Friday Reads – 10 August 2018

1. The Singapore article is interesting in terms of a historical overview of different policy initiatives tried since the 1970s. Sadly a bit light on the MRT and its impact although there may be more in the youtube “podcast” which I’ve not listened to yet.

2. The Singapore story has so many parallels for London and some interesting lessons. For example, that allowing car ownership levels to rise turned out not to be popular. The one thing Singapore has done – which is really positive – but London has not tried, is demand responsive prices for road and parking use. San Francisco also has demand responsive parking costs and these have turned out to be both effective and popular.

3. The Manchester “High Line” article stoked meories … I have traversed all of those closed routes & can remember Cheetham Hill carriage-sidings having a couple of stationary boilers ( ex-L&YR Barton-Wright 0-4-4T ) parked up the back.
   The NW loop line was a later build (IIRC) to avoid the really steep bit of the bank out of Victoria

4. @ Quinlet – does London even have the powers at Mayoral or borough level to introduce demand responsive road pricing and parking charges? Obviously it’s a “wet dream” scenario for the Green Party (Sian Berry went positively gooey eyed when TfL, in an Assembly Cttee mtg, recently said they were looking at road pricing) but it’s dangerous territory for Labour and wouldn’t be considered by a Tory Mayor. It may well work in London but you know what media hysteria will ensue. I think Sadiq must know he’s going to have a very tough time once drivers click what the expanded ULEZ actually means for them in terms of daily charges or having to buy a new compliant vehicle. The media are just biding their time to side with the “poor agrieved motorist” (the usual refrain).

   Singapore, as I am sure you know, has an “interesting” form of government and a generally very compliant population. I’ve visited a few times and in some ways it looks all very idyllic and in others it is positively bonkers (from a UK perspective). I doubt they ever see anything remotely like the discontent and reaction you get in the UK to political decisions or even speculative policy options. You’re led to believe it’s all pretty crime free and safe and then you read the papers and see that people murder their neighbours because they put too many bin bags in the communal rubbish chute (I kid you not!). I do keep an eye on transport news in Singapore and the populace have almost zero tolerance of any delay on the MRT (their Metro) and find breakdowns due to old assets incomprehensible. The MRT is only 31 years old so they are encountering these issues for the first time. Over here entire rail services collapse on a regular basis and we bitch and moan about it, yell at MPs and still keep using the same useless trains to get to work and back. Singaporeans would be unable to comprehend or tolerate what happens in the UK.

   It is interesting to see that they are far more aggressive now about expanding the MRT (none of this one project at a time nonsense) and have woken up to better pedestrian and cycling facilities. It remains to be seen whether the adoption of TfL style bus route tendering is a success or not. With companies like Go Ahead and Transit Systems winning work there they bring in their experience of “gaming” the London performance regime. Let’s hope the Land Transport Authority (LTA) are alive to the risks that they have to manage under a contracted bus network. All existing bus services run by SMRT and Singapore Bus Services (SBS) (owned by Comfort Delgro who own Metroline in London) are on a contracted basis prior to being competitively tendered garage by garage.

   I am looking forward to a future visit to Singapore when the Thomson East Coast line has opened – means I’ll almost have a direct metro link from the airport to the hotel I usually stay at (new station being built round the corner).

5. WW
   Actually, some of us would prefer road pricing to the expanded ULEZ, for fairly obvious reasons. Apart from the fact that it’s fairer, as well – the more you use, the more you pay, which is normal practice ….
   Actually, the media are not “biding their time” I’m afraid. It’s simply that the penny hasn’t dropped yet – we all know how sloppy almost all transport-related reporting is, after all.

6. And if you replaced the rear panels of the Reliant Regal with plastic windows you got the Rialto, which was my first non-motorcycle vehicle in the mid-80s (until I wrote it off on the M1.) Amazing little vehicles though.
   I’m not looking forward to scrapping my current car though when the enlarged ULEZ comes in which, unlike the congestion charge zones, will have no discount for the London residents suddenly encompassed within it.

7. The Reliant also had another attribute – a rare case where in general popular use people used the model name first, and manufacturer last. People often spoke of the “Robin Reliant” and were difficult to persuade they were saying the equivalent of “Escort Ford”

8. @Leon Daniels

   We do talk about EType Jaguars though.

   @Alison. The Regal was not a van version of the Rialto. The Regal,
   which like all Reliant models had car and van variants, and which replaced the Regent, was itself replaced by the Robin. The Robin was in turn replaced by the Rialto.

9. It’s a little surprising that we have not yet seen modern spiral escalators installed in old lift shafts at stations such as Goodge Street.

10. @WW
    So long as you can describe it, and so long as it addresses the stated criteria, the legislation (Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984) allows boroughs and TfL to introduce whatever charges they think appropriate, either for parking or road pricing. There’s probably a legal argument to be had about whether this could be a formula, instead of a defined number of pounds and pence, but it would certainly be possible for a highway authority to adopt a policy that charges would be reviewed every 3 months (the SF Park frequency) even without defining the charges in the Order as a formula.

    True dynamic pricing, that is, with prices changing against demand in real time, is probably neither achievable nor desirable as there is a strong argument that people need to know in advance how much they will need to pay before they are required to commit to paying it. In terms of road pricing and parking, this probably means before they leave home. Quarterly reviews are probably frequent enough to get the core of dynamic charging and also frequent enough that politicians won’t get scared of big changes and so defer any review (see business rates and, even more, council tax).

11. Is there a collection question too. Only half the charges for violating the Bank junction were actually collected.

12. @Ryan

    From what I read a few years ago about this spiral escalator, engineers are still not sure how it actually functioned. Furthermore I’m not aware of any other spiral escalator that has been manufactured since.

13. @ Long Branch Mike – actually modern spiral escalators do exist in various shopping malls and there is a notable one at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Some of the images are fascinating. Mitsubishi clearly will manufacture them to order.

    However inserting them into pre existing lift shafts at London Underground stations might be problematic not least because the size of the lift shaft may prevent a double spiral for up and down movements but also because the lift shafts may be too tight for even one spiral to operate satisfactorily. Even where they might be installed it is possible that may be too slow for TfL’s purposes. I suspect cost of conversion might be a real issue as well.

14. My employer arranged a trip to Singapore to see what could be learnt from the latest “no person operation” technology being employed on the MRT, & currently on the Thompson East Coast line extension.

    I remember an engineering colleague being very impressed with a half metre over run at the platform doors. We expected the train to restart without door opening & omit the station stop.
    No way. It almost instantly reversed the half metre & the doors opened. The passengers did not seem to notice.
    Our host was proud of the reverse. An overrun was very rare he said, & the trains could cope with a metre overshoot.

    Our employer paid for us to stay at a very classy hotel in the centre.
    I would love to go back at my own expense, giving the family a holiday too, when the Thompson. Line is fully open.

    Can Walthamstow writer reveal his tried & tested hotel?
    Closeness to the metro is essential because of the crippling humidity. Perhaps it will benefit other London Reconnection readers/writers.

    Singapore has a lot to offer those interested in very modern rail transport. Including satellite lines off the main routes that are completely NOPO & which do not have platform doors; the DLR minus the train captain.

15. @Richard B

    Thanks for the update! A quick google found this explanation of modern incarnations, as well as more details on the original 1906 Holloway Road station version.

16. Singapore humidity is only crippling if you spend part of the day in overpowering AC.

    It’s the transitions that hurt, not steady state. Unfortunately they’ve air conditioned most offices and malls to fridge like levels which makes it hard to acclimatise.

    When in Singapore I cycle to work and it’s relatively pleasant, even when you get caught in a shower. Much better than being cold!

17. @ Jim Elson – my usual hotel in Singapore is the former Traders Hotel at Tanglin Road. It’s now called the Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore. The new Orchard Boulevard station is being built round the corner. Presently it’s a bit of a walk to Orchard Station but I have usually used the frequent buses to / from Orchard to the hotel – stops are very close by. I usually book with Trailfinders – they still have Hotel Jen Tanglin on their roster of hotels. The Botanic Gardens are a short stroll away which are a nice retreat from the hustle and bustle. Nowadays the Circle Line station at Holland Village is also a short bus ride from the hotel if you want to head in directions away from the shopping drag on Orchard Rd.

    The advent of the Thomson East Coast line will improve access to the Tanglin Rd area hugely but I suspect the buses will be scaled back. I am probably one of the few tourists who actually use the local buses (except those travelling to Singapore Zoo where a bus is really the main way to get there). So many seem to use hotel shuttle buses or taxis. Hope that info helps.

18. @Aleks
    My rule of thumb has been that:
    15-20% of PCNs issued are cancelled following a good argument from the vehicle keeper
    50% of PCNs are paid at the discount rate
    15-20% of PCNs are paid at a higher rate
    10-15% of PCNs are written off because the authority cannot collect, usually because there is not a good keeper address. Some of these are foreign but at least as many are because DVLA isn’t much interested in whether the address given by the registered keeper is accurate or even exists.

19. Many thanks Walthamstow Writer for the Singapore hotel name & for all the helpful extra information.

    So glad it is near the Botanical garden.
    I found the garden, it’s lake & the amazing outdoor orchid section a wonderful haven from the bustle, exactly as you said.

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