Cops and bloggers

I've just come back from Holborn Police Station.

Out of the blue the other day I got an email from Simon Hughes (no, not that one). He works for the 4Holborn Business Improvement District (BID). We got talking and set up a meeting to see how walkit could provide them with a customised walking route planner for their part of London.

"We're based in the police station" he says, "so call me on your mobile when you get to us." Bit odd I thought. I arrive in the police reception, call him up, down he comes to get me, and within seconds I'm in the Kafka-esque behind-the-scenes world of modern-day British policing.

It turns out that 4Holborn are housed in the police station because a lot of what they do is about keeping streets safe and crime down. So there I am, doing my walkit spiel in a police canteen, surrounded by coppers. It all feels like a bit of strange Channel 4 drama-cum-comedy mongrel.

Anyway, it turns out the BID is keen to promote sustainable transport and so I'm going to pull together a little proposal for them.

One of the stranger incidents in the history of walkit.com. But nice to think that people are now starting to approach me, rather than me constantly having to knock on doors.

As ever, TfL are involved with 4Holborn. But I think I'd better just bite my tongue when it comes to TfL. Probably more politic to save that story for another day.

Walking congestion

One of the narrowest parts of the Thames walkway - one of the busiest pedestrian routes in London - and nearly half of it is cordoned off. Private, dead, useless space.

Madness.