pci: Albert Steinberger

Commuters on the Overground in east London faced severe delays on the service this morning.

Transport for London (TFL) stated on their web site that disruptions between the stations of Highbury & Islington and West Croydon and Crystal Palace were due to a signalling problem at New Cross station. TFL said it was not possible to forecast when the services would go back to running according to the regular schedule.

Passengers were told to look at the front of the trains for directions, as travel boards no longer displayed correct travel information.  At Surrey Quays station, a TFL staff member updated commuters with a megaphone.

The Victoria line also experienced severe delays this morning, due to a faulty train at King’s Cross St. Pancras and a signal failure at Warren Street. The service was running with minor disruptions until approximately 12.30pm.

New trams in Croydon, Pic: Praveen Sundaram

Hopes for a new Croydon-Crystal Palace tram link were dashed today as Transport for London confirmed that there will be no extensions to the line in the foreseeable future.

A TfL spokemans told EastLondonLines: “TfL has identified a number of possible corridors for extending the system [in the longer term] …  One of these corridors is a possible route to Crystal Palace, which would improve connectivity and support growth.

“[However] future extensions are not currently funded in TfL’s Business Plan, [and] could only progress if additional funding was made available.”

Local’s hopes for a new route had been raised by the arrival of new trams on Tuesday and a flurry of chat on Twitter.

The Swiss made trams are to be an addition to Croydon’s existing Tramlink system. However a report by This Is Croydon on Tuesday that ‘Crystal Palace’ appeared on one of the tram’s displays – even though the network does not go that far – led to speculation among locals that the previously proposed Harrington Road-Crystal Palace link will take off.

Croydonians appear to be in favour of an extension.

An elderly woman who didn’t wish to be named said: “That would be fabulous if they get that done soon”.

Michael, a commuter between West Croydon and the Sports Arena said: “This is not Central London, so maybe that is why no one cares”.

This latest disappointment comes following a decade of false hopes over improvements to the borough’s transport infrastructure.

In January 2001, then-Mayor of London Ken Livingstone pushed through a transport strategy that included a number of potential extensions to Tramlink. After working closely with the local councils, four possible routes were identified, however Harrington Road-Crystal Palace was not among them.

The original plan was to run 6 trams an hour between Croydon and Crystal Palace Parade, benefitting close to 11,000 households.

A survey in 2006 indicated that 75 per cent of Croydon residents supported such a development. But in 2008 the plans were abandoned by authorities who cited unaffordable costs as the financial crisis took hold.

Video Journalists: Praveen Sundaram and Neeraj Shrivastava

Bow roundabout pic: Diamond Geezer (Flickr)

TfL has unveiled plans to improve cyclist safety on one of London’s most dangerous roundabouts, which saw the deaths of two cyclists in three weeks last year.

The proposals will include changes to traffic signals on the eastbound and westbound entrance of the Bow roundabout, which will now provide a dedicated green light phase for cyclists to travel before other vehicles.

It was also suggested that Bow flyover is reduced from two traffic lanes to one in both directions, with new dedicated cycle lanes. Advanced stop lines could also be added to the junctions will create a space for cyclists in front of any traffic.

John Biggs, London Assembly member for City and East London, said: “The consultation from TfL is a welcome first step, however, the mayor needs to address the pressing issue of pedestrian safety at this junction, as the proposals do nothing for their safety. I will continue to campaign for a longer term comprehensive solution that meets the needs of pedestrians as well”.

The junction is considered to be an accident hotspot, particularly for cyclists. One problem is when vehicles only have the option to turn left, through a cycle lane which is heading straight on.

The roundabout is also used by a high number of HGVs.

Recent changes to traffic lights and signs warning drivers and cyclists to look out for each other has still not protected against careless driving and crashes.

A total of 16 cyclists were killed on London’s roads in 2011. The two on the Bow Roundabout were Brian Dorling, 58 on October 24 and Svetlana Tereschenko, 34 on November 11.

Video by Rosie Thompson and Irene Baque de Puig (Graphics by Tfl)

pic: Alain Bachellier (Flickr)

Motorists can now pay their parking fees with the help of a new mobile phone app.

The updated system offers easy to use secure payment methods, as well as the option to receive email receipts, online parking statements and the choice to receive SMS text reminders before their parking session finishes.

First time users can call a number and follow a simple one-off registration process giving details of their vehicle, location and payment card they wish to use.

The next time they use the service, they will only need to provide the three digit security code and their current location as the technology can recognise the mobile phone being used.

Once parked, motorists can extend their stay simply by contacting the service again, without going back to the car and without running the risk of receiving a ticket.

Feryal Demirci, Hackney Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “We want to make paying for parking quicker and more convenient for motorists in the borough.

“Hackney Council is committed to giving motorists better customer service, and making paying to park easier is just one of the ways are meeting this commitment.”

So far there has been a positive reaction from locals to the app.

One cafe owner, Yildiz, 49, from Old Street, said: “We use motorcycles to make deliveries quite often and I hope with this new application, they can access more places effectively.”

Motorcyclist Ivanchesko, from Dalston, said: “This way of payment is at least very practical and will help motorists.

“More people are visiting areas like Shoreditch, Hackney Central and Dalston as there are many cafes, bars and cultural centres. This means more people will benefit from this.”

The cashless payment system is provided by PayByPhone and applies borough-wide to all council street pay and display bays and car parks.

The application is accessible in all areas of Hackney; Stoke Newington, Hackney Central, Dalston, Haggerston, Shoreditch, Hackney Wick and Hackney West.

Hoxton Station - Ben Sutherland (Flickr)

The East London Line extension has “grown faster than anticipated” with nearly three and a half times more journeys made per week in 2011 than in 2007, according to a TfL report on the train operator.

Nearly two million journeys were made on the line per week in September last year compared with 0.6 million in 2007.

But the increase has led to higher levels of crowding, and the local government body predicts there will be 100 million journeys made on the whole Overground network in 2011/12 as user demand proliferates this year due to predicted popular events including the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Jubilee.

The Overground has rapidly grown as a commuting route with over 60 per cent of journeys made to and from work and eight per cent made for leisure reasons. The busiest station is Canada Water with over 30,000 passengers per day but Whitechapel in Tower Hamlets came second with 15,000 users per day.

The extension opened in May 2010, with 160 million users since then, and this year will see new services from Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction.

Since the opening, both the Geffrye Museum at Hoxton and the Brunel museum at Rotherhithe have seen higher number of visitors.

TfL report that customer satisfaction with the extended line averages 85 out of 100 meaning they are more “popular with passengers” than before their closure when the average was 77.

According to the body, the network has changed from being a “neglected railway into the best performing train operator in Great Britain”.

Schoolchildren have also benefited from the extension as the train operator has a higher proportion of educational travel than most rail operators.

According to TfL’s report, the most popular mode of transport used previously by passengers was the bus, suggesting that the route has been crucial in providing certain deprived areas such as Hackney with quicker transport options and “links them to key employment centres in the City, Docklands and West End as well as leisure and social facilities”.

Video filmed and edited by Praveen Sundaram and Mengdi Li.

Christmas Day

All tube services will be closed and there will be no daytime or Night buses operated by London Buses.

The Oxford Tube will operate a special service between Oxford and London Victoria until 1900, calling at Heathrow Airport Central bus station in both directions instead of Hillingdon station.

Boxing Day

Tubes

Due to a tube strike from Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) a reduced service will operate from 8.30am on all lines with last trains at Sunday times. For information about the strike see our article here.

Here are the details on Boxing Day tube services:

Bakerloo line: Marylebone and South Kenton will be closed.

Central line: there will be no service between Hainault and Woodford. Chigwell, Fairlop, Grange Hill and Roding Valley will be closed.

Circle line: Blackfriars, Cannon Street and Farringdon will be closed.

District line: there will be no service
between Parsons Green and Wimbledon.
A rail replacement bus service will operate. Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Kensington (Olympia) and Upminster Bridge will be closed.

Hammersmith & City line: Farringdon will be closed.

Metropolitan line: there will be no service between Baker Street and Aldgate (use Circle and Hammersmith & City lines instead).

No Chiltern Railways between Aylesbury and For further information, call TrainTracker on Marylebone.

0871 200 49 50, available 24 hours a day, including Christmas Day.

Northern line: there will be no service between Camden Town and High Barnet/Mill Hill East.
A rail replacement bus service will operate.

Piccadilly line: there will be no service between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge (use Metropolitan line instead). North Ealing will be closed.

Waterloo & City line: no service.

Buses

From 8.30am a Sunday service will operate on all routes

Taxis

Licensed taxis (black cabs) offer an accessible service on Christmas Day (subject to local availability). To book call One Number Taxi Bookings on 0871 871 8710. There is a £4 extra charge on Christmas Day.

Here are some local taxi services that will be operating over Christmas and Boxing Day

Lewisham

Lewisham Cars- 020 8314 1515 – 28 Rushey Green,London

L B C – 020 8695 6633 – 10A Randlesdown Rd, London

Tower Hamlets

Star Cabs – 020 7538 5555 – 72 Bow Road, London

Bow Church – 07930 432 511 – 246 Bow Road, Poplar

Hackney

Jimac Cars – 020 8985 5151 – 205 Lower Clapton Road, London

Mare Street Cars - 020 8986 4211 – 155A Mare Street, London

Croydon

Clockhouse Radio Cars - 020 86808680 – Croydon, Surrey, CR9 1PA

Croydon Cars -
 020 86864000 – Leon House, 233 High Street, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 9XT

pic: Route to Respect

Youngsters from Croydon have recently made a film promoting respect for the community and have released it to the public as a response to the viral video showing racism on a Croydon tram last month.

Fifty young people aged between the ages of 13 and 18 produced the video, titled “Route to Respect”. It focuses on generating a positive relationship between different sections of the community, particularly when using public transport.

They interviewed a range of local figures on the topic of respect, including Gavin Barwell, MP for Croydon Central, and Adrian Roberts, Borough Commander for Croydon Metropolitan Police.

They also learnt filming and animation skills with the help of Mediabox, the charity who funded the project. This allowed them to direct, film and produce the video themselves.

The project was run by the Croydon Supplementary Education Project (CSEP), an organisation which runs out-of-school educational programmes for Black and Ethnic Minority children in the borough.

Project Leader at CSEP, Sasha Rhoden, said: “Young people today are either at home with their families and friends or at school with their teachers and classmates. The only time they interact with the public is on their journey to school. Bus drivers stop them and make them late, they are pushed and prodded and stereotyped as ‘hoodies’. Actually they themselves are quite frightened.”

The footage was filmed last year, but the children decided to release it on YouTube as an antidote to the videos taken on public transport that have emerged in the wake of the video taken on the Croydon tram.

Rhoden added: “An image of someone being very disrespectful in Croydon has just gone viral. This makes our film so much more relevant; it’s about being constructive rather than destructive and encouraging community cohesion. We want to show that young people sometimes do have the solutions rather than being the problem”

The video is being used by police officers visiting Croydon schools to encourage respect for others on public transport.

CSEP want to make a sequel in light of the recent videos called “Route to Respect 2″, but the project has been put on hold whilst CSEP seek the necessary funds.

An additional setback to this is the fact that the centre’s film and video equipment was stolen in a break-in earlier this year.

CSEP is an organisation running Saturday schools and other community events and training programmes for the BME community in Croydon. To sign up for the Saturday school, or for more information on CSEP projects, contact info@csep.org.uk.

pic: Collin Grey

Tube drivers have voted overwhelmingly to strike on Boxing Day, threatening travel chaos across the capital.

Residents in Tower Hamlets will be worst affected, with no London Underground trains running from Bromley-by-Bow, Stepney Green, Whitechapel, Aldgate East, Tower Hill, Bethnel Green, Mile End, or Canary Wharf.

While the Overground and DLR trains will both be running, travel from Hackney, Lewisham and Croydon to central London will only be possible by bus or mainline National Rail services.

Aslef, the union that represents Underground drivers, balloted its 2,200 members, 92.3% of whom voted to strike.

The drivers are in dispute with TfL regarding “equitable quality time off” and the union is seeking “substantial incentives” for working on what it calls and unsociable day.

If the dispute is not resolved, Aslef has said that it intends to take further action on January 16 and February 3 and 13.

pic: Donna Smillie

East London Line commuters will benefit from extra train services and seats over the Christmas period, Southern Railway and TFL have confirmed.

Southern Railway’s new winter timetable, which is now in full effect, offers an increased number of services as well as 5000 extra seats on the Sydenham, East Grinstead, and Redhill routes. Alex Foulds, Southern’s Development Director, said this is, “fantastic news for our passengers”.

East Londoners travelling between Croydon, London Bridge and London Victoria will benefit from the changes as a result of platform extensions and power supply upgrades.

Extra services on Southern Railway trains will run until May 18.

TFL said passengers travelling on the London Overground will see trains run more frequently at peak times, evenings and weekends.

During the busy Christmas period, up to four additional services will run between Surrey Quays, Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington.

Howard Smith, Chief Operating Officer at London Rail, said: “This is great news for London Overground passengers who will really benefit from the increase in services created by these extra trains. We have been working closely with our operator, LOROL, and Network Rail to find a way to ease crowding and I am delighted that we have been able to implement these additional services so soon. This positive news is a great way to see out 2011.”

TFL have confirmed on the Saturday of Christmas Eve, a service will operate on the Overground, with the last train departing at 9.30pm.

On Christmas Day and Boxing Day, no trains will run on the London Overground.

On New Years Eve passengers will be able to travel on Overground services for free, from 23:45 until the last train.

For more information on winter London Overground services visit: www.tfl.gov.uk/festivetravel

A still from the YouTube video

A woman faces Christmas in custody after pleading not guilty to a racially aggravated public offence order linked to ‘My Tram Experience’ viral video.Emma West, 34, from New Addington, appeared before Croydon magistrates for the second time on Tuesday. She was arrested on November 28, after a YouTube video showing a woman racially abusing passengers on a tram from Wimbledon to New Addington was brought to the attention of police.

West was escorted into court in tears. A number of friends and family members attended.

Presented with the charge, she initially entered no indication of a plea.

Mr Ewing, representing West, told the court: “The evidence as it currently stands is a two minute 20 mobile phone video; other than that, there is no evidence.”

Magistrates decided to view the video, which the court heard shows only part of a 15 to 20 minute long stream of offensive remarks and language. A laptop was brought to the bench.

As the video played West curled up in her seat. She was audibly sobbing as the clip finished.

Asked again if she wished to enter a plea, West replied: “Not guilty”.

She will be formally committed to Croydon Crown Court on January 6, and has been remanded in custody until then.

The ‘My Tram Experience’ video has now been viewed over 11 million times, despite indications that police wished YouTube to remove it from their site.