TFL SNAFU

A really hearty well done there...*again*...especially as we are, oh so ready for 2012, apparently...

Olympic Travel Chaos?

Well well well...some actual good news regarding the Olympics - it seems that the last three major cities to host the games actually saw visitor numbers *drop* sharply as people actively avoided the place (wrongly) expecting a great big bus/train shaped mess! I have a funny feeling that TFL will manage to muck it up somehow though... ;)

New London Bus unveiled!

...and if you ask me it looks pretty ninja!

Free Baby on Board badge - TFL

This is a really very sensible idea, shortly after Flyingpops contacted TFL (you can get straight to them via email at babyonboard@tube.tfl.gov.uk, or ring up London Underground customer services on 0845 330 9880) and they will post you (for free - yes, don't go poking around on ebay) with a little note of congratulation, this little badge to display on your overcoat, just to let other users of the London transport infrastructure know that you are not (in fact) just being slovenly and putting on a little weight, but actually with "issue", and thus deserving of a priority seat rather than a derisory glare...

They announced this (albeit small) step forward as a result of a survey of pregnant women in 2006 which concluded with the so called "Mind the Bump" report...and it detailed some quite shocking findings -

• More than two thirds (71 per cent) of pregnant women in the Capital cited rude and discourteous behaviour as a growing source of anxiety and stress during pregnancy
• One in three (36 per cent) frequently felt they had to avoid public transport for fear of having to stand for the duration of the journey
• One in five (20 per cent) of expectant mums in the Capital spend more than £100 on taxis and private vehicles during their pregnancy to avoid situations where they may have to stand for long periods of time on the Tube
• London emerged as the least pregnancy-friendly place in the UK, with 45 per cent of London mums having saddened by the lack of consideration they were shown while pregnant (Wales was the best, just in case you were wondering)

- just at the minute Flyingpops doesn't actually *look* terribly pregnant, and on at least one occasion having the badge has already proved useful to her, but it's still quite shocking to hear her tell me stories of having to yell out "I'm Pregnant" to even get people to let her crush *onto* a full and standing train...let alone get anywhere *near* a priority seat...

Naughty London...still a long way to go to actual civilisation... :(