London skyscrapers

The Shard in Southwark, kind of exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Cycling in London

- Can London be a cycling city?
- London’s hire bike

London: A life in maps

Interesting archive from the British Library.

Beware the double-glazing salesman

From the Guardian “The biggest threat to conservation areas is not new development – it’s PVC windows”

Mutant Buildings: Filip Dujardin

Examples at BLDBG and his site.

Project: Hackney Cycle Route

My position on cycle paths, cycle routes, well used roads for cycling

http://local.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=51.535712,-0.053644&spn=0.014815,0.038581&z=15&msid=103304006178691133409.000477a941305dd65b245

Old London

I’m fascinated by photos of old London, especially bits which have now been regenerated, the sense that they were once empty and underused in comparison to how they have become and the general idea of everything which has come before. The idea that certain bits of London which you couldn’t imagine being anything else but busy (for example by their proximity to central London) were anything but.

Flickr / JB Photographer

X-crossing at Oxford Circus

Excited to see this in the news today!

Pictures – http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8337000/8337673.stm
Report – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8337341.stm
Press release – http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/newscontent/92-oxford-circus-crossing-opening.htm

Oxford Circus crossing was horrible, especially with all the barriers, this should be much more interesting!

Incidentally was reading how ideas of shared space being applied in Exhibition Road have been criticised by a blind charity which claims that the removal of height difference between the pavement and road would make it much harder for blind users.

Flickr / helen duffett

Shoreditch one way system, traffic engineers

Interested to read about the “Look Both Ways” campaign which in the early part of this decade campaigned to get rid of the 1960s Shoreditch one way system. Reading about it is fascinating as without knowing about the campaign the current traffic flow in Shoreditch seems bad enough (there seems to be so much which could be done – Rivington Street and cyclists, Curtain Road etc.) but it must have been really bad.

Stoke Newington Scrap One Way System Campaign.

How does the decision making system for road construction work?

Why is Curtain road still one way?

Parking spaces

Previously talked about the Putting Lot, here are some more Parking Space ideas…

The Rebar Groups – Parking Day.

How many folding bikes can you fit in one parking space?