In the last year ‘overcrowding’ on the tubes has doubled. By their definition of ‘overcrowding’. Which is when they actually close the station to stop more people coming onto the platforms because they’re gonna get pushed onto the tracks by sheer domino effect. They closed stations nearly 500 times. I bet mostly it was London Bridge which was being rebuilt. Probably with bigger platforms. Oddly, most travellers would define ‘overcrowding’ as ‘any tube train in rush hour’. Ridiculously hot, horribly sweaty, rammed, jammed, crammed with people who seem to possess 4 elbows each. But London Underground view things differently. In fact Transport for London do too. Because now they’ve realised that the tube is too busy, they kind’a need to think of alternative modes of commuter transport.

If only there was some kind of vehicle capable of riding along the roads carrying honest folk to work. Something like… a car! But no, we don’t want them in London. So they’re effectively banned. If the congestion charge and Ultra Low Emission Charge doesn’t scare you off, there’s parking at about 8 quid an hour, not that you can find any, and the fact that they’ve ruined any possible journey with speed bumps and traffic light sequences that are horrendously driver-unfriendly. Bikes are dangerous, motor bikes more so and buses much too slow. They’ve invented electric scooters which tick virtually every box (when its not raining) in ease, lack of congestion, environmental friendliness. Which is so brilliant they’ve been instantly banned. Wouldn’t want them around, would upset the unions.

I don’t know what the answer is.

So instead, I’ll show you a photo. Taken in, I reckon, 1984, in Portugal. Because that’s when I went on holiday with Dom, for a tennis week in the Algarve. And no-one ever has 2 holidays with Dom. Only the very foolish. Or Mrs Dom. She has no choice. I did. And I’ve always loved this photo. A guy we were talking to just picked up my camera and snapped as we were in post-match refreshment mode. He didn’t think ‘back light!’ nor ‘need to over-expose the fore-ground’ (all of which is meaningless to an entire generation who’ve never picked up a camera in their lives). And so its dark. And mysterious. And… dark.

Happy Wednesday

A xxxx