Londoners are notoriously unforgiving towards anyone who gets in their way. If you're standing on the left-hand-side of a tube escalator, conducting a photoshoot in the middle of the pavement or doddering in the cycle lane, you're going to be met with an exaggerated tut at best – or a verbal onslaught at worst.
But all this could be about to change if capital-dwellers take heed of new plans from a major London think tank. The Centre for London is calling for a "civility code" in the capital to encourage Londoners to be less rude and unfriendly towards one another, the Evening Standard reported.
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According to the think tank, some of the biggest banes of Londoners' lives include pedestrians walking along while being glued to their smartphones (guilty as charged!), people refusing to give up their seats on the Tube, aggressive cycling and lorries blocking junctions.
The guidelines in the new code, which is still in the early stages, would aim to make London a more pleasant environment and improve road safety. Some of the proposed ideas include asking pedestrians to not stand around blocking pavements, advising cyclists to be more careful when overtaking slower riders and asking drivers to give way in a more considerate manner.
Transport for London has reportedly spoken to the think tank about its idea, which it ultimately wants to become part of the Highway Code. “Increasingly we live and walk and move in a bubble. We all need to realise that we’re part of a system and have to apply some sort of process to the way we move," said Patricia Brown, who commissioned the report.
She added that there's simply not enough space in London for "all of these different things to work in a perfect way," reported the Standard. "Some people are alert and very polite as they move around. But we get very frustrated with the increasing number of people that are in the bubble.”
We look forward to seeing whether the report, published tomorrow, will take on the bugbear of all bugbears for Londoners walking past major tourist attractions: the selfie stick.
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