currybetdotnet Transport archive

Now and then at Green Park
Occasionally, as the London Underground gets re-fitted and re-developed, you get a glimpse back into time. On Monday night, leaving the Victoria Line at Green Park, I was suddenly transported back to 1992. The poster sites at the foot of the escalators have been peeled back to reveal adverts for, amongst other things, Pritt Stick, Monument and Bruce Springsteen. Here is one of Tower Records advertising their Easter specials. It is always good to see that regardless of whether Tower...

Read the full post - Published May 19, 2008 in Transport

Walthamstow's Tramways Office building
Yesterday I was writing about the origins of the name 'currybet', which developed into a regular pub crawl around Walthamstow on F.A. Cup Final day. Part of that route was always from The Bell pub to The Dog & Duck, passing one of Walthamstow's most distinctive buildings - the Tramways Office on Chingford Road. Built in 1905, and later given codename 'WW' by London Transport, the Tramways office was a hub from trams, then trolley buses, and then motor buses....

Read the full post - Published May 18, 2008 in Transport, Walthamstow

Has Boris Johnson switched 'off' the Mayor of London 'ON' branding?
Within a day of Boris Johnson announcing his initiative to ban alcohol on London's Transport network, posters started appearing about it on the Underground. I noticed something interesting on them. Since the inception of the office of the London Mayor, publicity material that has passed through the Mayor's office has had a distinctive branding - 'MAYOR OF LONDON', with the last two letters picked out in a different colour. Generally this has been blue with the last two letters in...

Read the full post - Published May 15, 2008 in Politics, Transport

Postcard from Macau #9: Information design on Macau's transport system
I recently spent three weeks visiting Macau, the former Portuguese territory on the south coast of China. As a former colony like Hong Kong, it is now a 'Special Administrative Region'. This post is one of a series looking at aspects of information design, user experience, internet use and journalism that interested me when I was there. Whilst I was staying in Macau I mostly got around by public transport. There is an excellent network of buses across the...

Read the full post - Published March 28, 2008 in Macau, Transport, Travelogue

Unwelcome to Britain (again)
I've been zipping over Europe between London, Barcelona and Crete a lot over the last few weeks, and so I've spent quite a bit of time hanging around airports thinking about the whole user experience. I've never quite been able to put my finger on what it is exactly that makes the entry into Britain via London's airports so unwelcoming, but over the last few trips I've come to think that it is the combined effect of lots of the...

Read the full post - Published October 12, 2007 in Transport

Gatwick Yotel not quite so swell
Anyone who has been following my trips on Dopplr will know that I've been stomping my carbon encrusted feet all over Europe in the last couple of months, with six flights in just over as many weeks. I've been dragging my better half around with me, but last week she headed back to Crete slightly before I did. She had an early check-in at 5:15am at Gatwick. We decided, instead of travelling through the dead of night, that we'd go...

Read the full post - Published October 11, 2007 in Product review, Transport

Let's hope The Westway doesn't collapse on a weekend
I was wandering around White City the other week between various bits of the outer-lying BBC empire, when I spotted this sign on one of the bridges that makes up the intersection between "The Westway" and the local rat-runs of W12. Let's hope it never develops a major structural problem that only becomes apparent out of office hours, eh?...

Read the full post - Published October 9, 2007 in Transport

Heraklion airport doesn't quite live up to the BA online check-in promise
I'm back in the UK for work for the majority of September and October, with a trip to Barcelona for the Euro IA summit and a brief sojourn back to Crete for a last summer "Hurrah!" sandwiched in the middle. As a result, I shall certainly be racking up my carbon emissions with a variety of airlines. The first flight was with British Airways lask week, on a route I've not flown before - Heraklion to London Gatwick. Heraklion is...

Read the full post - Published September 14, 2007 in Greece, Transport, Usability

One Prince = c.100 People
Well Carol, as you say, there was an incident at 11,500 feet above Newbury in Berkshire, on the morning of Wednesday the 24th of March, and these details have been reported in the briefest of detail on the CAA website. It says, and I quote, "an aircraft proximity report has been filed". Now, this is a report I understand where safety was or could have been compromised. And this is an aircraft proximity report between a military aircraft and an...

Read the full post - Published July 16, 2007 in Transport

Last Rounds project featuring some of my photographs of Tube stations
I'm always pleased to see my public Flickr photos being re-used to help new websites, and a little while ago I was approached about using some of my pictures on the "Last Rounds" site. It is a website that concerns itself with public transport and the pursuit of beer. Seeing as that wraps up three of my chief areas of interest, how could I refuse? The Last Rounds project began in response to the new later licensing laws in England....

Read the full post - Published May 21, 2007 in Flickr, London Underground, Transport

Check-in credit card trauma with British Airways at Heathrow

Published January 24, 2007 in Transport

There's just no messin' with the kids

Published August 23, 2006 in Children and Teenagers, Transport

New Victoria Line trains on display at Euston

Published August 10, 2006 in Accessibility, London Underground, Transport

"Excessive Door Noise" on the Central Line

Published November 1, 2005 in Transport

Oxford Circus Underground Timewarp

Published October 20, 2005 in London Underground, Transport

London Transport Fare Rises

Published October 5, 2005 in Evening Standard, Media, Transport

Panic On The Streets Of London

Published September 13, 2005 in Politics, Transport, Walthamstow

The Bike Shed at Walthamstow Central

Published August 20, 2005 in Cycling, London Underground, Transport, Walthamstow

Unusual Stuff On The Central Line

Published August 11, 2005 in London Underground, Transport

London's Transport, and Passengers Back To Normal in Walthamstow

Published July 14, 2005 in Transport, Walthamstow

Open Weekend at the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton Town

Published June 9, 2005 in Transport

A day on the District Line

Published May 12, 2005 in London Underground, Transport

A gallery, a monument, a museum and a spot of shopping - Day-tripping in London

Published April 27, 2005 in Apple, London Underground, Other, Transport

When Oyster Card fails think "Thanks for the uptime"

Published March 12, 2005 in Application design, London Underground, Politics, Transport

Could Arsenal station be retro-renamed?

Published March 7, 2005 in Football, London Underground, Transport

Adopt-a-Station with 'one'

Published March 6, 2005 in Transport, Walthamstow

What will the C-Charge extension mean to Londoners?

Published November 15, 2004 in Transport

The worst train stations in London

Published November 15, 2004 in Evening Standard, Transport, Walthamstow

London Bus fares rise by 42%. Or become free. (Depending on how you do the sums. Or how old you are)

Published September 21, 2004 in Transport

Open House at Loughton Station

Published September 21, 2004 in London Underground, Transport

Accident at Walthamstow Bus Station

Published September 16, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

Cause and effect?

Published September 12, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

Operation Londinium at Stratford

Published August 30, 2004 in ID cards, Politics, Transport

Congestion Charge expansion in West London

Published August 11, 2004 in Evening Standard, Transport

It's just like the not-so-good old days

Published June 30, 2004 in Transport

Walthamstow Central Bus Station - accessibility and security

Published June 28, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

Complaint about the 212 bus route in Walthamstow

Published June 15, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

Congestion Charging Expansion consultation

Published April 16, 2004 in Evening Standard, Transport

Unwelcome To Britain

Published March 9, 2004 in Transport

How to confuse WAGN ticket inspectors with your Oystercard

Published February 25, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

What is a ticket? And how does it apply to over-booked flights?

Published February 25, 2004 in Cyprus, Transport

Congestion Charging one year on: "The sky did not fall on London's head"

Published February 18, 2004 in Evening Standard, Transport

'New Fines War On Bus Lane Drivers' cries Evening Standard

Published January 13, 2004 in Evening Standard, Transport

Oystercard - the problem is when the man meets the machine

Published October 16, 2003 in Transport, Walthamstow

Leaf-fall timetable starts today

Published October 13, 2003 in Transport

Data-mining Oystercard to detect travel patterns in London

Published September 25, 2003 in Transport

London Congestion Charge: "Thousands are fined by mistake" claims Evening Standard

Published February 24, 2003 in Evening Standard, Transport

Contact the Evening Standard about the London Congestion Charge

Published February 23, 2003 in Evening Standard, Transport

Congestion Charging introduced in London - Sky fails to fall on city's head

Published February 17, 2003 in Transport

London Evening Standard reaction to Congestion Charging - a prediction

Published February 13, 2003 in Evening Standard, Transport