With news last week that the mayor’s Olympic erection – visible from my street, thanks Boris – has now reached its full height, Mr Johnson’s other big 2012 project is also starting to make its presence felt…
What’s going to be called “Emirates Greenwich Peninsula” is started to emerge at the end of Edmund Halley Way. This photo was taken a week ago, so it’s no doubt a bit bigger now.
One thing that does baffle me about the scheme – despite being something by which the mayor hopes to convince us he’s actively investing in making London a better place, and having a high-profile press launch for it a few weeks back, there’s very little indication of what’s going on for passers-by. Across the water, at ExCeL, two big TfL hoardings proclaim the greatness of the cable car, but south of the river?
Nothing if you’re walking up from Greenwich Millennium Village… (apart from a tiny sign outlining the diversion which has the words “cable car” written on the top)
Nothing if you’re getting off a boat at North Greenwich Pier…
And nothing if you’re passing the Dome’s car parks.
But there is an opportunity to find out more, with an open morning planned for Saturday 26 November (10am-1pm) at the contractor’s project offices on East Parkside. More details in this newsletter which has been very kindly passed on to me.
PS Mayorwatch has been following the cable car saga closely, and reports that the cable car is not likely to be part of the Travelcard scheme, with estimates of fares to be published later this month. Also… “Londoners could receive less than the promised £36m cable car sponsorship if construction and performance targets are not met.” Worth a read.
When Firepower opened at the Arsenal, the how to get there directions on their leaflet presumed that all visitors would come from north of the river. Whether the cable car will get any more paying customers than Firepower does remains to be seen.
@ Bill Ellison – Funny how many things do that. There was an article in the Observer Food Magazine the other day about some market or other that started, ‘If you walk south, across Tower Bridge…’ Because there’s no way you might be approaching the place FROM the south, is there?!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/16/ofm-awards-2011-best-newcomer
Not if you work for the Observer.
I may be being naive here, but who is going to use this bloody thing?
@ Chris………..Boris!
[…] on local trains, which I’ll post about later, but he said a few interesting things about the cable car under construction on the Greenwich […]