Author Topic: Road designers suck  (Read 14813 times)

Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #100 on: 25 July, 2020, 01:35:42 pm »
I've lived in London most of my life, and consider myself to be something of a Londonista, but I've only just now found out that the box-like stainless steel structure in the middle of what was the E&C roundabout  is a memorial to Michael Faraday (who was born nearby in Newington Butts) and  (most appropriately) contains an electricity sub-station for London Underground.
I had no idea. Brilliant. Faraday is a bit of a hero of mine.
Rust never sleeps

Mr Larrington

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Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #101 on: 25 July, 2020, 01:41:25 pm »
Faraday even gets a namecheck in HMHB's "Bob Wilson, Anchorman".  Nigel expresses the wish to meet him and buy him a BEER :)
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #102 on: 25 July, 2020, 02:13:21 pm »
I've lived in London most of my life, and consider myself to be something of a Londonista, but I've only just now found out that the box-like stainless steel structure in the middle of what was the E&C roundabout  is a memorial to Michael Faraday (who was born nearby in Newington Butts) and  (most appropriately) contains an electricity sub-station for London Underground.
I had no idea. Brilliant. Faraday is a bit of a hero of mine.
I blame my late father - for it was he that told me it was something to do with ventilation on The Underground.
As a 6 year old, why would I question that?

Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #103 on: 25 July, 2020, 03:38:38 pm »
:-)   My dad's second career was entirely based upon one of Faraday's discoveries - electrolysis. And the first part of his career depended in part for its continued existence on the same discovery.

He never once mentioned that the E&C thing was a Faraday memorial, and if he had known he would have told me.
Rust never sleeps

Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #104 on: 25 July, 2020, 03:44:11 pm »
:-)   My dad's second career was entirely based upon one of Faraday's discoveries - electrolysis. And the first part of his career depended in part for its continued existence on the same discovery.

He never once mentioned that the E&C thing was a Faraday memorial, and if he had known he would have told me.
Over the years, I've uncovered so much London-based shit, and yet the Faraday Memorial has never come up.

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #105 on: 25 July, 2020, 03:45:11 pm »
I've no idea of the history of it but it does look a bit like the sub-station was there anyway and probably needed some sort of enclosure against vandals/weather/pokey fingers, and the idea of making it a memorial came afterwards. Could be entirely wrong on that, of course.

And google shows it ceased to be a roundabout in 2015/16. I wonder if de-roundabouting is a gathering trend in urban areas? It's been done to a big junction in central Bristol recently. Releases a lot of land, in addition to giving more control of what turns are allowed and disallowed.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #106 on: 25 July, 2020, 04:03:43 pm »
:-)   My dad's second career was entirely based upon one of Faraday's discoveries - electrolysis. And the first part of his career depended in part for its continued existence on the same discovery.

He never once mentioned that the E&C thing was a Faraday memorial, and if he had known he would have told me.
Over the years, I've uncovered so much London-based shit, and yet the Faraday Memorial has never come up.
I think we can be forgiven. This from the wiki page : -
Quote
Aspects of Gordon’s design which explained the connection to Faraday were left out when it was constructed, so few people realise why it is there.
Rust never sleeps

Kim

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Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #107 on: 25 July, 2020, 04:18:56 pm »
Oh, that thing that looks a bit like a transformer?  Yeah, I knew there was a substation inside, but not the Faraday connection.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #108 on: 25 July, 2020, 06:49:27 pm »
And google shows it ceased to be a roundabout in 2015/16. I wonder if de-roundabouting is a gathering trend in urban areas? It's been done to a big junction in central Bristol recently. Releases a lot of land, in addition to giving more control of what turns are allowed and disallowed.

The enormous former gyratory system in Tottenham has also been de-roundabouted since it used to form part of my commute and since I rarely have cause to go there any more it's a tad confusing when I do.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #109 on: 25 July, 2020, 09:13:00 pm »
The enormous former gyratory system in Tottenham has also been de-roundabouted since it used to form part of my commute and since I rarely have cause to go there any more it's a tad confusing when I do.

In theory yes, in practice a huge proportion of traffic still uses it clockwise only, especially on the east and south sides, making it kind of pointless.

Other recent victims of this trend are Archway (confuse shite) and Highbury Corner. Old Street is under construction and they’re half-degyratoring Stoke Newington. They’ve been talking about doing Kings Cross and Nags Head for ages but no one seems to have a better alternative.

Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #110 on: 25 July, 2020, 09:21:22 pm »
I remember Highbury Corner before the roundabout was built, which occurred after the trams were scrapped in 1952.

It hasn't quite returned to the original layout, but it's very similar!

ian

Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #111 on: 27 July, 2020, 10:17:59 am »
I used to cycle around the Elephant when I was young and fearless and fairly stupid. I'm now older, more scared, and just as stupid, but not the change to those initial two parameters means I avoid big scary roundabouts (I wince every time I see a cyclist on our local three-lane affair).

There always was a bypass around the E&C roundabout even before they de-rounded it, but it involved a series of navigational Indiana Jones-style challenges. Much of London's cycling infrastructure still requires you to find it. If you were, in the day, as good at Tomb Raider as I was, then it's doable.

A lot of new stuff, while it's an improvement, suffers from over-complication. In the TfL mind space, they're still trying to make stuff for everyone – vehicles, cycles and pedestrians and the compromises often just make it a bit shit for all. All the best cycling and pedestrian infrastructure has one thing in common, but that upsets taxi drivers. Still, credit to TfL for doing something. People in London actually cycle.

Guy

  • Retired
Re: Road designers suck
« Reply #112 on: 04 September, 2020, 09:57:56 am »
Bloomfield Drive, a relatively modern, wide, straight road, houses all have drives (which the residents do actually use!), with wide footpaths on both sides, connects with Ampthill Road, has been made one-way.

New Street, which as the name suggests is the oldest side street in town, narrow, crooked, most front doors opening straight onto the street, cars parked both sides, with no footpath, which connects with Bloomfield Drive and Ampthill Road, has been left as two-way.  ???

It should have been the other way round :facepalm:

There's thinking, and there's council thinking.   ::-)
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