Last week I was walking along the Greenway between West Ham and Plaistow when I spotted some new notices. A lot of the Greenway is closed at the moment so I assumed it was about that. The title on the first notice was 'Manor Road NOS Improvements', explaining underneath that NOS stands for Northern Outfall Sewer. But nowhere on the poster did it say anything was closed or closing so I didn't give it a second look. the map a second look. It showed a closure on the Greenway much longer than at present, with big 'no entry' signs at Abbey Creek and Upper Road. It seemed to suggest the section of the Greenway I was standing on was closed, except it plainly wasn't because I'd just walked along it. No dates appeared on the map, just as on the poster, nor any text confirming a closure. I carried on walking to BestMate's and we finished off watching Squid Game. on their website! The Greenway will indeed be closing here, additionally incorporating the bridge over the District line, but not until October. Why they didn't mention October anywhere on the printed notices I have no idea, but my best guesses are that either i) Thames Water don't want to frighten anyone yet, or ii) the people who designed the posters are incompetent. I've made this summary to show what's closing when. It's not official but I hope it makes things clearer. (normally you'd colour the Greenway green, but I've used brown for hopefully obvious reasons) I know the Northern Outfall Sewer is critical infrastructure and also Victorian, hence long-term maintenance is essential and works are likely to be major. But three years is a bloody long time to be sent off on a diversion, and given the lack of alternative routes locally it's a horrific diversion too. Thames Water's closure map shows two diversions, a green one and a blue one, both substantially longer than the direct red. Blue runs north and connects to Stratford town centre rather than the other closed end of the Greenway. Green runs south and has to skirt the whole of West Ham Recreation Ground and the East London Cemetery. Bafflingly blue is described as northbound and green as southbound, despite direction being irrelevant in this case, so I can only assume that i) they meant northern and southern, ii) the people who designed the posters are incompetent. closed section of the Greenway will be 1.3km long. green diversion is 2.5km long. blue diversion is 3.1km long. The map also includes an orange line, a 'route connecting' blue back to the Greenway. This it turns out is the shortest diversion of all, a mere 2.0km, but you'd never draw that conclusion from the colours on the map. The diversion could be even shorter if the orange line followed Stephens Road instead, a reduction to 1.9km, and for both these reasons I conclude i) the people who designed the posters are incompetent, ii) the people who designed the posters are incompetent. Look, I said, the background map you've used doesn't even show the rest of the Greenway, only a blank grey background. the notice and the map. But I hope he passed on my observations and suggestions, and that the information provided by Thames Water evolves as the closure date approaches. If you're going to make everyone's journeys hugely worse for three years the least you can do is warn them competently.

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post-Mansfield housekeeping 100 largest towns and cities by population. At the start of the year I had 13 to go but since then I've ticked off Sunderland (32nd), Hartlepool (84th), Stockport (60th), Chesterfield (85th) and Mansfield (99th). In this endeavour even 99th counts. Of the eight towns that remain the largest is still Huddersfield (33rd), the southernmost is now Warrington (34th) and all lie in a narrow stripe between Lancashire and Lincolnshire. Chesterfield/Mansfield under £45 by taking advantage of an East Midlands Railways sale (last day today). It's still the least-good-value gadabout I've been on recently. Pronto, which was an illuminating ride threading through former pit villages. Normally I'd have cursed getting the trainee driver reticent to pull out into traffic, but in this case it gave me longer to stare at things. To see the country sometimes you have to get off the train. Blackburn: £56.60 07.30-10.33 (via Wigan Bolton) (£31.30 up) (B-B £5.15) Burnley: £55.45 07.33-11.01 (via Leeds) (£37.65+£17.80) L-Black £31.30, B-B £5.15, Burn-L £17.80 (07.30-23.08) = £54.25 Huddersfield: £54.95 including rail replacement bus from Stockport (or STocport + £15.70, arrive 12.10) St Helens: £56.55 arrive 09.50 back 22.05 (or £14.65 from Crewe) Warrington: £52.60 7.16-10.25 (or £10.75 from Crewe) (Warrington St Helens £4.50) Scunthorpe: £30.50 09.48-12.03 19.08-21.29 Barnsley: £54.85 07.30-10.09 18.00-2036 £57.40 (Hudder bus £3.30 1h30) Stockport £18.60 6.43-10.26 19.19-22.24 Crewe: £13.90 06.43-08.51 19.13-20.27-->

Impressive artwork decorates his home town.