Latest news with #CarolineRussell
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fears over Elizabeth line wraparound screen plans
Plans to install huge wraparound video adverts in Elizabeth line stations have raised fears that commuters will be "bombarded with ads". Transport for London's (TfL) advertising partner Global said it wants to introduce "world-first immersive formats" such as digital screens covering the walls and ceilings of the line's underground walkways. City Hall's Green Party said the "digital wraps" could spoil the "beautiful, calming" design of the Elizabeth line, stations, which recently won the Stirling Prize for Architecture TfL said they were in early development and will be tested and assessed before they are introduced. Caroline Russell, a Green member of the London Assembly, said the planned "sensory-heavy" wraparound screens raised "serious concerns for neurodiverse Londoners". "The Elizabeth Line stations are designed to be beautiful, calming environments through which many thousands of people pass every hour. "While advertising generates revenue that's reinvested back into the transport system, TfL is a public service – it shouldn't be so underfunded that Londoners are bombarded with ads just to keep the network afloat." A TfL spokesperson said: "A full Equality Impact Assessment will also be carried out to ensure that the needs of all customers are fully considered." In addition to its plans for the Elizabeth line, Global has said it wants to transform the 160m long moving walkway at Waterloo Tube station into a "multi-sensory experience" featuring eight large digital screens, "combining sound, 3D visuals, scent and motion". Across the wider Underground network, the advertising giant wants install more than 1,000 standard-sized digital screens "designed to immerse, inspire and move Londoners like never before". Global said its plans were "underpinned by sustainability – from solar-powered screen assembly to carbon-neutral materials and modular screens that can be repaired easily". Chris Forrester, managing director of commercial said: "Londoners have always looked to the Tube to tell them what's going on, what's new, and where they need to be. "The corridors and carriages of the London Underground aren't just ad space – they're a part of the very fabric of London life and a creative canvas for advertisers". Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to London mayor urged to ban Shein ads on TfL network Assisted dying adverts are compliant, TfL says London Green Party Transport for London
BBC News
03-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Elizabeth line giant digital advertising screen plans criticised
Plans to install huge wraparound video adverts in Elizabeth line stations have raised fears that commuters will be "bombarded with ads".Transport for London's (TfL) advertising partner Global said it wants to introduce "world-first immersive formats" such as digital screens covering the walls and ceilings of the line's underground Hall's Green Party said the "digital wraps" could spoil the "beautiful, calming" design of the Elizabeth line, stations, which recently won the Stirling Prize for ArchitectureTfL said they were in early development and will be tested and assessed before they are introduced. 'Bombarded with ads' Caroline Russell, a Green member of the London Assembly, said the planned "sensory-heavy" wraparound screens raised "serious concerns for neurodiverse Londoners"."The Elizabeth Line stations are designed to be beautiful, calming environments through which many thousands of people pass every hour. "While advertising generates revenue that's reinvested back into the transport system, TfL is a public service – it shouldn't be so underfunded that Londoners are bombarded with ads just to keep the network afloat."A TfL spokesperson said: "A full Equality Impact Assessment will also be carried out to ensure that the needs of all customers are fully considered." In addition to its plans for the Elizabeth line, Global has said it wants to transform the 160m long moving walkway at Waterloo Tube station into a "multi-sensory experience" featuring eight large digital screens, "combining sound, 3D visuals, scent and motion".Across the wider Underground network, the advertising giant wants install more than 1,000 standard-sized digital screens "designed to immerse, inspire and move Londoners like never before".Global said its plans were "underpinned by sustainability – from solar-powered screen assembly to carbon-neutral materials and modular screens that can be repaired easily".Chris Forrester, managing director of commercial said: "Londoners have always looked to the Tube to tell them what's going on, what's new, and where they need to be."The corridors and carriages of the London Underground aren't just ad space – they're a part of the very fabric of London life and a creative canvas for advertisers".
The Independent
06-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
First new road crossing east of Tower Bridge since 1991 opens on Monday
The first new road crossing east of London's Tower Bridge in 33 years opens on Monday. Silvertown Tunnel will connect Silvertown with Greenwich Peninsula, running under the River Thames. It is hoped the new 1.4km (0.9-mile) crossing will reduce the severe congestion around the nearby Blackwall Tunnel. But climate activists have expressed concern about the impact on traffic and air pollution. The Blackwall Tunnel has been free to use since opening more than a century ago, but charges will apply for both the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels between 6am and 10pm from Monday. Car drivers will be charged up to £4 per journey, with discounts for automatic payments and travelling at off-peak times. TfL said charges will help manage traffic levels, repay construction costs and cover ongoing maintenance and operation fees. The Silvertown Tunnel was built by the Riverlinx consortium, which is made up of private financial companies. As of 2022, it had secured £1.2 billion of private finance to build, operate and maintain the tunnel. TfL's accounts indicate that its total repayments over a 25-year period could exceed £2 billion. The Silvertown Tunnel will be the first new road crossing east of Tower Bridge since the Queen Elizabeth II bridge – part of the Dartford Crossing – opened in October 1991. Failure to pay the crossing tolls fee will result in a penalty charge notice being issued for £180, reduced to £90 if paid within a fortnight. A number of types of vehicles and road users will be exempt from the charges, such as buses and coaches, black taxis, blue badge holders registered in the capital, and zero-emission capable private hire vehicles. New bus routes will serve the Silvertown Tunnel, which will be free for at least the first year. There will also be a bus shuttle service for cyclists. This will run for at least three years, and be free for at least one year. Green Party London Assembly Member Caroline Russell declared that people in the capital 'deserve so much more than this', and said the crossing should have been 'a proper route across the river for people walking and cycling'. She said: 'We need river crossings that prioritise clean air, safe walking and cycling with affordable public transport rather than this traffic-inducing road tunnel.' Ms Russell noted that Sir Sadiq Khan has claimed to be the 'greenest' Mayor of London, but the tunnel is 'the opposite of anything green'. She added: 'To make matters worse, the Mayor's clunky cycle shuttle service is a half-baked impractical solution strapped onto a project that people have campaigned against for decades.' A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the Silvertown Tunnel will 'transform travel' by enabling 'faster, more reliable journey times for thousands of Londoners, reduced congestion and improved air quality'. City Hall made a 'series of significant improvements' since the original plans for the tunnel were developed in 2012, she said. 'This includes ensuring there are discounts and concessions in place, and reserving, for the first time ever, a lane for zero-emission double-decker buses and an innovative free cycle-shuttle service, which will encourage more people to switch to greener modes of transport.'
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First new road crossing east of Tower Bridge since 1991 opens on Monday
The first new road crossing east of London's Tower Bridge in 33 years opens on Monday. Silvertown Tunnel will connect Silvertown with Greenwich Peninsula, running under the River Thames. It is hoped the new 1.4km (0.9-mile) crossing will reduce the severe congestion around the nearby Blackwall Tunnel. But climate activists have expressed concern about the impact on traffic and air pollution. The Blackwall Tunnel has been free to use since opening more than a century ago, but charges will apply for both the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels between 6am and 10pm from Monday. Car drivers will be charged up to £4 per journey, with discounts for automatic payments and travelling at off-peak times. TfL said charges will help manage traffic levels, repay construction costs and cover ongoing maintenance and operation fees. The Silvertown Tunnel was built by the Riverlinx consortium, which is made up of private financial companies. As of 2022, it had secured £1.2 billion of private finance to build, operate and maintain the tunnel. TfL's accounts indicate that its total repayments over a 25-year period could exceed £2 billion. The Silvertown Tunnel will be the first new road crossing east of Tower Bridge since the Queen Elizabeth II bridge – part of the Dartford Crossing – opened in October 1991. Failure to pay the crossing tolls fee will result in a penalty charge notice being issued for £180, reduced to £90 if paid within a fortnight. A number of types of vehicles and road users will be exempt from the charges, such as buses and coaches, black taxis, blue badge holders registered in the capital, and zero-emission capable private hire vehicles. New bus routes will serve the Silvertown Tunnel, which will be free for at least the first year. There will also be a bus shuttle service for cyclists. This will run for at least three years, and be free for at least one year. Green Party London Assembly Member Caroline Russell declared that people in the capital 'deserve so much more than this', and said the crossing should have been 'a proper route across the river for people walking and cycling'. She said: 'We need river crossings that prioritise clean air, safe walking and cycling with affordable public transport rather than this traffic-inducing road tunnel.' Ms Russell noted that Sir Sadiq Khan has claimed to be the 'greenest' Mayor of London, but the tunnel is 'the opposite of anything green'. She added: 'To make matters worse, the Mayor's clunky cycle shuttle service is a half-baked impractical solution strapped onto a project that people have campaigned against for decades.' A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the Silvertown Tunnel will 'transform travel' by enabling 'faster, more reliable journey times for thousands of Londoners, reduced congestion and improved air quality'. City Hall made a 'series of significant improvements' since the original plans for the tunnel were developed in 2012, she said. 'This includes ensuring there are discounts and concessions in place, and reserving, for the first time ever, a lane for zero-emission double-decker buses and an innovative free cycle-shuttle service, which will encourage more people to switch to greener modes of transport.'
