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Author Archives: stabernethy
Pipe up
In January 1868, Thomas Herron, also known as Viscount Ranelagh, was brought before Clerkenwell Magistrates Court. This noble Lord was being prosecuted for an action he thought hardly criminal; smoking on the Metropolitan Railway. The Metropolitan Railway had opened in … Continue reading
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Taking a walk on the wild side.
In 1922 the Earl of Mayo declared to the House of Lords ‘… I saw a letter the other day from an indignant gentleman who said he walked where he liked. He intimated that this was a free country and … Continue reading
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Tagged government interference, House of Lords, inter-war, London, London County Council, Lord Newton, Metropolitan Police, pedestrian crossing, pedestrians, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Safety First Council, speeding, traffic, traffic accidents, Traffic lights
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Busker rhymes
‘I don’t know whether these young people pay the same fares as other passengers, or whether they pay at all; but granted that they do, their fares only purchase for them the right to travel – not to torture all … Continue reading
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Ladies first
In 1960 a man from Edgware was cross. So cross in fact that he wrote to The Times. Under the title ‘Mammoths of the Tube’ he outlined the reasons for his sudden burst of outrage; ‘Sir – One complains of … Continue reading
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Nationalise that
Why we should renationalise the railways. *This post was originally published in 2013, before East Coast was pointlessly privatised. So recently I had the dubious pleasure of reading an article on the BBC which presented two points of view on whether or … Continue reading
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Our man on the Pirate Bus
Ten years ago a revelation appeared in London. To some it was part of the relentless march of technology. To others it was convenience epitomised. The Oyster card had arrived. Since its introduction it’s undoubtedly made life, on the whole, … Continue reading
The runaway tram
So recently I watched a film on my Dad’s recommendation. Now ordinarily I’d have approached this with extreme caution, but he very quickly managed to sell it to me. It had Denzel Washington in it he said. It had trains … Continue reading
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Tagged 1885, accident, banks, Bradford, cullen, jacobs, public transport, steam tram, Umpleby
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Rush hour, gardening, and women.
In the aftermath of the Great War London’s public transport was in a crisis. Infrastructure had been run down, locomotives and buses had been sent to France, and passenger numbers had soared. In 1918 the Underground Electric Railways Company, which … Continue reading
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Tagged london transport, public transport, rush hour, social history, underground
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A Londoner in Dublin
It’s a fact of human nature that we tend to be creatures of habit, and it’s the things we do almost unconsciously that are the most ingrained. For example, you want to call a lift, well you just hit the … Continue reading
Death Race: An Omnibus Prequel
Having typed in “buses are boring” into Youtube just now I was dismayed to find at least four videos where people complain that buses are boring. I didn’t actually bother watching them, and admittedly I only searched for them so … Continue reading
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Tagged edwardian london, london general, motor buses, transportation
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