mandragora: (Default)
[personal profile] mandragora
how a mere smattering of snow brings one of the world's major cities to its knees.

Yes, we have snow. But, it's only a couple of centimetres deep, not even an inch. However this has resulted in total gridlock on the roads and no public transport, for me at least.

The gridlock is as a result of the idiots in charge of maintaining the roads deciding that as the weather forecast was that the weather would warm up slightly (from minus 6C) they didn't need to order the gritting lorries to go out last night. Um, yeah. Great idea, chaps.

As for public transport, well there are 2 ways I can (normally) get to the office. Either by train, or by tube. Neither are working. In the case of the tube, it's due to a fire alert resulting in the total suspension of the Piccadilly Line. However, even if it was working I would then face severe disruption when I changing to the Northern Line. Sigh.

As for the trains... ::Snort:: Figured they wouldn't be running, bearing in mind that the falling of a few autumn leaves results in severe disruption to the service. And I was right. There are no trains.

Date: 31 January 2003 02:28 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lexin.livejournal.com
Arguably, it was spending money on the Central Line which caused all this - the trains they've taken out of service are comparatively new, they were introduced not long after I came to live in the East End in 1992.

The trains they bought to replace the old, smelly and dirty ones, while flashy, are cheap knockoffs financed by who-knows-what shady deal. The first thing we noticed was that they wore the tracks out (I kid you not) and now it turns out they've a major safety defect.

I did wonder how this all happened, but then I work for a large bureaucracy, and I know how decisions get made.

Spending money, yes

Date: 31 January 2003 02:34 (UTC)
ext_8763: (Default)
From: [identity profile] mandragora1.livejournal.com
But not enough of it, from the looks of it. Which brings me back to my point about false economies.

When I travel on the underground in places like Paris and Hong Kong, even New York nowadays, I just want to weep. How could we get it so wrong?

Yes, we've got the oldest underground in the world, but even so there is so much that could be done to improve it that just isn't.

Saw your post about having to lug around court files. Ouch!

Profile

mandragora: (Default)
mandragora

February 2015

S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
1516 1718192021
22232425262728

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated 2 March 2026 20:30
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios