Night Tube launch "deferred"

[chris11256]

BBC London Live are reporting that a new Night Tube offer has been made, although there are no actual details.

 

[Wolfie]

For those who regularly work nights throughout the week, I doubt very many. They will have got used to their night bus routes, which will still run, and most homes (especially) and places of work will be nearer a bus stop than a tube station. Price will also be a factor, with so many earning a pittance, and bus fares only being a fraction of tube fares, particularly on the longer routes. I'm not anti Night Tube, I'm sure it will be a success in terms of numbers carried, maybe not quite so much in terms of profit and anti-social behaviour.

The Evening Standard has been running stories off and on from householders living near tube lines complaining about extant tube noise and how the night tube will prevent them from getting any sleep - given that there was zero consultation with them I suspect litigation is far from impossible....

It's how TfL tend to work at the moment-keep staff in the dark and build up anticipation for new changes with the public to provoke the unions into action which could be completely avoided by communicating with staff and sort out working practices before releasing info to the public. That way the unions call a dispute and TfL can run to their friends in the newspapers and ensure the unions are painted as the evil militant ones refusing to allow these brilliant ideas through. TfL released night tube info publically and thenactually refused point blank to answer staff and union questions as to how it was going to affect them until the very last minute-hence the strikes.

I believe this was all a Boris "brainwave"... there are issues beyond staff too...

 

[Busaholic]

The Evening Standard has been running stories off and on from householders living near tube lines complaining about extant tube noise and how the night tube will prevent them from getting any sleep - given that there was zero consultation with them I suspect litigation is far from impossible....



I believe this was all a Boris "brainwave"... there are issues beyond staff too...

I've noticed that, quietly among the new contracts for some of London bus routes next year, a doubling of the frequency on the N86 on Friday and Saturday nights, which suggests some in the TfL firmament are not convinced of the efficacy of the Night Tube.

On a more serious note, the recent events in Paris must give very serious thoughts as to whether the project is viable.

 

[A-driver]

I've noticed that, quietly among the new contracts for some of London bus routes next year, a doubling of the frequency on the N86 on Friday and Saturday nights, which suggests some in the TfL firmament are not convinced of the efficacy of the Night Tube.

On a more serious note, the recent events in Paris must give very serious thoughts as to whether the project is viable.

What has Paris got to to do with the night tune out of interest? Surely terrorist threats isn't a reason to not run a night tube-and the tube could just as easily (well not 'easily' but you know what I mean) be attacked during the daytime when it's currently open.

 

[Busaholic]

What has Paris got to to do with the night tune out of interest? Surely terrorist threats isn't a reason to not run a night tube-and the tube could just as easily (well not 'easily' but you know what I mean) be attacked during the daytime when it's currently open.

Only that the target for these wretched people was people having a night out/ a good time, possibly involving the twin devils (to their eyes) of music and alcohol. A softer target than an under-resourced (in staff terms) Night Tube would be hard to imagine. I'm not saying don't run it. but do more than just pause for thought.

 

[Mojo]

What has Paris got to to do with the night tune out of interest? Surely terrorist threats isn't a reason to not run a night tube-and the tube could just as easily (well not 'easily' but you know what I mean) be attacked during the daytime when it's currently open.

I believe there is some concern that nighttime entertainment establishments are perhaps considered high risk for terrorism, and this may put people off going.

 

[A-driver]

Only that the target for these wretched people was people having a night out/ a good time, possibly involving the twin devils (to their eyes) of music and alcohol. A softer target than an under-resourced (in staff terms) Night Tube would be hard to imagine. I'm not saying don't run it. but do more than just pause for thought.

I believe there is some concern that nighttime entertainment establishments are perhaps considered high risk for terrorism, and this may put people off going.

I don't agree with either of your points to be honest. If you go down that road then you are letting the terrorists win. The 7/7 attacks happened in the height of the rush hour and that is still as busy as it was then. People havnt changed their plans because of 7/7.

 

[Busaholic]

I believe there is some concern that nighttime entertainment establishments are perhaps considered high risk for terrorism, and this may put people off going.

It's been forgotten, or perhaps never known, by many that around the time of the Glasgow Airport car bomb a vehicle packed with explosive was left unattended near to a Piccadilly Circus nightspot for a couple of hours, the situation only being realised when it impeded an ambulance on emergency call which called for police help in removing it. At the time, it was quoted that a couple of hundred or so people would have been at risk if it hadn't been spotted and defused. It was either a Thursday or Friday evening, I forget which.

 

[miami]

It's been forgotten, or perhaps never known, by many that around the time of the Glasgow Airport car bomb a vehicle packed with explosive was left unattended near to a Piccadilly Circus nightspot for a couple of hours, the situation only being realised when it impeded an ambulance on emergency call which called for police help in removing it. At the time, it was quoted that a couple of hundred or so people would have been at risk if it hadn't been spotted and defused. It was either a Thursday or Friday evening, I forget which.

London has been a target for bombs for nearly 50 years, first the IRA, then the rather ineffectual ****ants currently parading around. Interspersed with that are the one-offs like the Admiral Duncan,

Plenty of things wrong with London, but how it deals with terrorism isn't one of them

 

[Busaholic]

Plenty of things wrong with London, but how it deals with terrorism isn't one of them

I sincerely hope it won't have to be proved one way or the other, but I'm afraid I don't share your confidence. The London Ambulance Trust has just been placed in 'special measures' (whatever they are) and is short of staff by several hundred. The number of central London hospitals (and casualty departments) has more than halved since the days of the IRA bombs, so anything on even a quarter of the scale of the Paris attacks would overwhelm the remaining ones.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

I just wish they'd get on with it and start already

 

[A-driver]

I just wish they'd get on with it and start already

24hr running is a big, major change in all respects and not a simple quick start.

If management had started seriously sorting it out in sensible time then it may be up and running. But considering they absolutely refused to speak to the staff who were required to work the service until a few months before it's likely to be significantly delayed.

 

[londonbridge]

An LU employee came through my till at work last night, whilst serving him I asked 'What's the latest news on the night tube"?, his reply was 'possibly February/March'.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I sincerely hope it won't have to be proved one way or the other, but I'm afraid I don't share your confidence.

I can only refer to a story from a couple of years ago where a tourist's hire car broke down outside HM Treasury. He didn't wait with it, went off, and came back to find they'd completed a controlled explosion on it.

As for the London Ambulance Trust, their main "failing" was unfilled vacancies, which is hardly surprising given that Jeremy Hunt won't let any NHS staff have a pay rise.

Getting back on topic, there's no more chance of a terrorist attack during the evening on Night Tube than there is during the day. Terrorist attacks are not unheard of on nightclubs (e.g. in Bali) but if they're going to happen they're going to happen. We can't stop the world because some nutter with an Uzi might shoot up a place.

 

[TheNewNo2]

It'll take a month or two after agreement before it can happen due to rostering issues etc.

 

[jon0844]

It'll take a month or two after agreement before it can happen due to rostering issues etc.

Sod that. Why not just do like GTR and launch 24 hour running and only then realise you don't have any staff around?

 

[philthetube]

It will take a lot longer than that, 16 weeks training for the part timers, who probably cannot all be trained at the same time, and they have to be employed first.

 

[gavin]

Night tube starting in August according to reports

August

Victoria and Jubilee Lines

September

Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines

 

[jon0844]

TfL usually does a great job when it comes to accessibility but that map must be hard to read by everyone!

Perhaps it's easier to read when bigger, but I am looking at it on my phone as I am sure many will (phones, tablets, PCs etc) and I bet it's worse if you don't have a super high resolution display.

 

[Nym]

It's also wrong. Stratford is now a Zone 2/3 station...

 

[Mikey C]

TfL usually does a great job when it comes to accessibility but that map must be hard to read by everyone!

Perhaps it's easier to read when bigger, but I am looking at it on my phone as I am sure many will (phones, tablets, PCs etc) and I bet it's worse if you don't have a super high resolution display.

They probably assume that all the people who need to hunt for their reading glasses to read the map won't be taking the Tube at 3 in the morning anyway

 

[jon0844]

They probably assume that all the people who need to hunt for their reading glasses to read the map won't be taking the Tube at 3 in the morning anyway

Was it in this thread that had the joke photo of the map as seen by drunks? Can't seem to find it.

 

[hassaanhc]

TfL usually does a great job when it comes to accessibility but that map must be hard to read by everyone!

Perhaps it's easier to read when bigger, but I am looking at it on my phone as I am sure many will (phones, tablets, PCs etc) and I bet it's worse if you don't have a super high resolution display.

TfL have produced night bus maps with the blue background which are displayed on bus shelters, and they are very hard to read at night in poor lighting, especially where you've got L B Newham and their preference for unlit shelters.

They've also changed the font sizes for bus blinds. While the small text for the qualifier is now larger, it is in all caps, while the main destinations and route numbers are usually a smaller size, with a tiny 'N' for night routes

 

[NY Yankee]

TfL usually does a great job when it comes to accessibility but that map must be hard to read by everyone!

I hate to say this, but I disagree. There are too many stations in the downtown area that are not step-free (Knightsbridge, Piccadilly Circus, Leicesture Square).

 

[jon0844]

I hate to say this, but I disagree. There are too many stations in the downtown area that are not step-free (Knightsbridge, Piccadilly Circus, Leicesture Square).

I was thinking more of providing information, through very strictly controlled style guidelines. Signs, posters, bus blinds, internal next stop displays etc.

Physical acessibility at many central London stations may not be rectified for many years. Fortunately things like Crossrail will help a lot.