A "pressing need" but no funding for new river crossings
Boris Johnson believes that there is a “pressing need” for a new river crossing linking Silvertown in East London to the Greenwich Peninsula.
The so called “Silvertown crossing” would run in parallel to the Blackwall tunnel and the proposed Thames cable car.
In response to questions from the London Assembly last week Boris writes that:
There is a pressing need to provide an additional road crossing at Silvertown to provide greater resilience to the road network and support the longer term growth of the surrounding area.”
Boris also raises the possibility of replacing the Woolwich Ferry with another ferry further east at the proposed location of the Thames Gateway Bridge.
The possibility of building a bridge at that location will be retained “provided the problems with previous proposals have been addressed.”
Details of the new crossings were not included in the TfL business plan suggesting that their construction may not be as “pressing” as the Mayor has suggested.
Of the Silvertown Crossing Boris writes that:
Although there is some development funding, there is no funding in TfL’s budget for building a new crossing at Silvertown and I have asked TfL to explore a number of options for how this could be funded.
These options could include private sponsorship or more likely the tolling of existing crossings in the East of London.
The required £40 million funding for the cable car has not yet been secured but the Mayor writes that there has been “considerable interest” from private companies.
He also raises the possibility of “a competition of some sort” amongst those interested.
30 Mar 2011
Now It's Crocs. Has Japan Not Suffered Enough?
First an earthquake, then a tsunami, then a radioactive nuclear meltdown, and now Crocs Inc. has decided to donate 100,000 pairs of their hideous so-called “shoes” to the crumbling nation.
30 Mar 2011
How’s the Weather in There?
Do you know the barometric pressure of your own home? The dew point? Do you even know the temperature? The Interactive Research Studio at Goldsmiths has started a project called Legible Landscapes and has asked Snipe to find them some volunteers!
They’re working on a design project called Legible Landscapes that tracks the environmental landscape of the home, and what do you know, they’re looking for volunteers. What does it mean to be a volunteer for them? Well they’ve got a whole page on their website about it, but basically you live with yet another little digital device in your home, and it keep track of the microclimate where you live.
If you live in SE4, SE8, SE14, SE23 and have always wanted to be involved in an arty, sciency, meteorologyish project but just haven’t known where to turn, now is your chance!
30 Mar 2011
London agenda for Wednesday 30 March
1. Be amazed by the life and works of Avigdor Arikha [Le Cool]
2. Consider what verb to use for an event called ArtWank at the Horse Hospital [Run Riot]
3. See a special Fabric event with Nicolas Jaar [Flavorpill]
4. Find the Cádiz Memorial [Tired of London]
5. Och! Question whether the Scots tongue is the language of Burns or the language of the gutter? [Ian Visits]
6. Visit prog with Jaga Jazzist at Scala [London Gigs]
30 Mar 2011
Whale by Yellow Ostrich
Minimal drums and looped, almost percussive vocals seem to be the style de jour for many bands at the moment. For a master class in how it’s done, check out last month’s tUnE-yArDs MPFree. Yellow Ostrich hail from New York City. The trio (including Jan Natchez, formally of Beirut) have just released an updated version of recent album The Mistress. Download The Whale from their Bandcamp page now.
29 Mar 2011
The Guardian Trying to Make Another Splash in States
The paper is hiring — that’s right, HIRING — a new US editor. Will the fourth time prove to be the charm for the people’s paper?
29 Mar 2011
Peaceful Protesters Tricked into Mass Arrest — Counted as Disorderly
A group of peaceful protesters fell for the old “no seriously, we promise you won’t get arrested” bit on Saturday. And they got the whole thing on video! Were they wronged? Is this something we should even care about?
29 Mar 2011
Boris has caught royal wedding fever. Can you help him?
Sorry to put you off your lunch – but here’s the mayor’s newest transport innovation, the royal wedding Oyster card.
It’s not just available to ardent royalists – you could buy one, go to the end of the Metropolitan Line, and disappear off into the hills, avoiding all flagwaving and human contact for the day.
“Just as royal wedding fever starts to take hold in the city, this fantastic commemorative Oyster card is a great chance for Londoners and visitors to have a slice of the action as a fabulous memento of the happy day,” said Boris Johnson, presumably while ironing his best suit.
But outside the mayor’s office, it’s not quite clear just where royal wedding fever is breaking out – other than in the borough of Bromley, which has received 23 applications to host street parties, by far the most of any London borough which responded to a question from pressure group Republic.
Boris loves the royals so much, he even put a a photo of Prince William’s grandma up at City Hall two years ago. Whether or not Her Majesty would be impressed with its location – at the end of a corridor next to the ground floor lifts – is no matter. The knighthood can only be a matter of time.
But enough sniping. Weddings are nice things. And maybe the mayor’s onto something here. Perhaps we should be commemorating all great London events with souvenir Oyster cards.
The Olympics? Definitely. The Battle of Trafalgar Square? No reason why not. Increased profits at Barclays Bank? Well, they are the mayor’s favourites. Justin Bieber’s first London concerts? You missed a trick there, Boris.
So what else could we celebrate with a commemorative bit of plastic? Your thoughts would be welcome here – and no doubt at City Hall, too…
29 Mar 2011
London agenda for Tuesday 29 March
1. Visit Bob Carlos Clarke’s Peep Show for the articles [Le Cool]
2. Watch Inland Empire at the Working Man’s [Run Riot]
3. Walk among the ruins of Lesnes Abbey [Tired of London]
4. Gild the Lily [Flavorpill]
29 Mar 2011
South Carolina by Tennis
Tennis have been getting music bloggers in a tizzy since early 2010; they’ve got a cute little back story as well – Denver couple jack it all in to go sailing up the eastern seaboard for eight months, document their experiences in song, come back, get a record deal… perhaps someone should do something similar along the Regent’s Canal? Songs about submerged shopping trolleys and floating turds don’t have quite the same romance unfortunately. Tennis release debut album Cape Dory May 16th, through Carmen San Diego.
28 Mar 2011
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- The five spookiest abandoned London hospitals
- Summer Camp: Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
- 9 poems about London: one for each of your moods
- The best church names in London, and where they come from
- A unique collection of photos of Edwardian Londoners
- Could red kites be London's next big nature success story?
- Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
- Margaret Thatcher statue rejected by public
- Silencing the Brick Lane curry touts could be fatal for the city's self-esteem
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