Transport

Paying more than our fare share? Are 2011 travel price hikes justified?

We’ve all heard the news about above inflation travel price rises in the New Year. But are inner suburban areas like ours getting a particularly rough deal?

In January, single tube and bus fares are set to rise sharply — by 5.5% and 8% respectively:

Cost of a single central London tube journey Cost of a single central London bus journey

2010 2011 2010 2011

Oyster £1.80 £1.90 Oyster £1.20 £1.30

Cash £4.00 £4.00 A rise of 5.5% Cash £2.00 £2.20 A rise of 8 %

Now comes the really bad news for our area.

Currently there are six different one-day travelcards — in January there will be just three. The only one day cards available, peak or off-peak, will be for zones 1-2, zones 1-4, and zones 1-6. This is bad news if you currently use the Zone 2-6 travelcard, which enables you, for example, to travel from Sydenham to Canary Wharf via Canada Water without going into zone 1. This card is being scrapped forcing you to buy a travel card which includes zone 1 even if you never travel into zone one. When the Zone 2-6 One Day Travelcard is withdrawn you’ll be forced to buy a 1-4 zone card instead. That’s a massive 57% fare increase off-peak, and an astonishing 67% increase for the all-day user.

If you are thinking – so what, I never buy a One Day Travelcard anyway, think again. You’ll be paying a great deal extra, indirectly at least, through daily price-capping. Pay-as-you-go price caps are always set to match the relevant Travelcard, so if a paper Travelcard disappears then so will the matching electronic price cap.

For example, if you use your Oyster to swan around in Zones 1-5 all day, you currently never pay more than £12.60. Once the Z1-5 Travelcard vanishes you’ll have to pay up to £15.00 instead, which is the Z1-6 cap. Over a week, a month, a year, that’ll really add up. Or consider an Oyster user who makes four off-peak Zone 2-3 tube journeys in a day, each costing £1.80. At the moment the price cap kicks in at £5.10, which means the fourth journey is free. Once the Z2-6 Travelcard vanishes the price cap leaps to £8.00, which means the fourth journey costs full price.

Hardly a fair deal for local travellers!

We are indebted to the irrepressible Diamond Geezer —surely the most characterful blog in Britain— for his analysis of coming price rises.

http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/

Gatwick Airport station redevelopment

Network Rail has announced the go-ahead for a major upgrade of the station at Gatwick Airport with easier access, reduced congestion and better facilities.

Work to finalise the station design will start immediately with the relocation of a substation due to commence in summer 2011. Passengers will begin to see progress at the station but the major construction work is not scheduled to start on site until Autumn 2012 after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games have finished. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

The £53m scheme will deliver a range of benefits for passengers including:

Improved passenger circulation on platforms 5 and 6 through the replacement of an existing stairway with an escalator and the installation of a new lift
Refurbishment of the concourse area to provide better facilities for passengers and improved circulation
Upgrade of the track and signalling to improve performance and reliability of trains passing through and travelling to/from Gatwick Airport.
A new platform to address the existing bottleneck in the Gatwick area for services on the Brighton mainline

It’s not grim up north – a guide to some great pubs on the East London Line

Pub enthusiast and CAMRA stalwart Neil Pettigrew takes you on the first of a series of trips to the best boozers along the new rail line.

Part 1 – Dalston

Sydenham pub-goers, often less than thrilled by the pubs on offer locally, are finding they have a feast of new pub experiences to enjoy, now that the recently re-opened East London Line goes all the way to Dalston. There are good pubs to be found near all of the stations on the new line (including Wapping and Whitechapel), and this article, the first of a series, will begin by looking at just those that are an easy walk from Dalston itself, the end of the line.

The previously-uncharted (at least by a southern softy like me) territory of Dalston is a goldmine for those who, like me, enjoy the endlessly fascinating architecture of London’s Victorian suburbs, and in particular the faded grandeur of our capital’s purpose-built nineteenth century pubs. And, a bonus for real ale lovers, all of the following serve traditional cask-conditioned beer by hand-pump.

When you emerge from Dalston station you will immediately be confronted by the sad sight of two impressive Victorian pubs that have seen better days. Look slightly to the right and you will see the Railway Tavern – now a William Hill betting shop – and then walk left to the main crossroads where you will see the Crown and Castle – now a noodle bar. For both pubs, look up to see the evidence of their former glory.

Have no fear, though, a short walk west takes you to The Duke of Wellington (119 Balls Pond Road, N1). This handsome Victorian corner pub still displays, rather magnificently, an old Watney’s sign outside. The original Victorian features inside have been sympathetically retained by the current licensees, including some old dark wood and etched-glass screens. A selection of real ales is offered and kept in excellent condition. Here one can sample beers from Sambrook’s, a small and relatively new London brewery based in Battersea. Food is offered daily, and so too are Saturday brunch and Sunday roast are also available. See their web-site for more information: www.thedukeofwellingtonn1.com

Head south from here to the Scolt Head (107a Culford Rd, Dalston, N1), another elegant Victorian corner boozer. While musing over the meaning of the pub’s name, you can admire the green-tinted leaded windows, which are trade-mark remnants of its days as a Charrington-owned pub. And on the day of my visit, there was another reminder of pub heritage: a bitter called Truman’s Runner was available, thanks to some enterprising locals who have started a new brewery in honour of the old company.

The Stag’s Head (Orsman Rd, Hoxton, N1) is a splendidly traditional 1930s back street boozer, included in CAMRA’s inventory of London pubs with interiors of special interest. For those who object to the gentrification and gastro-ization of many of our pubs, this place will be more to your liking, and it has even retained an old spittoon trough around the base of the bar (present-day usage not recommended).

The Prince George (40 Parkholme Rd, E8) is a short walk to the east of Dalston station. Inside is still pleasingly traditional, and outside is a seriously faded pub sign atop a pole (still advertising ‘Whitbread’, although they haven’t owned any pubs for two decades), and depicting the Prince himself with a lady of low morals sitting on his lap. Real ale fans will enjoy the selection available in here.

The Prince Arthur (95 Forest Rd, E8) is just a couple of minutes walk from the Prince George. Architecturally, it’s another good-looking Victorian corner pub, looming over its neighbours by a good ten feet, and with the name of the pub and the year 1861 engraved high up in stone. Inside is still traditional, and above the back of the bar is an eye-catching display of old lettering advertising various drinks.

Forest Hill underpass – renovation at last?

Long-awaited improvements to the underpass at Forest Hill could now be within sight thanks to a decision of Lewisham’s Mayor and Cabinet on Wednesday 20 October.

The M&C agreed to provide up to £104,000 from money allocated to improve access to the East London Line stations in the Council’s capital programme to renovate the subway. Together with funds from Network Rail it looks at long last as if local residents may soon have a decent underpass to walk through on their way to and from Forest Hill Town Centre.

Let’s hope this long saga will soon come to an end.

Full details of the Mayor and Cabinet decision here

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4BCCEDF5-B895-493B-A722-5C69FF7C10DF/0/caba4551fbc0493d93c1522ff16b637eItem7ForestHillAssembyResponse220October2010.PDF

More trains to and from London Bridge in December

Good news for rail passengers travelling to and from London Bridge comes with the new timetable on 12^th December.

Here are the main improvements:

• Two additional evening peak trains will run between London Bridge and Crystal Palace via Sydenham at 17.24 and 18.24. This will help to ease the evening rush hour services which were cut from six trains per hour to four trains in May. We are now back to five trains per hour – not ideal but we’re getting there.

• An extra Saturday late evening London Bridge to Victoria train will leave London Bridge at 23.52, getting you to Sydenham at around 8 minutes past midnight. This fills in a 30 minute gap after the 23.36 and means that there will now be six late evening trains from London Bridge after 11pm (the 23.06; 23.22; 23.36; 23.52; 00.06 and 00.36)

Meet your new neighbours!

The arrival of the new East London Line puts Sydenham for the first time within direct reach of many communities further up the line. Here we investigate some of the attractions of our new “friends in the north”

Surrey Quays Come out of the bright glass-fronted station at Surrey Quays and you are immediately confronted by the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre just across the road, which includes retailers such as Tesco, BHS, Mothercare and River Island. Just a short walk behind the Centre brings you to the wide expanse of the Greenland Dock, home of the Surrey Docks Watersports Centre, which boasts a wide range of sailing, canoeing and sailboarding activities as well as a large gym. Further along Greenland Dock, close to the river, is the Surrey Docks City Farm, open to the public Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm.

Canada Water This futuristic station with its distinctive conical-shaped glass roof is at the heart of the ELL providing an interchange with the Jubilee Line. Canada Water lies close to the massive Decathlon Sports Centre, the largest sports retail store in the UK and a must-visit for any sports, cycling or camping addict. A little further along Surrey Quays Road is the Odeon Surrey Quays, a giant multiplex cinema – and just next to it, the Hollywood Bowl, a vast ten-pin bowling alley. We’re always complaining that our part of the world has no cinema, now there’s one that can be reached by a regular 15 minute train ride followed by a 5 minute walk.

Rotherhithe is the last station on the ELL south of the river. Close to the entrance lies the Brunel Museum which hosts a fascinating exhibition about the Thames tunnel, the oldest tunnel in use on the London Underground – and the world’s first underwater tunnel – constructed by Mark and Isambard Brunel, and which is now used by the ELL to cross under the Thames. Close by is the historic Thames-side pub, The Mayflower, close to the spot where the Pilgrim Fathers first set sail for America in 1620. A short distance further west is another famous riverside watering hole, The Angel – famous for its view of Tower Bridge and reputedly, as a favourite spot of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon when they were courting!

Wapping with its trendy restaurants, warehouse apartments and cool parks such as the Wapping Rose Garden just opposite the station is at the heart of a regeneration which would startle those who knew this formerly run-down area twenty years ago. The riverside has three historic pubs looking across the Thames foreshore to the south bank. Best-known are The Captain Kidd and The Prospect of Whitby (with its eye-catching mock gallows close to the seating area at the back of the pub – a reminder of the former Execution Dock which once lay close by). But well worth a visit is the outwardly plain-looking Town of Ramsgate with its own historic “stair” leading down to the river.

Shadwell This tiny neighbourhood station is a brief distance from Wapping DLR station just around the corner. A short walk along Candle Street takes you into Cable Street, scene of mass battles against Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists in October 1936. Look out on the far side of the road for the looming tower of St George in the East, one of Hawksmoor’s east end masterpieces. Further on is the newly refurbished Wilton’s Music Hall, the oldest surviving music hall in the world which is currently running an attractive programme of music and cabaret.

Whitechapel The interchange station for the District and Hammersmith & City lines, lies directly opposite the Royal London Hospital. Walk east along Whitechapel Road and you’ll find the Blind Beggar pub, “front office” for the infamous Kray twins and scene of one of their most outrageous murders. In the opposite direction, along Whitechapel Road, is the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, Britain’s oldest manufacturing company, founded in 1570. The foundry’s output includes the famous American Liberty Bell and Big Ben, the largest bell ever cast at Whitechapel. Travelling one stop along the District Line from Whitechapel to Aldgate East brings you to the Whitechapel Art Gallery and to Petticoat Lane, a 1,000-stall market spread across Wentworth Street and Middlesex Street. Near here are the well-known gastronomic attractions of Brick Lane. You’re deep in trendy art territory here so look out for independent galleries such as Artcadia, The Spitz Gallery and NO:ID, all based along Commercial Road.

Shoreditch High Street This new dedicated station lies on the north-eastern edge of the City, just a few minutes walk from Liverpool St Station and Broadgate. North-west of the station, Curtain Road and Old Street have a large number of clubs and pubs. Dennis Severs House in Folegate Street recreates a former Hugenot silk-weavers home and traces its history, in an almost magical theatrical recreation of family life. Check whether you are trendy enough to enter Hoxton Square (down Kingsland Road and west of Shoreditch High Street) where the White Cube Gallery and bars such as Bluu, The Hoxton Apprentice and Zigfrid are located. From here, SE26 suddenly seems like a long way away.

Hoxton station is adjacent to the beautiful Geffrye Museum – you look down into the museum’s attractive herb garden from the up-platform of the station. The museum, built in a terrace of former almshouses is a sister to our local Horniman Museum, and its collection traces the history of the British home. Head a short distance south-east across Hackney Road for Columbia Road Flower Market (Sunday 8am-3pm) and a plethora of craft, furniture and deli shops. This is the Handbag Capital of the UK with more handbag shops than any sane person could surely want.

Haggerston Don’t be put off by the grim housing blocks surrounding Haggerston Station. Cross Kingsland Road into De Beauvoir Square with its beautiful early 19th century town houses; then head south down pretty Mortimer Road or De Beauvoir Road until you reach the Regent’s Canal. Walk west for three-quarters of a mile along the towpath until you reach beautiful Haggerston Park (awarded a Green Flag in 2009). Visit Hackney City Farm situated in the south of park, open Tues-Sunday 10am–4.30pm; animal feeding time is around 4pm and there’s a brilliant café. From here, it’s a short walk back along the Hackney Road to Hoxton station.

Dalston is the end of the line – for the time being, at least, until the ELL is extended as far as Highbury and Islington in May 2011. The area contains a rich mixture of culture and places of interest including Ridley Road Market, just north of the station, the Rio, London’s largest independent cinema and The Vortex jazz club in Gillett Square just off Kingsland Road. A few hundred metres north is the wonderful Arcola Theatre, one of the best small theatres in the capital.

New Sydenham Road improvement scheme starts in January

Ring-fenced capital means that the long-awaited improvements to Sydenham Road between the roundabout and Mayow Road can still go ahead. Designs are currently being finalised and work on the scheme will begin in the New Year. Fourteen trees 3m tall, with a maintenance contract, will be planted along the high street and in the planned pocket squares at Venner and Queensthorpe Roads and the ridiculed wobbly roundabout will be re-profiled to minimise its slope (and greened, we’ve been promised). The areas of the pocket squares, outside the Naborhood/Sydenham Centre and Station Approach (also in the pedestrian improvement plan) will be paved in York stone, whilst the rest of the high street will have reinforced concrete pavoirs. The area around the Post Office and the Naborhood/Sydenham Centre will also be re-modelled to sort out the changes in the various levels.
Lamp columns have been chosen and these will carry the road signs, traffic signals and other street furniture where possible and dis-used phone boxes will be removed. The large circular advertising column will go but other Deceaux advertising panels will, in some cases, be relocated but, because of a long-term contract, cannot be permanently removed.
Puffin (Pedestrian User Friendly Intelligent) crossings will be installed at the Greyhound, Venner and Queensthorpe Roads. These can detect both waiting and crossing pedestrians and adjust the timing of the lights accordingly. Traffic light controlled crossings will be in operation at Newlands Park and Mayow Road, allowing a pedestrian phase on all roads. Detailed modelling of before and after traffic movements indicate, by using an adjustable linked system of traffic control, journey times on the main road will be 15% faster than currently.
Network Rail has given permission to demolish the low wall next to the estate agents office on the bridge and the toilet block will also be removed. Approaches will be made to Transport for London to see if a toilet facility can be made available within the station building. There will be an undercover bin store built for residents of the flats in Station Approach thereby removing one of the most unattractive aspects of the area greeting visitors to Sydenham.

Lewisham has made a bid to TfL for funding for Phase Two of the Sydenham Road improvements for that part of the road between Mayow Road and Bell Green. The outcome of this bid is awaited.

What’s the best train to catch late at night?

Caught in a dilemma as to whether to catch an East London line train or a train from London Bridge?

Well puzzle no more! The Sydenham Society’s quick and easy timetable showing the best late night trains has arrived!

The timetable shows the times of late evening trains from both London Bridge and Canada Water, allowing you at glance to choose the one that’s best for you.

If you’ve left it until after the witching hour, then London Bridge is your only hope – with trains at six and 36 minutes past midnight.

When will the next bus arrive?

Good news for local bus passengers.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that two pairs of bus stops in central Sydenham will be fitted with dot matrix countdown indicators – visual displays which show how long it is before the next bus arrives. In 2011, the stops outside Boots and outside LA Fitness (plus the bus stops on the other side of the road) will be fitted with the new indicators.

Underpass at Forest Hill

Back in January 2010 the Council and Network Rail (who own the Forest Hill underpass) agreed a programme of improvements to the underpass. These included measures such as re-surfacing the floor of the underpass, an improved water-drainage system, cladding the underpass walls with easily cleaned de-mountable panels, re-painting, and improved lighting. Network Rail planned to start the works in April 2010, once the station footbridge had been installed.

In fact nothing has happened since January, despite the footbridge works having been long completed. The Sydenham Society has once again taken up matters with the Council and in July the Sydenham Society met with Councillor Alan Smith, Deputy Mayor, to press for an early start to the long promised improvements. Councillor Smith hoped that Network Rail might start the works in September and said that he would continue to press them for progress. The Society will keep a close eye on the matter.