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Boris Johnson puts River Thames back on the map
Ross Lydall and Katharine Barney17.09.09
Tube maps that fail to show the Thames and the Underground's fare zone system are to be scrapped after a U-turn ordered by Boris Johnson.
Transport for London today announced it would replace the maps after an outcry from politicians and passenger groups and fears that people could end up paying higher fares by accident.
Passengers have to pay a premium for entering zone one in central London. TfL decided to remove the zones and the river because it said some passengers had complained that the map, based on Harry Beck's 1933 design classic, had become increasingly cluttered.
But the Mayor ordered an immediate rethink after seeing the Standard's coverage of the story on his return from New York.
The new maps will be introduced in December — when the map is due to be updated to reflect changes to the Circle line. TfL insists there will be no additional cost as a result. A spokesman said today: “The overwhelming public reaction is that the Tube and Thames should be reunited, so that's exactly what we will do. New maps showing the Thames will be reintroduced from December.
“We are also looking again at the provision of zonal information to ensure that it is widely available to customers and aim to reach a conclusion on that, also by December, when the new Circle line service needs to be reflected.
“We will also see what more can be done to respond to the feedback that we have been receiving on the map becoming too cluttered to be useful.”
A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: “The Mayor has ordered that the river be reinstated at the earliest opportunity without incurring any further cost.”
A City Hall source said: “Boris got back from New York to discover that the river had been removed and hit the roof. TfL treated it as an operational decision but clearly it's much more significant than that.”
Minister for London Tessa Jowell today told LBC radio: “I think that when you look at the Tube map, one of the main ways in which you get your bearings is looking where the river lies and so I have to say I think that it is an extraordinary decision.”
The Underground has grown with extensions to the Docklands Light Railway, the addition of London Overground services and the construction of the East London line extension.
Reader views (31)
These Boris supporters must have been born yesterday given that Boris chairs (or is meant to chair!) TFL and should have known about these changes all along. It also shows that Boris in Kulver Ranger has another incompetent advisor who knows nothing about London.
This would never happened under Mayor Ken because unlike Boris Ken uses the UndergroundD!
The new map was also WRONG in that is does not show the full East London Line from Highbury to West Croydon but the old one with "high street" added to Shorditch. It also fails to show to DLR extension to Stratford International as under construction.
Of course the really bold thing would be to ADD CROSSRAIL as under construction but leader Rodney "dave" would not like that!!!
However, fare payers cant wait to the end of the year they need to know now what fare to pay so Boris must ensure the old map is shown until a new one is produced.
No doubt Boris rage was another stunt like the one arranged when bendy buses were removed from route 507 as wanton destruction on one seemed to occur. The fact is these buses are like gold dust and Go Ahead is now using them on other routes like the 12 in fact I saw one last week at Oxford Circus - (just look for Red Arrow on the side!!)
As for the new map with half term coming children can play "Hunt the river" and heres a clue do it in South London as there is less stations to find!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Nice one Boz! Now get the zones back so we know what it all costs!
- Steve, Brentford
Thanks Boris now everyone can see exactly how many tube stations there are south of the river.
- Mr S.Port, London
to Catherine Leuz; please don't do that, as it would seriously pollute the water! Anyway, they aren't human so cannot be drowned...
Instead send them to Gants Hill roundabout to see how more slowly the traffic is flowing now that "Trafficjams for London" (sic) is creating a brand new 'town centre'. Their excellent logic in 'de-cluttering' as demonstrated with the Underground map applies here too - by the time their swanky new 'town centre' is finished the local area will also have been 'de-cluttered' (ie: they wont be any local businesses left).
- Simon Smiler, London - GB
It's the removal of the zones, not the river, that was the idiocy here. Since Boris is the name over the door of TfL, the responsibility for the idiocy rests with him, and this pathetic attempt at spin yet again exposes him for what he is - a mouth on a stick with no real interest in running the bodies he's accountable for. Poor old London.
- Tom, London, UK
Wait till you see the new poster version of the map displayed at Tube stations. Not only has the River Thames and fare zone information gone, it has also lost the 'Index to stations' as well.
- Paul, Hayes, Kent
Please mind that not only UK residents use the tube. Speaking as a tourist, it was very helpful to have a little idea where the stations are located. A good idea to keep the Thames on the map. I really love the perfect organization of Londons Underground! Brilliant, I would love to have one in Luxembourg.
- Akim, Luxembourg
Removing the Thames from the 1933 design classic is like slapping a wart on the Mona Lisa.
- Delia Hake, Waltham Cross
To all of the people who have swallowed this propoganda whole: Johnson will have been aware of this change for weeks (or should have been briefed if he cares for control of TfL). Neither was it the self congratulatory Evening Standard or its prodigal son Boris that highlighted or forced this change. The tide was turned by that NGO London Travelwatch, who bitterly complained on Monday whilst Boris was excusing bankers in the Big Apple, demanding that the river and the zones be reinstated. It wasn't Boris 'that done it', he was only forced into action on his own departmenmt when the complaints became too loud.
Perhaps Boris should listen to London Travelwatch on the South london line where he is planning deep cuts in the service. In the words of the NGO "results of its passenger survey on the South London Line ... proves that thousands of passengers using the line will be severely disadvantaged if the promised replacement service between Victoria and Bellingham (via Clapham High Street, Wandsworth Road, Peckham and Denmark Hill) is cancelled by Boris Johnson". Enough said.
- Paul Wash, London, England
Well done Boris. What imbecile thought it would be smart taking the river out of the map?
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Excellent. Next, Boris should reinstate the proper route maps at bus shelters, rather that the useless, dumbed-down schematics that Ken replaced them with. The schematics don't tell you anything very much about where the bus actually goes, nor even where you are, which has health and safety implications late at night. Maybe they were designed to make everyone equally ignorant, who knows. A dictionary with all the long words taken out would be pretty useless, wouldn't it, so why take out 'complicated' information from a map?
- Rich, London
And we do need the zones as well, to check what's going to be charged to our cards (and whether we'd prefer to walk instead). Unless... their absence is evidence of some greater change to come?
- Steve, London, England
Really,thank you so much, Boris. Enough said.
- Gary, London
"But the Mayor ordered an immediate rethink after seeing the Standard's coverage of the story..."
Yes, because if it wasn't for the Evening Standard nothing would have been done. Good ol' Standard: Putting things right, deciding who they want to be mayor, etc.
- A Casual Observer, London, UK
Boris Johnson is Chair of Transport For London - nice to know he's got his finger on the pulse.
- Helen, West London
I thought the map looked much clearer and less cluttered with the river missed out, but if Boris feels it needs to be on there then I guess he must be correct. Well done Boris.
- Kimberley, London
Are we sure that Boris didn't approve this in the first place.? Maybe the Standard could do some digging and find out whether he has any control over any of his officials...?
- Ian, Chesham, UK
Thanks for reinstating the Thames, but how about abolishing the Congestion Charge?
- Charles Siu, London UK
Good old Boris. What kind of idiot would design any kind of map of London and omit Old Father Thames. The muppets at 55 Broadway responsible for this appalling gaffe should be hung upside down in our mighty river!!
- Catherine Leuz, London
What a complete load of codswallop.
If I'm on the tube I don't give monkey's where the Thames is.
Has anyone out there ever actually used the fact that there is a river on the map to get somewhere - I doubt it.
As a previous commenter said, if this is really at the top of the agendas of Johnson and his cronies at The Standard, then something's gone badly wrong.
If The Standard is interested in transport, why not press Johnson on why he's wasted £3m a year on replacing bendy buses with ones that have less seats per passenger and take up more road space in total?
- Mike, Whitstable, Kent
The zones are more important that the river - passengers ought to know what their journey will cost them, but if they need to know what side of the river their destination is, then they'll need a street map as well as a tube map!
Rather than cluttering up the map background like the old map, I'd suggest a small 1 2 3 ... logo after each station name, each zone logo a different colour so it's easy to see the zone at a glance.
- Nigel, London
What´s all the fuss about? I´ve got a map of the River Thames; it doesn´t show the London Underground on it.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
All we need to know now is who took the decision to remove the river, so we can keep an eye on his career moves.
- Paul, Rochester UK
It was always usefull to know what stations or stops were by the river. An important piece of information for both Tourist and UK nationals . Public opinion alone stopped this and Boris Johnson wants to take the credit even though he would have realised that Public Opinion was even going to win eventually .
- Ron, Lodon
Boris, get a grip, for heaven's SAKE! This idiotic blunder should never have happened. What kind of juveniles do you have working in TfL? In a private organisation this would have been a sacking offence. I think we should know more about the workings of this deeply untrustworthy department of yours.
- Ken, Bexleyheath
Whoever dreamt up these new maps in the first place is clearly in the wrong job. Thanks, Boris, for some common sense.
- Alex, London
And what a design triumph the schematic map of the tube is !
Having recently travelled on the Paris Metro. I appreciate it afresh. The Metro map is like a bowl of spaghetti and extremely tricky to navigate.
- David Holland, London UK
Dear Tessa Jowell,
I think destroying this country's economy is a bit more "extraordinary" than some silly little jobsworth leaving The Thames off the tube map. Why don't you run off and "have a word" with Gordon about that and let Boris sort out TfL.
- Steve, London, UK
Well done BoJo! The river should always be on the map no matter what and it's great that you have saved it. Definitely got my vote for another term as mayor!
- Hugh, Clapton
Good for you Boris. How would visitors to the city know which side of the city they are in or want to go. We have some very dumb bunnies with too much power doing daft things at the moment.
- Albert Hall, hove england
Absolutely fantastic news that Boris has saved another piece of our heritage that is the Tube map. Well done. Unlike the previous mayor Boris knows that tradition and history are important to Londoners and must be saved at all cost.
- Sarah, London
