FELIX

Editorial

Elephants can’t hide Exhibition Road worries

The newly redesigned Exhibition Road saw its grand opening take place last Wednesday. Away from the usual buffoonery (read: metal elephants that Felix still doesn’t quite comprehend perfectly) and tussles for photo opportunities that accompany any form of visit from the current Mayor of London the fact remains that the redesign cost £30m, and while the visual changes are plain to see, the reasoning behind them is somewhat muddier.

The designers have promised that despite what seems like an unintuitive idea to begin with (namely a lack of solid guidelines for traffic or crossings for pedestrians), there will ultimately prove to be a bevy of improvements over the previous design, including a reduction in traffic by 30% and an increased observation by both driver and pedestrian. For £30m, one would certainly hope so. Nevertheless, in its current state, ‘increased observation’ will most likely prove to be a synonym for ‘anxious watching’ as students attempt to find the best area to cross a road with an ever changing traffic flow, and motorists (some of whom, of course, will be unfamiliar with the new layout) attempt to avoid potentially grim consequences as students, tourists and other pedestrians edge out from behind parked cars. 

The reduction in road signs is mystifying. For such a laissez-faire attitude to be thrust upon users of the road, one would have to place a great deal of faith in road users. However, many who use the road aren’t regular residents, such as tourists ...