please empty your brain below

Very well said. I doubt very much if any of the cycle facilities installed by TfL were created by anyone who has actually cycled the route, and possibly might not even cycle. It really should be compulsory for all the designers to ride their "Recommended routes" before they are finally signed off.
I suppose now is not the time to confess that when I was a kid I had great fun removing/turning round etc temporary signs to confuse hapless travellers.

Those signs look an absolute doddlle to have fun with.

Sorry.
"If this is your project, hang your head in shame."

The Stratford DMIs; the 'new Routemaster'; the Bow Roundabout cyclist solution; the cablecar....is there anyone, in your book, DG, who shouldn't be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for failing to meet your standards for transport?
David, instead of taking a pop at Diamond, why not be arsed to start a blog praising all the transport schemes you mention?

Each time Diamond slags something off he backs his opinions (on his blog that you are not forced to read) with reasoned arguments.

Go and read the Standard or something.
Cross Rail, ha ha (Greenway closure due to Cross Rail works on the 'Orbital Cycling routes' map) http://tinyurl.com/cn432e7 Will Chelsea-Hackney be Happy Rail? Sorry.
Does anyone have any idea if an alternative walking route map was issued by TfL? (I can't find one). I wonder if an Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken too, esp. regarding the impact on vulnerable pedestrians?
I agree in principle but, just to say, that little bit of the A12 to go from Wick Lane to the A11 is in fact pretty easy and safe for cyclists. Never come across any traffic in the lane you have to use.
@JohnT: "vulnerable pedestrians" ? isn't that a tautology ? How do you distinguish vulnerable and non-vulnerable pedestrians ?
I gave up on that stretch of towpath a while ago, knowing it was to be closed. I now use the Lee/Limehouse Cut & CS3 & then dice with Upper/Lower Thames St. Basically the bottom side of the circle, where I'd usually do the top side. The 'alternative route' is less than useless. I too tried to follow the signs - just out of interest - to the Greenway hub on Friday night. It's just as well I knew the area, because they are a total joke - particularly the one in the last of your photos. LOCOG & co really haven't given ANY thought to cyclists riding every day - they've barely managed to consider the cyclists getting to the Olympic Park...
Honestly, give over. It'll be closed for slightly longer than you might like. There are reasons for it. They're a 'matter of debate', a debate you don't seek to have, and, in fact, just totally ignore. Still, it's caused minor inconvenience to a few people for slightly longer than the minimum time imaginable - let's tear the whole Olympic project down from the beginning. Childish, offence-seeking tripe.
Honestly, give over. I'm not moaning about the towpath being closed, which is why I didn't have that debate. I'm moaning about the alternative arrangements for diverted cyclists, which are beyond incompetent. Childish, offence-seeking over-reaction.
Good point about the UK's rotatable signs, thanks to our round posts. I always wondered why we didn't use square (or even better, octagonal) ones, which would prevent signs from being turned.

Too expensive? Surely not if the round ones aren't fit for purpose, and they aren't if naughty boys like Chris (above) found it easy to move the signs around!
Absolutely amazing...or maybe not.

How much is being spent on the adverts to try and persuade Londoners to use alternative means of transport during the games? A lot more than on this ridiculous diversion to make these alternatives as complicated as possible.

As Ham says, have any of the route planners actually tried these routes?
Blimey, the trolls are out in force today, aren't they? Anyone know what Castles' vested interest is? They always turn out to have one.
Jay,

Thanks for highlighting that point. I guess vulnerability is, to some extent, relative. In some (transport) circles the term "vulnerable pedestrians" embraces disabled people (particularly those with hearing and vision impairments and/or learning difficulties), older people, children and parents-with-kids. However, as a disproportionately high number of KSIs are BMEs, people from ethnic minority groups could fit in there too.

But I would happily argue that, in many circumstances, all pedestrians may be vulnerable.

On one point, however, I can not agree. In my opinion "vulnerable pedestrians" is not a tautology. Rather, I see it as a pleonasm (and for that I plead guilty and have slapped my own wrist!)
JohnT

I'm still at a loss as to why they closed off the towpath, seal off the various exits yes, use fencing to make a tunnel through and then have guareds to ensure no big backpacks (or big machine guns) or motor bikes go through it and you've solved the main problem.

Of course close it during the opening ceremony when Queeny is coming by boat, otherwise keep it open,but restrict egree through the park area.
for 'guareds' read 'guards'
for 'egree' read 'egress'

:-)
Of course in reality it's even worse than that - they've also taken to closing Hackney Wick overground station at unpredictable times. Residents must feel very cut-off, and I wonder how the Hackney Pearl and Yard Theatre are coping - two local institutions that deserve lots of footfall...










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