I guess it would be true to say that I'm a the-glass-is-half-full kinda gal. And, so it would seem are a fair few other Londoners... are you surprised?! Or it could be that they have just come to expect their underground commutes to be riddled with delays. Take Monday's planned tube strike - set to continue for the next 72 hours while 2,300 workers from the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union go off the job in an effort to force Metronet bosses to secure job placements and pension plans - while I would have expected there to be a whole lot of whinging in the office, my co-workers instead took to Google and went about planning their alternative routes home, via buses and good, old-fashioned tootsie-power.The only thing that fazed me about the strike was the fact that I had purchased a new pair of heels that morning (yes, the close proximity of my work to Topshop Oxford Circus is proving problematic), and lets just say, I had yet to wear them in, so didn't much fancy a 30 minutes hike to Victoria Street's National Rail Station. However, without too much bother I managed to borrow another girl's office flats - the ones she keeps under her desk for just such occasions - and I set off for the trusty Overland. And I have to say, that walking through Hyde Park was just lovely. While the streets were crowded with hoards of people waiting at bus stops, and attempting to hail overburdened taxicabs, there was a strange sense of festivity in the air. The sun was shining through fluffy afternoon clouds, and the park was full of people taking time out to picnic on the grass. Those of us using the gardens as a thoroughfare seemed almost jovial... Possibly, like myself, the were thinking that surely this strike can't seriously last for three whole days... and that by Tuesday we'd be back in the safety and convenience of our stuffy, overcrowded trains... Surely!
Well, tis Tuesda
y and they're still striking, as I'm planning my walk from Victoria Street to Oxford Circus a little more thoroughly this time - while an afternoon stroll can encourage one to reflect upon the day, mornings are all about getting to work on time. But it'll be nice to be walking with the rest of London... Who knows, we might even say hello to each other as we pass!
y and they're still striking, as I'm planning my walk from Victoria Street to Oxford Circus a little more thoroughly this time - while an afternoon stroll can encourage one to reflect upon the day, mornings are all about getting to work on time. But it'll be nice to be walking with the rest of London... Who knows, we might even say hello to each other as we pass!Strike facts:
- Analysts estimate the strike could cost London's businesses more than 50 million pounds
- The strike will mean no service on the Victoria, Central, Bakerloo, Waterloo & City, District, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and East London line lines - that's two-thirds of London's Underground rail networks
- The union says that unless the dispute is resolved they will hold a second 72-hour strike on September 10
No comments:
Post a Comment