BBC News "Bid to make London walk-friendly"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6032969.stm

"More than 44% of pedestrians use the Tube map to navigate around
London, according to a study by TfL [...]

Not surprising really, but I'm sure the ng could easily list a hundred
stupities should one navigate by this method, even if we ignore the old
chestnut that is Leicester Square to Covent Garden!

Theydon Bois and Epping as close as Farringdon and the Barbican...

voice of utl reader Hold on, comparing central and outer stations
isn't really on.
/voice of utl reader

OK, how about these then.

Liverpool Street to Moorgate a mission?
Borough to London Bridge a sole destroying venture?
Oxford Circus to Warren Street enough to send shank's pony to the
knackers yard?
The Shepherd's got his fingers in two faraway bushes?
voice of utl reader Groan /voice of utl reader

Anyway I back Red/Magenta/Mauve Ken 100% when he says:
"Walking in the capital can be a rewarding experience - you can find
hidden architectural gems and interesting shops and galleries". He
missed out pubs though.

On Tue, 9 Oct 2006, Mizter T wrote:

BBC News "Bid to make London walk-friendly"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6032969.stm

"More than 44% of pedestrians use the Tube map to navigate around
London, according to a study by TfL [...]

Not surprising really, but I'm sure the ng could easily list a hundred
stupities should one navigate by this method, even if we ignore the old
chestnut that is Leicester Square to Covent Garden!

Perhaps what we need is a sort of Beck-style diagram for walking routes
(ie roads). It couldn't cover every road, and probably couldn't cover the
whole of London on one map (ie you might just do central London), but if
it could give people a simple skeleton on which to hang their geographical
knowledge of London, it might make them more confident in walking about.
Show major roads in the area, and have some notation for sidestreets. And
an index!

Alternatively, spider-style maps dotted round the place.

tom

--
A military-industrial illusion of democracy

On Tue, 9 Oct 2006, Mizter T wrote:

BBC News "Bid to make London walk-friendly"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6032969.stm

And from the exhibition's website:

http://www.legiblelondon.info/

A rather fun collection of bad signs:

http://www.legiblelondon.info/workin...ters/index.htm

Anyway, sounds fun, and the NLA is pretty close to UCL - i can just walk
to Euston and get the Northern Line down to Goodge Street ...

tom

--
A military-industrial illusion of democracy

Tom Anderson wrote:

On Tue, 9 Oct 2006, Mizter T wrote:

BBC News "Bid to make London walk-friendly"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6032969.stm

And from the exhibition's website:

http://www.legiblelondon.info/

A rather fun collection of bad signs:

http://www.legiblelondon.info/workin...ters/index.htm

Anyway, sounds fun, and the NLA is pretty close to UCL - i can just walk
to Euston and get the Northern Line down to Goodge Street ...


Ho ho, very good!

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:47:54 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

On Tue, 9 Oct 2006, Mizter T wrote:

BBC News "Bid to make London walk-friendly"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6032969.stm

Whatever happened to the TfL walking maps? They were a brave attempt to
give people extra information to help them get around the central area.

And from the exhibition's website:

http://www.legiblelondon.info/

I think utl should go on a mass visit and then make a combined effort to
replicate the A-Z. We've probably got enough people / knowledge to be
able to do it.

A rather fun collection of bad signs:

http://www.legiblelondon.info/workin...ters/index.htm

Anyway, sounds fun, and the NLA is pretty close to UCL - i can just walk
to Euston and get the Northern Line down to Goodge Street ...

What I find particularly ironic about the directional information for
the exhibition is that there appears to be no recognition of things
called buses. It would have taken next to no effort to show where the
nearest bus stops are (very close) and list the bus routes that stop
there. Given many of the services run from areas without decent tube
access it makes me wonder when someone will work out the meaning of
"integrated" when it comes to information for events that are supposed
to be improving people's transport choices.

The info provided for the Cycle Show at Excel was equally poor and yet
that was an event supported by TfL. Most odd.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Tom Anderson wrote:

On Tue, 9 Oct 2006, Mizter T wrote:

BBC News "Bid to make London walk-friendly"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6032969.stm

"More than 44% of pedestrians use the Tube map to navigate around
London, according to a study by TfL [...]

Not surprising really, but I'm sure the ng could easily list a hundred
stupities should one navigate by this method, even if we ignore the old
chestnut that is Leicester Square to Covent Garden!

Perhaps what we need is a sort of Beck-style diagram for walking routes
(ie roads). It couldn't cover every road, and probably couldn't cover the
whole of London on one map (ie you might just do central London), but if
it could give people a simple skeleton on which to hang their geographical
knowledge of London, it might make them more confident in walking about.
Show major roads in the area, and have some notation for sidestreets. And
an index!

Alternatively, spider-style maps dotted round the place.


Maybe. I think the required map already exists - the A-Z (though it's
not something I carry on my person most of the time). Just like many
others I might take a streetmap.co.uk / multimap print-out when I'm
going to some back street address or some place I don't know well -
that's especially useful when I don't want to be encumbered with
holding onto a map (night out etc).

I also think one needs - in central London at least - a willingness to
just explore and get bit lost, because you're never genuinely lost! I
often just walk in broadly the right direction even though I
occasionally end up down dead-end now and then (and the dead-end might
nontheless reveal a great cafe or obscure shop etc).

Actually I know what I'd like. I find the street maps displayed at Tube
and rail stations - especially the TfL one's that have a street index
- and even those simple one's shown on main bus stops - really handy at
times when I know I'm broadly in the right place but need to pinpoint
an exact location, or route to that location. So I'd find similar
street maps that show the locality, displayed on the street, replete
with an index, very useful.

Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying :

Borough to London Bridge a sole destroying venture?

Depends how hot a day it is. That nice bit of fish from Borough market
won't last very long in the full glare of the sun.

Adrian wrote:

Mizter T ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying :

Borough to London Bridge a sole destroying venture?

Depends how hot a day it is. That nice bit of fish from Borough market
won't last very long in the full glare of the sun.

Ha! But will it last in the heat of the Northern Line?

Borough Market is of course far closer to London Bridge than Borough
tube station. Quick story that illustrates how using the tube map to
get around can be a disaster. Two of my friends (a her and a he), newly
arrived in London, decided to meet up at Borough Market, having heard
people raving about it. First mistake is that he arranged to meet her
at Borough tube. She was starting from Shepherd's Bush. This particular
weekend the Central Line was out of action between White City and
Marble Arch. She thus decides on a long, tortuous route on the H&C from
the Bush to KX, and changes for the Northern to Borough - ouch! Of
course what she should've done is walked to Olympia, and got the
district (changing at Earls Court) to Monument and walked over London
Bridge.

She took my advice and invested in an A-Z sharpish!

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:47:54 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

On Tue, 9 Oct 2006, Mizter T wrote:

BBC News "Bid to make London walk-friendly"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6032969.stm

What I find particularly ironic about the directional information for
the exhibition is that there appears to be no recognition of things
called buses. [...]

The info provided for the Cycle Show at Excel was equally poor and yet
that was an event supported by TfL. Most odd.

Call me insane, but could this possibly be because they expected people to
get there by bike?

tom

--
Who would you help in a fight, Peter van der Linden or Bill Gates?

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006, Mizter T wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:

On Tue, 9 Oct 2006, Mizter T wrote:

BBC News "Bid to make London walk-friendly"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6032969.stm

"More than 44% of pedestrians use the Tube map to navigate around
London, according to a study by TfL [...]

Not surprising really, but I'm sure the ng could easily list a hundred
stupities should one navigate by this method, even if we ignore the old
chestnut that is Leicester Square to Covent Garden!

Perhaps what we need is a sort of Beck-style diagram for walking routes
(ie roads). It couldn't cover every road, and probably couldn't cover the
whole of London on one map (ie you might just do central London), but if
it could give people a simple skeleton on which to hang their geographical
knowledge of London, it might make them more confident in walking about.
Show major roads in the area, and have some notation for sidestreets. And
an index!

Alternatively, spider-style maps dotted round the place.

Maybe. I think the required map already exists - the A-Z

No. The problem with that, or anything similar, is that it shows too much
- it's hard to pick up the A-Z and instantly see what a sensible walking
route between two nontrivially distant points is. I think people need
something that focuses on key walking arteries.

Also, the A-Z is particularly bad since it's split into fairly small pages
- if your journey crosses an edge, or worse still a corner, you're out of
luck. TfL's cycle maps, which are basically the A-Z printed as sheets
(ignore the coloured highlighting if you're on foot), are better, and
certainly excellent for the price.

Actually I know what I'd like. I find the street maps displayed at Tube
and rail stations - especially the TfL one's that have a street index -
and even those simple one's shown on main bus stops - really handy at
times when I know I'm broadly in the right place but need to pinpoint an
exact location, or route to that location. So I'd find similar street
maps that show the locality, displayed on the street, replete with an
index, very useful.

Yes, not a bad idea at all.

tom

--
Who would you help in a fight, Peter van der Linden or Bill Gates?