London Taxi Drivers Anger over Olympic Lanes

London taxi drivers have been angered by the introduction of the Olympic Lanes across London, which only allows Olympic traffic through. If any other vehicle should stray into the Olympic lanes then they will face a fine of £130, which is definitely not a pleasant thought.

So the taxi drivers of London had finally had enough and decided to protest; but not just on old day, the day of the Olympic opening ceremony. The protest was scheduled to be at 5:00pm on Friday the 27th of July and take place on Hyde Park Corner; but the police had banned the cabbies from having it at this time, as it could cause serious disruption to the opening event.

The taxi drivers formed a convoy and blocked traffic for over half an hour before they got moved along. The main use for the Olympic lanes is official buses and special Olympic BMW fleets to transport athletes and officials around London.

We have to ask ourselves if this is fair, we understand that this is a special time in London and that the athletes need to get to and from their events, but the rest of the capital also needs to get where they are going. Why should people have to put their lives on hold while this event takes place?

The London black taxi is a real British icon and a symbol of our capital, so why is something that we are proud of being excluded? We suspect that a lot of guests to the Olympics may use the taxis to get around the city, so why should they not have their place in the lanes?

It has been said that some taxi drivers have had a 50% drop in income since the Olympic lanes came into force. With this and the £130 fine if they should accidently end up in one of the games lanes, it is not looking like a good time for the London cabbies.

Want to See a Double-Decker Do Push-Ups?

As we all know Friday is the starting day for the London 2012 Olympic Games, with such a huge event taking place in our country we come to think of Britain and symbols of our great country; but when you think of British symbols I bet a 1957 double-decker bus doing push ups didn’t spring to mind did it?

The artist David Cerny created the push up bus to promote the Olympic Games, although I don’t think we needed any help with that. He took our iconic symbol of London and created an athlete out of it, which is quite impressive when you are working with a huge red double-decker bus!

The bus has officially been named the ‘London Boosted’ and along side performing push ups; it features a voice and video projections. The bus has been fitted with a recorded voice groaning as it performs each push up and videos projecting from the windows.

Two huge arms controlled by an electric engine were fitted onto the big red bus to make it move and perform push ups, then the voice was added and there you have it, our next Olympic athlete is born. The London Boosted can be seen outside of the Olympic House in Islington, we can imagine it is quite a sight, so get along there and have a look!

David Cerny is used to creating more controversial art than this, his previous works have caused a lot of anger across Europe, lets hope that this piece is well received. David wants to see how long the ‘athlete’ can keep exercising for; he hopes that the London Boosted can make it the whole three weeks.

Want to see the London Boosted work out right now? Take a look at this video showing off the athlete and David Cerny taking about his latest work.

Reviewed: Audi R8 Spyder

Audi came roaring into the supercar market recently, brandishing their R8 Spyder to challenge all those who stood against them. Have they prevailed in the market, or is the R8 Spyder doomed for a dusty showroom? Alternative Route investigates the workings of the R8 in this review.

Sporty

This beast comes loaded with two engines guzzling petrol. The first is a 4.2 V8 or, if you fancy more power, a 5.2 V10. If you’re going with the V8, you’re still going to get some extreme speed, boasting a 0-60 in less than five seconds. The V10 is what makes this a monster though, the pull as you press the pedal is incredible, no matter what rev you’re on. 

With all that boom from the engines, you’d think that Spyder has some handling issues – wrong. The chassis matches with the power impeccably, the four-wheel drive Quattro ensures this and the suspension has clearly been meticulously thought through – corners are not a concern for the R8…oh, it’s incredibly comfortable too.

The engines sound like a battle-cry from the Gods. Treat them rough and you’ll get the most out of its voice, melting into the background at speed and, somehow, practically no vibration from the mechanical inner-workings. The Spyder, in our opinion, has no rivals even coming in close to its expertly crafted refinement.

Behind the Wheel

Quality does not suffer any negative views either. The fit and finish of the interior are typical of Audis careful, well-planned nature. No cheap materials, no rattling or dodgy fixings – the R8 is top notch in all honesty, a king of comfort, utter-luxury and comfort. The dials and controls are fairly similar to anyone who has sat in any Audi before, the thrones are low-slung for optimal driving position whilst being able to reach everything at an arms reach. Sporty details have been added, Carbonfibre door pulls, aluminium detailing, flat-bottom steering wheel…it’s got it all.

At a glance...

You’d expect some tech in this, and you’re going to get it. As standard you’ll receive air conditioning, full leather interior, alloy-wheels, a very cool retractable rear-spoiler, sat nav, electric seats…the list goes on.

What’s the dent in your wallet? That’s the big questions. Baring in mind this is a rare, bespoke car – so you’re going to be shelling out. If you opt for lesser Spyder, you’re looking at £96,000, for the big daddy you’re going in at a pocket-burning £117,000 – still fancy it? This is a monster, and monsters are not often kind to the earth, producing a staggering 337 g/km of CO2 – don’t drive this at a Greenpeace rally.

I’m amazed at how Audi have come into the big-boy market so strong, getting practically everything right. Reviews have been almost wholly positive, a rare-treat for any manufacturers. 

Fantastical driven, expertly crafted and built for those who really do love their driving. 

Written by the team at Alternative Route Finance