London's icons at risk?

Hello all,

The BBC have published this article today about London's much loved icons being at risk in the future.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4465191.stm

A couple of snippets from the report.

Taxis
The Public Carriage Office, responsible for licensing cabs, is reviewing whether to open the market to different vehicles - which could mean people carriers replacing the cab as we know it.

London Buses
The red, curvaceous Routemaster, mass produced after the second world war and with a fan base reaching from America to Australia, has just six more months on the road.

Have a read of the article and let us know your thoughts.

All the best,
The All In London Team

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It's a shame that the Routemaster buses are being phased out but they just aren't practical today, especially as we move closer to a US-style claim culture they're just not feasable. More importantly there's also the accessibilty issue.

I don't think London will lose any of its identity just because these "icons" are phased out. If they're succeeded by equally unique and creative replacements it can only be a good thing.

It's generally the people who love looking at the pictures of routemasters and black cabs who don't want to lose them, not the people who use them every day.

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That would indeed be a shame. Is there any more information available? What are the dates of this action?

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My beloved Number 38 bus died out this weekend to be replaced by the bendy buses. Shame, the new buses just don't have any character. I think that might have been the last route with the old style buses.

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I saw that on the news Dave C, it's a shame.

Although, last week I was driving up the Finchley Road and saw a young lad lying down behind a stationary routemaster bus. Loads of people were crowded around him. My guess is that he'd fallen off the platform. Even though the routemasters are a big part of London's history/image they're a disaster in terms of safety.

Still, it's a shame that they'll all end up either chauffeuring wedding parties around or parked up in some collectors back garden.

Cheers

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