Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonas
I haven't had a chance to see how London's transport looked some 10-15 years ago, but judging from some opinions it was a catastrophe... 
But thanks for some interesting info here 
Just a couple points:
I guess the lack of mobile coverage in the LU helps the bookshops to stay in business 
Being serious, I would by no means find this as any sort of advantage. I use my mobile mostly for internet browsing and e-mail rather than talking and being unable to use it in the underground is a huge disadvantage.
That is something I would absolutely disagree with. Alas, to an extent this is a matter of taste I suppose. I admire massive highways crisscrossing the city. That gives the place more urban feel to it not even talking about advantages of being able to get from a to b with a car.
If American cities are not such great examples ("dead" downtowns after office hours) then something like Bangkok made me fall in love with cars and highways. Even if it's not necessarily compulsory to have 4 massive motorways forming a # over the downtown (as in Bangkok), a well developed road and highway network is NOT a "cancer" to any city. A well planned and maintained road network can boost the transportation capabilities tremendously.
Again, Singapore is a good example of what a well developed road network is. It by no means makes it bad or "cancer" to it. In fact, it's one of the most pleasant cities with some of the best public spaces in the world!  |
I'm still not looking forward to the prospect of hearing annoying ring tones on the deep level tube. It will be a benefit for a few, but the tube was a communications black hole that many people enjoyed because it meant they couldn't be hassled.
It would be impressive if they did manage to get 100% coverage considering the network size is so much larger and you have more numerous and complex interchange stations.
Not sure what there is to admire about the car, much like cancer or a parasite it spreads and consumes the societies it infects. Look at the reaction to people when the oil price jumps, people react as if they can't get their next fix of heroin.
Having been to Bangkok on a few occasions, unless you have fetishes for traffic jams and air pollution I can't see what there is to be attracted by cars in Bangkok which prior to 2001 had 4x as many pariculates as London. I'd imagine that figure has since risen drastically as London seeks to contain the problem, while Bangkok continues to expand rapidly.
Its hard enough trying to ensure that people accept the Congestion Charge, but I doubt many developed free societies would accept something like the Certificate of Entitlement which physically limits who can own a car. As a fact, that illustrates that the Singapore authorities know that if they didn't restrict car usage, it would blow out of control. Not sure what is the worst scenario, drving in London or Singapore.
Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf) Crossrail Station
Paddington Crossrail Station
Bond Street Crossrail Station
Tottenham Court Road Crossrail Station
Whitechapel Crossrail Station
