SuzanneTheTravelMagpie

Here’s is info on the Tube work for this weekend. The “weekend” is an extended one for works issues – Thursday thru Monday, since it’s Easter weekend. How civilized to have a holiday weekend that lasts more than just two and a half or three days!!

I’ve made a personal decision regarding the bike info. I’ll provide a link for the blue bikes, but won’t spell out the disruptions here. I truly believe that cycling in places like London (and New York and most other US cities) is a very dangerous activity, given the lack of safe, necessary infrastructure. If your opinion differs, go to the cycle link for the latest skinny… and WEAR YOUR HELMET!!

Embankment partial closure continues through early November and changes to Covent Garden thru mid-November. See below.

Bakerloo line – Sunday only – Willesden Junction to Harrow and Wealdstone.

District line – closure begins late on Thursday (8.30 or 9 pm) and runs thru Monday – Turnham Green to Ealing Broadway. Note that Piccadilly trains will stop at Turnham Green during this time.

Piccadilly line – closure begins late on Thursday (8.30 or 9 pm) and runs thru Monday – Acton Town to Uxbridge. Trains will stop at Turnham Green this weekend.

Jubilee line – Friday thru Monday – Waterloo to Finchley Road

DLR – Bow Church to Stratford is shut for the week from Friday the 18th thru the 25th.

London Overground – Friday thru Monday – Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction; Sunday only – Queen’s Park to Watford Junction.

Long term change concerning Embankment station – Bakerloo and Northern line trains not stopping from Wednesday 8 January until early November 2014 due to replacement of four escalators.

Long term change for Covent Garden station (this will confuse the tourists!) – Exit only until mid-November. Also, on Saturdays and Sundays, westbound trains not stopping.
This is to replace two lifts (elevators).

Bus diversion – From 22:00 on Saturday until 06:00 on Sunday, buses will be on diversion while Fleet Street is temporarily closed between Chancery Lane and Fetter Lane, due to a religious celebration in the area.

Roadway bottlenecks –
Central London – From 22:00 on Saturday until 06:00 on Sunday, Fleet Street will be temporarily closed between Chancery Lane and Fetter Lane, due to a religious celebration in the area. Moorgate – From 07:00 on Saturday until 18:00 on Thursday 24 April, Moorgate (A501) will be closed southbound at the junction of South Place and London Wall. This is to allow for gas mains work on behalf of the National Grid. Twickenham – On Saturday, from 13:00 until 18:00, Chertsey Road (A316) and all roads around, and leading to, Twickenham Stadium, are expected to be busy due to an event. West London – From 23:00 on Saturday until 10:00 on Sunday, Westway (A40) will be closed between Wood Lane and Marylebone flyover due to road maintenance work. South London area – On Sunday, from 08:00 until 12:00, an abnormal load will travel under police escort from the M23, via the A23 and the A205 South Circular Road to the Herne Hill area. During this time roads in the vicinity may be busy.

Roads in the Haymarket area will be a headache until Feb 2015 due to a revolving circus of road improvements.

TfL is getting fancy – weekly disruption notices now include information beyond just the Tube lines such as roads and those blue hire bikes (do I have to advertise the Barclays label??). Here’s the list of the Tube work for this weekend.  Embankment partial closure continues through early November and changes to Covent Garden thru mid-November.

Central line – Marble Arch to Liverpool Street

Metropolitan line – Wembley Park to Northwood/Uxbridge

Northern line – Camden Town to Edgware

Piccadilly line – South Harrow to Uxbridge (this will NOT affect service to Heathrow)

DLR – beginning 23.00 Saturday thru Sunday – Bow Church to Stratford

London Overground – Sunday only – Camden Road to Richmond and Shepherd’s Bush to Willesden Junction.

Southall buses  – Sunday, from about 9:00 until 19:00, will be diverted due to a religious procession.

Long term change concerning Embankment station – Bakerloo and Northern line trains not stopping from Wednesday 8 January until early November 2014 due to replacement of four escalators.

Long term change for Covent Garden station (this will confuse the tourists!) – Exit only until mid-November. Also, on Saturdays and Sundays, westbound trains not stopping.
This is to replace two lifts (elevators).

Roadway bottlenecks include the Haymarket area due to improvement works. lane closures from 08:00 on Saturday until 18:00 on Sunday on Buckingham Palace Road at the junction with Grosvenor Gardens. A week of lane restrictions and banned turns from 06:30 on Sunday until 23:59 on Sunday 13 April on Upper Richmond Road, at the junction of Sheen Lane. As mentioned in the Tube updates, Southall will be a headache for drivers on Sunday, from 09:00 until 18:00 at Havelock Road, Park Avenue, King Street, South Road, High Street, Uxbridge Road, Green Drive and Avenue Park due to that religious procession. Finally, on Sunday – Putney, Hammersmith and Chiswick Bridges will be busier than usual from 15:00 until 19:00 due to an event on the River Thames.

And, if you were thinking you’d save some headache by grabbing a Boris-bike, you’re mostly OK except for these bits – Bruton Street docking station is partially suspended until the end of the year due to building work in the area. Holborn Circus docking station is out of service while Westminster City Council carries out road safety improvements. Wansey Street and Waterloo Place docking stations are also out of service due to building and road works on behalf of Southwark and Westminster City Councils. Victoria Embankment docking station is no longer available due to site development work.

Personally, I think London is too risky for any bike riders but the most savvy of locals and perhaps not even safe enough for them! When the bike lanes and signals in London are laid out like Copenhagen’s or Amsterdam’s. maybe it’ll be worth a rethink. In the meantime, make mine the Tube or a black cab (well, be careful with cabs this weekend – see the road closure info above) or plain old travel-by-foot.