving! Bravo @TfL just as well I've had a few beers!

— Roger Tichborne/RogT (@Barneteye) November 14, 2016

10hTfL Bus Alerts‏ @TfLBusAlerts

@barneteye @tfl I'm pretty sure that we fitted that particular bus with wet tyres...

It is great to see a bit of humour. In light of the Croydon Tram disaster, maybe however we do need to just have a look and see whether there are any safety issues. Of course it was great to get home a minute earlier, but I'm not really sure that if I want to go rallying, I want to do it in a 303 bus.

(Note : TFL removed the tweet yesterday)

Doomsday for London Underground

************ Note - On Thursday Morning the Lead story on BBC London was that TFL would be announcing driverless trains and closure of all London station ticket offices. This blog was written in good faith based on the fact that this was lead story. The announcement didn't mention driverless trains. We therefore assume that someone was feeding TFL misinformation. Now there have been comments that we should await formal confirmation. Now yes we should, as this was presented as a fact, so apologies for that, but hey ho, if you can't trust the BBC news..... *************

Mark the 21st November 2013 in your diary. Today is the day that Mayor Boris Johnson declared war on the people of London. Today is the day that he announced plans to devastate safety on the London Underground network. Today is the day that he abandoned all pretence of caring for ordinary Londoners who daily use the system. Today is the day that he decided to sacrifice the network to Tory dogma.

He has announced plans to

a) Shut every ticket office on the London Underground

b) Make all trains driverless.

I am sure that I'll have a few right wing pundits who never use the service leaving stupid comments. I use the network on an almost daily basis and it is clear to me that the plans are wrong headed.

Ticket offices.

1. How will elderly/disabled people who have difficulties using machines manage?

2. How will tourists with difficulties manage?

3. What will happen if your Oyster card packs up?

4. How will you renew your season ticket?

5. What will happen if you have a problem?

6. Who will you ask for travel guidance & assistance?

Driverless trains.

1. What will happen if there is a safety issue in the tunnel, such as the 7/7 bomb?

2. What will happen if there is an incident on the train or an ambulance needs calling?

3. What will  happen if the emergency chord is pulled?

4. Who will report intruders on the line or in tunnels?

5. Who will inform passengers if there are delays/problems?

6. Who will clear doors etc of obstructions?

The above are just a few points I thought of. I rarely see a ticket office without a large queue, especially at busy times. On journeys, it is rare for there to be no interaction with the driver. Usually because people are blocking doors, but I've seen drivers calling ambulances when people have had heart attacks. I shudder to think what would have happened on 7/7, a day I used the tube, without the drivers and the station staff. 

This plan has clearly been dreamed up by a management team who hold the needs and safety of passengers in total contempt. I have one question. If as George Osborne says, the economy is in rude good health, how come London needs to cut £80 million from the budget of London Underground. Doesn't George and Boris realise that London is the engine of the London Economy. If these savage cuts occur, people will get injured and killed. Boris and George clearly couldn't give a toss (or is that ATOS). 

Cycling in Barnet - Time for a fresh approach

Barnet Councillors discuss cycle safety in Barnet

One of the themes this blog has investigated regularly are transport issues in the London Borough of Barnet. In recent weeks, we have received complaints that we have neglected the issue or cycling. On reflection this is true. One of my studio customers works for TFL and has responsibility for cycling. We briefly discussed the matter this week. I gave serious consideration to the issue as a result and have come to the conclusion that cycling in Barnet at present has as much relevence to the question of  transport in Barnet as heritage steam railways have to the issue of transport in the UK. In other words, there are a few enthusiasts who love it, there a very small number of people who find it useful and practical and most of us are glad it exists but see it as a totally impractical form of transport and a solution to nothing.

In making these comments, I am specifically talking about cycling in Barnet. In central London and certain other London Boroughs, TFL and the local authorities are putting significant effort into making cycling an integral part of the transport solution. In Barnet, I believe that only someone with a death wish would seek to use cycling as anything other than a pleasant recreational activity on sleepy backroads or perhaps useful for trips to the pub or the office if it is round the corner.

The major obstacle is the plethora of trunk roads in the Borough and the complete lack of accomodation for cyclists on these trunk roads. If I want to drive to Brent Cross from my house, I would drive down my road, turn right onto Mill Hill Broadway, take the third right at Mill Hill Circus Roundabout onto the A1. At Fiveways corner, I would have to turn right onto the A41, and continue down to Brent Cross. The junctions at Mill Hill Roundabout and Fiveways corner would both require a significant degree of courage and fitness to attempt on a bicycle. I didn't always feel like this. I didn't have a driving license until I was 27, I used to cycle everywhere. During the course of this, I was forced off the road at least a couple of dozen times by juggernauts who would overtake and then cut in. On several occasions, I was convinced this was deliberate, on one occasion, I chased a Lorry for 1/2 a mile, caught up with him at the A1 intersection with Hendon Lane, when he was caught at the traffic lights. I then stood in front of the Lorry and when the driver got out, we had an altercation. His response was that I was an idiot and bikes shouldn't be on A roads. The police then came along and sided with the Lorry driver, threatening to arrest me for "holding up the traffic and causing an affray". The policeman in question commented to the driver of the Lorry that "They (cyclist) are complete c**ts". This was the police response to a Lorry overtaking me and then nearly running me over.

This had a fundamental effect on my attitude to cycling. I realised that the lives of cyclists on our roads are worthless. If I had been killed on that day, I doubt the Lorry would even have known, he would have been on his way. Since then, I took to avoiding A roads. What this meant was that every journey was twice as long and half as quick. I used to have a lightweight carbon fibre racing bike. I have always been fit and able to cycle a fair distance at a good pace. I used to thoroughly enjoy the experience. I have cycled all around London and all around Hertfordshire. There are plenty of nice recreational cycle routes around Barnet, if you want a pleasant ride on a Sunday afternoon. This is however a totally different thing to seeing cycling as a strategic solution to transport problems.

I would love to see cycling have a significant role in the Barnet transport solution. I would love to see cycling adopted as the preferred transport method of choice for the majority of our schoolchildren. This would be great for their health and it would be great for the environment. We'd see less cars and less congengestion. Sadly Barnet Council and TFL take no account of the needs of cyclists. Furthermore the attitude of national government is scandalous. The biggest threat to any cyclist on our roads are juggernaut lorries. The solution to this issue is simple and it is one for national government. All lorries should be fitted with cameras and sensors to detect cyclists and display alarms if a Lorry is in proximity to a cycle. Lorries should have a black box that records all journeys and any Lorry driver that kills or injures a cyclist should be automatically charged with manslaughter. Unless a cyclist is killed due to a catastrophic mistake or failure of equipment, the presumption should always be one of driver negligence. Any driver shown to be negligent should lose their HGV license. We would hear squeals from the haulage industry, but we would see a dramatic drop in deaths. What is more important.

The Government should also pass legislation to ensure that every major road junction in the country on routes where cyclists are allowed should be redesigned to be cycle friendly. In Mill Hill (my manor), this would mean Apex Corner, Mill Hill Circus and Fiveways corner. I would also like to see a dedicated cycle lane on these routes. Apex Corner is a particular problem. This junction is a nightmare and is on the route of many children who attend Mill Hill County High School. It is the responsibility of TFL to manage these junctions and the A1/A41 roads. These should be made cycle friendly. Another road that should be sorted out is the North Circular, which has many junctions in Barnet that are highly dangerous.

At the Barnet Council level, we have virtually no provision for cyclists. Barnet has a historical record of antagonism to cyclists. There are many routes in the Borough which are great rides. I'd like to see Barnet publish a cycle friendly road map and take action to ensure that these routes are safe and pleasant to ride.

The last thing I think we should consider is the use of technology to improve the safety of cyclists. We urge all cyclists to wear high visibility clothing and helmets. This puts the emphasis of the cyclist to be responsible for their own safety, however the main threat is not the cyclist, but cars, vans and lorries. I believe all cyclists should be compelled to fit an electronic warning beacon and all motor vehicles should have alarm sensors fitted to alert them to the proximity of a cyclist. These devices would alert the driver to the proximity of any cyclist less that 30 ft from their car, whilst the vehicle is moving. This would remove the argument that "I didn't see them, I didn't know they were there". If it was required by law to fit such devices, then the cost would be approx £25 per car, less than half the cost of filling the tank.

If this was brought in, then Great Britain would have the safest roads in the country and people like me would again see the bike as a credible way of getting around Barnet and London.

The Gays on the Bus say No! No! No!

Yesterday the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson moved to ban a fundamentalist Christian group, rather ironically called "Anglican mainstream", from advertising cures for homosexuality on the side of buses. I rather despair when I read such stories. There is no doubt whatsoever that some people need help and support coming to terms with issues surrounding their personal sexuality. Sadly though, the issues and problems they face are generally ones caused by the attitudes of society. I discussed these issues a year or so ago with a friend who is openly gay. He told me that for most people, the issue of coming out to friends and family is stressful and difficult. Counselling from people who have been through it is one way that such help can be given. He also said that some people have difficulty resolving the issue of wanting children with a gay lifestyle. The desire to have children is one nearly as primal as the need to have sex. For gay men especially, this is one of the worst dilemmas. A life without children can be one with a lonely old age. No one wants that.

My friend is roughly the same age as me. He said that in the 1970's and 80's he "didn't want to be gay". The reason wasn't because of a desire to change his nature, it was because he lived under the threat of violence. He was marginalised to "gay pubs and clubs" wheras his preference was for rock and roll, football and mainstream pubs with friends. Whilst he was fine socially drinking at such venues, holding hands or showing affection to male friends would be inviting a battering. Sadly, whilst most London pubs are relatively safe, it is still not a given that you won't attract violence.

What amazes me is that Anglican Mainstream, and organisation supposedly committed to promoting Christian values should seek to attack a group within society who are already marginalised in such a way. Yesterday I spent the morning working at a homeless shelter, serving breakfasts to people who are homeless, the day before I spent the evening at a trustee meeting of a charity which raises money for community nursing projects in Sri Lanka. Both organisations are supported by local Christian communities and are desperate for funds. Both don't have enough cash to provide all of the services that are vital to help the impoverished. Yet whilst they struggle for funds, a supposedly Christian organisation has tens of thousands of pounds to plaster on the side of buses, advertising services which are of extremely dubious value.

I believe that if we are not honest we are F****d. Honesty starts with ourselves. There are people who are conflicted about their sexuality. Usually this is because they repress feelings out of fear of what others will think of them. I believe that we all have to learn to accept people as they are, not as we'd like them to be. There are many things which a Christian organisation with tens of thousands of pounds to burn could change for the better. There are many peoples lives who they could save or turn around. It costs 22p to feed a person for one day in the third world.

Last week, London buses were plastered with posters advertising Stonewall, the Gay rights action group. The wording said "Some people are Gay, get over it". As I read about the latest batch of posters, I thought maybe we should add a new verse to the old song "The wheels on the bus go round and round" - Maybe I thought it should go ". The gays on the bus say No ! No ! No !". I thought this was quite witty. Then I realised that I was wrong. It shouldn't just be the gays on the bus, it should be the whole bloody lot of us.

TFL launches live bus departure website

For all of us who regularly use buses, there is a useful new feature on the TFL website. A live bus timetable tracker.

Click on the image for waiting times from my bus stop to my favourite pub. A very useful feature, especially for thos of us with web equipped mobile phones who like a pint and need a bus to get to our preferred watering hole.

Is this advert by TFL anti-semitic?

Check out this advert by TFL -


You may notice a few off things about "The Bank" in the clip. Firstly the masonic symbols on the exterior walls. The stained glass star of David's in the doors. Not really too like any banks I know. The rather Semitic looking "giant" security guard. I don't know any banks which are plastered with stars of David and masonic symbols in London in such a way. It turns out that the location is "The Freemasons Hall" in Great Queen Street, not a bank at all.

If I wanted to make a public service broadcast about a bank hoist, would I think "I know, I'll use a masonic hall, plastered with Stars of David, that will give the viewer a sympathetic feel towards the bankers". I think that the advert is at the very best crass and ill advised. It is no secret that many right-wing conspiracy nutcases come up with all sorts of nonsense about Jewish lead conspiracy theories, often orchestrated by masonic lodges. The notes in the film also don't bear much resemblence to the money we are using in day to day high street transactions.

The company which put the advert together are WCRS - http://www.wcrs.com/ - in association with TFL. I've no idea what sort of subliminal message this advert sends out, but I do know that it has made some of my Jewish friends decidedly edgy. I think that the basic concept of the ad is clever, but having watched it a few times, I agree that it seems to have a "hidden subtext". One that I feel far from happy with. TFL and WCRS have got this horribly wrong. I'm not Jewish, I don't subscribe to crackpot conspiracy theories. I do however think that there are nutcases out there who will see this and draw all of the wrong conclusions. Is this really what Boris Johnson, Head of TFL wants? I sincerely hope not.

Given that the key message about this advert is that it's "what you notice" that matters, I think a few questions need asking in rather high places.

A special note of the thanks to my great friend Jo Alexander who did all the research for me on this blog.

The Brian Coleman Bus Conundrum

Just a quick post. Can anyone out there please explain why Brian Coleman thinks it's a rubbish idea to extend to extend the 263 bus :-

http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release_a.jsp?releaseid=20881

Wheras it's a great idea to extend the 210 bus :-


http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release_a.jsp?releaseid=20502

Why is it great for people's access to events at synogogues be made better but a bad idea idea to make it easier for people in Archway and Holloway to visit sick relatives in Barnet hospital?

How come lengthening the 210 won't make the buses late wheras lengthening the 263 will?

Me personally, I'd like to see good access from public transport to synogogues, hospitals and pubs.

Just asking ......

You won't find God on a London Bus (probably)

Some stories are truly bizarre. There is a report on the BBC website that the British Humanist Society are placing adverts on the side of bendy buses proclaiming "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." The report says the BHS has £27,500 to spend on this message. My first thought was that this story was a wind up. It wouldn't surprise me if they'd had a nice big donation from Heineken for the advert. Maybe a byline "Humanism, probably the best religion in the world".

Now I'm not one for censorship. If the BHS thinks this is the best way to get it's message over, that's fine by me. Like many things, some people get hot under the collar when people challenge their beliefs. I disagree, it is healthy to examine your beliefs periodically. The thing is though, if you look at their message scientifically, their proposition is unsustainable. As the existence of God is unproveable, Humanism is just one of many religions, beliefs or viewpoints. As we cannot know which of these is right, statistically they are all probably wrong. In statistics, you have something called sample theory. The bigger the sample, the more likely you are to get a correct answer. Now on this basis, God wins as there are more believers than humanists. That clearly is a pretty dodgy basis for believing, so why use a scientific principle - probability - in the context of something that is outside the realms of current scientific knowledge. Until someone actually produces a valid scientific basis for showing God probably doesn't exist, then the statement is just a belief, the thing Humanists claim to despise.

As to the other part of the statement "Now stop worrying and enjoy life". I don't know about you, but my worries at the moment are nothing to do with God. I must admit that if the BHS had given me the £27,500 instead of giving it to TFL, I'd be worrying much less. I'd probably buy a few cases of Heineken and be much happier. The implication of the advert is that all religious people are neurotic misery guts's whilst Humanists are fun loving party people. Now in the article well known Atheist Professor Richard Dawkins says "Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride - automatic tax breaks, unearned respect and the right not to be offended, the right to brainwash children." "Even on the buses, nobody thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side." "This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion." Well he sounds like a fun guy to get stuck on a bus next to. One of the most boring programs I watched was the one he put together about what a load of tosh religion was. Give me a Pogues gig full of drunken Irish Catholics any day! The best party I've been to this year was my best mates son's Bahmitzvah. I can also honestly say that I heard more jokes and laughed more at the wake for my Mother, following a good old Roman Catholic funeral than anything on the telly for the last 30 years.

Now I don't mind what people say, but come on. The suggestion that people of faith are all miserable sods is unsustainable. If the BHS wants to plaster buses with these messages, thats fine. If they want to give a misleading impression, which is so obviously a load of nonsense, that is up to them, but I think it makes them look rather silly. Being a Good Catholic boy, I'm now going to sit back, crack open a Heineken and hope Celtic give Manchester United a good stuffing in the Champions League. I can assure you if they win I'll not be worried at all and I'll really be enjoying life!