Hume: London Mayor Boris Johnson says bikes civilize cities - Toronto Star
The Mayor of London, England, Boris Johnson, wants to make it clear that until Friday morning, he had never been to Toronto, and never heard of Rob Ford.
With that out of the way, the great apostle of urban bicycling does have a message for Toronto.
“Bicycles,” declares the man who rides one to work every day, “civilize cities. Closing bike lanes; that’s not what we’re doing in London. In fact, I’m very proud that bicycle use went up 15 percent last year. Bicycles put the village back in the city. It’s not a war on motorists. I’m a motorist, too. We’re going to keep going, extending bicycle routes all the way out to the suburbs of London.”
In town to flog his latest book, Johnson’s Life of London (Harper Press), the shaggy-haired blonde is, by his own account, having the time of his life. Fresh from an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman — “How long have you been cutting your own hair?” — Johnson likes what he has sees.
“Toronto looks beautiful,” he enthuses, with apparent sincerity. “You have some lovely old buildings. The quality of life is obviously very potentially high.”
Johnson smiles nervously. As the use of the word, “potentially,” indicates, he knows things are seldom what they seem. Still, he insists, cities are where nations will succeed or fail:
“I keep on telling the government that if it wants the economy of the U.K. to grow and grow fast, it has to invest in London. We should be investing where it creates jobs. In Britain, for example, things are pretty sharply divided; there’s what’s happening in London and what’s happening everywhere else.
“My general view is that cities are where the world’s going to be in the future. I believe in cities. People who live in cities live longer, they have better health and they are better educated. Only in cities can we find the praise we all seek. Cities are where we find other people to impress. Cities are fame’s echo chamber …”
Suddenly, a bright red London double-decker bus drives by and Johnson falls momentarily silent.
“My God,” he splutters. “There’s an old Routemaster. They only made about 6,000 of those buses between 1956 and 1970, but they’re everywhere.”
“I’m also a believer in mass transit,” says Johnson, who points to the recent royal celebrations in the British capital and the changes unfolding in London’s East End due to the summer Olympics. “The Jubilee went well. We ticked a lot of boxes there. The crowd was huge, about 1.3 million, but transit worked well. We have a new LRT in East London, new train lines and thousands of new houses.”
In Toronto, Johnson would be dismissed by some as just another Don Cherry-style bike-riding pinko. But keep in mind he is a former Tory MP and a disciple of what he calls “compassionate conservatism.” He attended Eton and Oxford — on scholarship, mind you — and could easily be mistaken for a pillar of the British establishment.
He is also an author. Johnson’s Life of London, his sixth book, tells the story of the “City That Made the World,” from Roman times to the present, Emperor Hadrian to Keith Richards. Like the man, it is clever and quick, learned but not stuffy.
Then Johnson, a former journalist, has a few questions of his own. He wants to know about municipal politics in Toronto, federal politics under Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the “cottages” to which Torontonians escape every weekend.
Oh, yes, and one more thing: “Do you have bears here?” he asks. Not in the city, comes the answer, but up north, behind the cottage.
Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca
London 2012: London bus drivers vote to strike over bonuses - BBC News
Bus workers in London have voted to take strike action in a row over their workload during the Olympics.
Nearly 40% of Unite members working for 21 bus companies voted 94% in favour of strike action. No dates have been set.
The union, which is asking for a £500 bonus, says bus workers are the only London transport staff not in line to receive an Olympics bonus payment.
Transport for London (TfL) said bus workers were employed by private firms who set their pay.
Dates for strike action could be announced early next week.
Unite says it expects 800,000 extra passengers to travel on buses during the Games.
It said workers on London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railways, Network Rail and Virgin would all receive between £500 to £900 in extra payments.
In May, a survey of 2,955 London bus and rail passengers commissioned by the union found that 88% were in favour of Olympic bonus pay.
'Completely reprehensible'Peter Kavanagh, Unite regional secretary for London, said: "It's a disgrace that London's mayor, Boris Johnson, and the bus companies have allowed this dispute to get this far.
"Our members are only asking for an extra £17 a day which will just about buy you a pint of beer and a portion of fish and chips at the Olympics.
"Our members want the Games to be a success but their patience has run out."
Leon Daniels, TfL's managing director of surface transport, said: "I am not surprised that 70% of London's bus drivers did not vote for strike action.
"That is because about 70% of London's local bus services are not affected by the Olympic Games.
"The whole country is really entering into the spirit of the Games and the overwhelming responsible majority are pulling out all the stops to make it a huge success.
"Only Unite appears to want to exploit it by adding a further multimillion-pound burden to the hard-pressed fare-payers and taxpayers of London."
Mr Daniels added that Unite had already negotiated binding deals for pay and conditions with each of the bus companies for this year.
"Attempting to tear up those agreements and get a new one with less than 50 days to go before the Games is completely reprehensible and out of step with every other provider of services in this city this summer."
Not another one! Brownlees in new London selection row - Daily Mail
By Derek Hunter
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Britain's Olympic build-up was rocked on Saturday by its second selection row in a week.
Two ‘pacemaker’ athletes have been picked for the six-strong triathlon team at the London Games to help the Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny, to an anticipated gold and silver double.
The uproar over the selection of Stuart Hayes and Lucy Hall ahead of better and more experienced athletes follows the furore over taekwondo’s Aaron Cook, who has been overlooked for the British team despite being world No 1.
Controversy: The squad selection has caused a new row
Four seasoned triathletes will appear for Team GB at London — world champion Alistair Brownlee, 24, and his world No 2 brother Jonny, 22, in the men’s race, and world champion Helen Jenkins and Vicky Holland in the women’s event.
But Hayes and Hall will fulfil the duties of pacemakers at the expense of better all-round triathletes Will Clarke, Tim Don, Liz Blatchford and Jodie Stimpson, who were all overlooked. The squad will operate on ‘team orders’ to help the Brownlees and Jenkins get medals.
‘It’s hard because two of those people have basically walked on to an Olympic team,’ said Clarke, 27, who is ranked No 12 in the world. Don, son of former Premier League referee Philip Don, is No 13 while Hayes is ranked No 46.
Clarke added: ‘There’s not any other sport like that, where someone qualifies so easily considering what others like us have been through. We’ve been racing at the top level around the world for years, gaining ranking points, and they’ve walked on to the Olympic team. But I’m still good friends with Stuey and wish him all the best.’
Brothers: Alistair Brownlee (left) and Jonathan Brownlee (right)
A report that triathletes, unhappy with the selection policy, had ‘heated words’ with selectors was vindicated when Clarke’s wife, Clare, pointed her followers on Twitter to it and said it was a ‘great summary’ of what had happened during the selection process.
Clarke, who received numerous messages of support at his surprise omission, tweeted: ‘Finally the Team GB Triathlon team has been announced. Gutted to not be part of it but good luck to the guys and bring back some medals.’
The Brownlee brothers finished together in first place at the Blenheim triathlon as Alistair made his comeback from injury. On form, they would be expected to win gold and silver in London, while Jenkins is favourite in the women’s event.
Not selected: Aaron Cook's omission caused a stir
British Triathlon want to maximise their chances, however, hence the inclusion of Hall and Hayes, who are quick swimmers and cyclists and can pace their team-mates before fading.
Hall said: ‘They made it clear that, if I was going to take this place on the team, I would be going as someone to help [Jenkins]. Everyone can’t be happy with the decision. People are always going to be upset. That’s how it is, that’s sport.
‘It’s horrible to think some people don’t get to fulfil their Olympic dreams. I hope they understand why I’m taking this opportunity. It’s a home Olympics. I can’t turn it down.’
Adam Lambert enjoys London nightlife: 'Mugging in a London Black Cab' - Examiner
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Concierge firms boom as the rich flee to London - The Guardian
London is facing an unprecedented surge in the number of companies offering concierge and other special services to the very wealthy, as new groups of rich emigrés relocate to the UK to escape instability abroad.
Russians have been joined by Indians and continental Europeans among the overseas buyers that have purchased 60% of the prime property available in central London in the past few years, according to estate agents. The growth in foreign purchases appears to be matched by the growth in companies that are willing to do anything for their clients – any time, any place, anywhere.
Alistair Gill, the manager of Mayfair Concierge, which started business last month, said companies such as his were there to open doors, simplify procedures and obtain the unobtainable for those who could afford it. "While times are tough, there are still a lot of people who enjoy a high quality of life – who are cash-rich and time-poor. It's a growth market," he said.
Clients typically pay a retainer of around £5,000 a month, for which they expect 24-hour service but still must meet all other costs. Neither the price of the services nor the economic climate has had much effect on demand. Andreas Ash, marketing director of Greek Concierge Group, which has been in business for three years, said his company was working at capacity with a waiting list of 350 people. "We won't be able to accept most of them. It's all about service, and if we take too many members we'll degrade our service," he said.
Russian, Indian and French buyers have accounted for almost one third of recent central London house purchases, but there has also been an increase in Greek and Italian arrivals, a spokeswoman for estate agent Knight Frank said. The French are escaping a tax regime in which the wealthy are likely to be required to pay more under the new presidency of François Hollande; the Russians are investing in an insurance policy against possible persecution from an authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin; and other Europeans are moving their money out of the unstable eurozone.
What they share is a desire for certain aspects of British life – private education, hunting and fishing – as well as everything they might expect from a playboy's paradise, such as reservations at restaurants and nightclubs, and sometimes even drugs and prostitutes. But going to the right shoot, ensuring your child jumps the school waiting list or getting a seat at a restaurant that is fully booked for the next year require skills and contacts beyond most of us.
Gill describes the typical concierge as someone who has worked in five or six-star hotels, "someone who loves people and is well balanced, understands what people want and is unshockable".
People in the industry are happy to talk about extravagant requests but less comfortable talking about personal services such as prostitution and drugs, which they are often asked to accommodate. According to Ash: "We have been asked for some things like escorts. We always do our best, but if it's not a healthy business situation we have to say that is as far as we go."
Even some of the legal requests are as demanding as they are unusual. One company recounts how it was requested to organise a two-hour shopping spree with an unlimited budget for a client and her two friends in the style of the film Pretty Woman. "With no prior warning, and without being allowed to explain the challenge, we had to get the co-operation of managers and numerous assistants at more than a dozen stores, including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Hermès, Chanel and Yves St Laurent. Two hours later, what had started as a stroll for four friends had become a convoy of cars and vans carrying £250,000 of shoes, clothes and accessories," the website recounts.
The same site describes how the company received a call from a client at 10.40pm, saying he wanted to get engaged at breakfast the next morning. "We sourced $20m of diamond jewellery overnight in time for him to propose when his girlfriend awoke," according to the site. On many occasions, the company has been commissioned to make clients' wives burst into tears of happiness.
Some of the companies employ linguists to ensure London feels just like home. Ten Lifestyle Concierge has teams of Russian and Chinese speakers to deal with the growing number of clients.
Bryn Dyer, a director of Ten, said: "Typically our London-based Russian members will use us to get set up here. They also ask us for tutoring services, help getting their children into private schools, finding exclusive retail items, booking high-end restaurants and finding theatre tickets. Our London-based Chinese members are similar in tastes, but tend to be younger students. They tend to use us to book high-end restaurants, hotels and taxis."
All the companies say they expect their business to expand over the coming years and many are opening branches all over the world and recruiting staff. Bryn Dyer said: "The demand for our services is most definitely increasing. Not just in London but globally, as the wealthy elite are increasingly mobile."
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