A roundup of London heatwave news… hot off the press.
Hot buses: Riding a bus at the moment is a test of resilience, but imagine what it’s like for the driver. Too hot, say unions. Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan points out that all drivers should have air-cooling systems, but says that drivers should not face disciplinary action if they refuse to drive a bus that they feel is dangerously hot.
Hot trains: Network Rail are still advising people to only travel if necessary. The heat can not only lead to unpleasant rail carriages, but rails can buckle causing cancellations. Meanwhile, the Tube is coping better than might be expected with the heatwave. Nevertheless, nine lines have minor delays at time of writing, in part because of the weather. Eurostar is badly affected.
Hot pavements: Greenpeace has been out with thermal imaging cameras, recording surface temperatures in the 50s and 60s. The Londoner has also been out with its thermometer, looking for the hot and cold spots across town.
Hot irony: An event about coping with extreme heat at London School of Economics is cancelled owing to extreme heat.
Hot museums and attractions: The BBC has a round-up of cultural attractions closed because of the heatwave. They include the Tower Bridge Experience, Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory and Young V&A. Some museums including the British Museum and V&A, have closed some galleries. Thorpe Park, Chessington and Legoland Windsor are all closed. The Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Cookingham Palace is also curtailed all week.
Hot schools: Most schools across the region are either closed or partially closed. The Standard has a somewhat ambitious list of as many closures as it can source.
Homeless: The number of rough sleepers is at an all-time high in London. The London Assembly Housing Committee has written to the Mayor with serious concerns about the help and care being offered during the heatwave.
Finding cool spots: The Greater London Authority has released an interactive map showing public buildings with air-conditioning and other places to cool down.
Pooey Thames: London Centric has a poop-a-scoop about the state of the Thames. The recent flash storms caused the sewers to discharge directly into the Thames, just like the bad old days before the Thames Tideway super-sewer. This was supposed to intercept the foetid gush, but it was temporarily offline for maintenance.
The serious side: Excessive heat costs lives. London Ambulance Service recorded its fifth busiest day in history, and the busiest day for most serious call-outs, thanks to the surge of heat-related emergencies.
Future proofing: These sort of heatwaves are only going to get more common as climate change bites. Mayor Sadiq launched a ‘Heat Plan for London‘, looking at first steps to improve the city’s resilience to such episodes. One of its main planks is getting more aircon into schools, hospitals and other public buildings.
