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Bloggers unite to beat London’s tube strike

With a 48-hour strike starting at 7pm on Tuesday, there has been a community-based rash of online advice on how best to travel

With two days notice of the London Underground stike, there has been time for the micro-blogging community and official transport bodies to react.

(Trouble started early, with the DLR breaking down before 6pm - see photo at Canary Wharf from @hey_dahl)

And while there have been plenty of rants, what is noticeable is how the community has sought to give help and advice on how to beat the strike, with an extraordinary number of useful links.

Step forward the Walkit website, recommended by Tweeters @SophyNorris and @placepot with a timely reminder to get somewhere by Shanks’s Pony.

The other self-powered solution (apart from transport alternatives) is to cycle - and a good time for spokesman @carltonreid.

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The indefatigable cyclist, blogger and Tweeter has been very active, with a link to Transport for London’s ‘Keep London Moving’ map on Flickr - which has its own links to the LCC’s Bike the Strike website - and his own Bike Strike publication and site.

Aside from walking or cycling, there are individual offers of lift abounding. One blogger, Honestly Real, is offering stranded commuters a lift on his #tweetbike from Croydon.

In the mainstream, the @UKtraveleditor provided a link on Twitter to the Evening Standard’s comprehensive coverage of the strike and how best to get around.

Several other onliners have provided links to the London Underground site and the excellent BBC Travel Alert page on Twitter or BBC London travel site.

While working out travel options for London, you can let off steam and join the angry forum going on at #hashtags with talks of flashmobs at King’s Cross and phone number of RMT officials included.

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Or you can settle down and research the latest bus, rail and river transport options.

A number of Tweeters including @mastermaq have recommended the Transport for London site - which has an exhaustive list of alternative options and advice.

And to save you clicking on all those links, here is the latest from the TfL site - including extra information on overflow car parking in London and details of five escorted bike rides to be operated tomorrow.

Good luck - but why is the Congestion Charge still in operation?

Buses
London Buses operates more than 700 routes with services being boosted by up to 100 extra buses on key routes on strike days.

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National Rail
Oyster pay as you go will be accepted on all National Rail journeys within Greater London on Wednesday and Thursday, just show your Oyster card at station gate lines.

Taxis
During the morning peak hours of 08:00-10:30, taxi drivers will be operating a marshalled, fixed-fare shared taxi service for central London destinations at seven major London rail termini: Waterloo, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Marylebone, Paddington and Euston.

DLR and London Overground
Services will be operating as normal.

Cycling
Additional options for cyclists will include morning commuter led cycle rides, temporary parking facilities and thousands of cycle maps will be distributed across London.

The London Cycle Campaign will be leading five escorted rides into central London with TfL volunteers at start points to provide maps, refreshments and guidance, further details are available at

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All rides will set off from 07:45 from the following locations:
* Finsbury Park main gate - Arsenal - Liverpool Road (Islington) - Angel - Moorgate - Mansion House - London Bridge - City Hall
* Mile End Green Bridge - Stepney Green - Cable Street - Tower Hill - Bank
* Ravens Court Park - Hammersmith - High Street Kensington - Hyde Park - Charing Cross - Trafalgar Square
* Brixton Road (KFC) - Oval - Elephant & Castle - Blackfriars
* Swiss Cottage - Hampstead - Belsize Park - Chalk Farm - Mornington Crescent - Euston - Gower Street - Tavistock Place - Gray’s Inn Road - Clerkenwell - Farringdon - Moorgate

Cycle Parking
In addition to the major cycle park at Finsbury Park and existing racks at major London stations across the city, another 1,000 cycle parking spaces will be provided at London Bridge cycle park and temporary cycle parking facilities at the locations and times below.

Car parking

Many London businesses will also be opening up their foyers and parking facilities for their staff:
* Trafalgar Square: 150 spaces (06:00-21:00 on Wednesday and Thursday)
* Potters Field, accessed via Weavers Lane: 100 spaces (open access from Tuesday evening, with racks removed at 21:00 on Thursday)
* Waterloo bus garage, accessed only via Cornwall Road off The Cut, approach via Sandell Street: 150 spaces (08:00-17:30 on Wednesday and Thursday - closing strictly at 17:30)
* London Bridge cycle park: 350 spaces (07:30-21:30 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
* The Mall, between Marlborough Road and George IV statue/Queen Mother memorial: 250 spaces (open access from Tuesday evening, with racks removed at 21:00 on Thursday)

River

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Existing services will be boosted from a capacity of 1,500 to 8,000 an hour and will include an additional free shuttle service from London Bridge to Tower Bridge:
* Greenwich - Canary Wharf - Central London: normal Clippers service with enhancements
* Putney - central London: normal Thames Executive Charter (TEC) service with four boats instead of two
* London Eye - Westminster - Tower Bridge - free peak shuttle every 10 minutes between 07:00-10:00 and 15:00-20:00 on both main strike days