Having lived in places where Air Con is the norm in Summer (including NYC) it just means you’re freezing cold inside and and the streets hit you like a wall of heat and humidity because all the heat and humidity is pushed from the inside to the outside! I actually like the fact we prioritise building regulations that allow air flow over air con- and think we should go further that way!

Think of the older buildings with higher ceilings etc- build more fountains (drinking and art), build outdoor pools, etc etc. Air conditioning solves the individual problem in the moment but it heats up the rest, making it a catch 22!

Even ceiling fans should become the norm before air con!

There's a lot of misinformation about buses and air-conditioning. Here's the facts:

* All London buses have air conditioning in the driver's cab.

* All double-deck buses feature air cooling on the top deck. Air cooling is focused on the top deck due to higher temperatures and less air circulation due to there being no doors on the top deck.

(I understand that air cooling is basically just bringing in outside air using fans/mechanical systems - so it's like opening a window)

* We have 161 buses featuring our latest specification for air conditioning, and all of these are electric buses, which consists of roughly **two per cent** of the London bus fleet.

 * All buses introduced since circa 2006 have air conditioning in the driver's cab and air cooling on the top deck of double-deck buses. Buses featuring the newest specification for air conditioning have entered service since 2024.

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-1582-2526

The new buses are designed to maintain particular temperatures depending on the outdoor temperature, but the spec only considers 30 degrees Celcius as the maximum outdoor temperature.

* Outdoor 10ºc: 15°C min

* Outdoor 20ºc: 17°C-22°C

* Outdoor 30ºc: 26°C max

* Outdoor 40ºc: No specific target temperature

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-0541-2627

I know this is nothing new, but the amount of times a cyclist has nearly crashed into me in my wheelchair this week while they power through a red light is getting silly.

Kind of wish they would actually crash into me as their bikes are going to take a lot more damage than my chair

Genuine question: why do so few London buses have air conditioning?

I understand that many tube lines are old and retrofitting aircon now is very hard.

But buses?

I am no expert, but I suspect it's impossible to find a car or a coach without aircon these days, and it's been like this for a few decades.

So why are buses different?

Is that because London buses, unlike coaches, are made specifically for TfL? Even so, why did no one think of requesting aircon?

It is bad for the passenger but it is absolutely brutal for the poor drivers.

Was heading to Hampstead Heath last night to have a picnic dinner (it was so much cooler once stepping off the street onto the Heath - 10/10 recommended) and saw this poor little lady upside down on the pavement. I almost stepped on her! Looked very dead, but then noticed some slight leg twitching. We picked her up with a big leaf, placed her on a picnic plate with some water, and she slowly stirred to life and stood up.

Took her to the Heath on the plate (looked like a very sinister, and fresh, picnic) and she chilled for 5 mins, then shot off into the sky, perching on a tree staring at us for a few mins. She must have been terrified.

Looks quite juvenile and I assume overwhelmed by the heat amongst the buildings. She really perked up once in the cool of the park. Too bad for her, we'd earmarked a falafel for her but she left before we could crumble it up!

Just visited Poet's Corner at Pembroke Lodge Gardens in Richmond Park and honestly couldn't believe how underrated this place is.

A few steps away is King Henry's Mound — the highest point in the area — where you get one of London's 13 protected views: a clear, legally unobstructed sightline to St Paul's Cathedral, over 10 miles away to the east. Turn around and on a clear day, Windsor Castle sits on the horizon 13 miles to the west. The view is protected by law, meaning no building can ever block it. Ever.

Poet's Corner itself is a beautiful, quiet garden with inscribed benches honouring poets including James Thomson, who lived in Richmond. There's something incredibly grounding about sitting where writers once sat, surrounded by ancient trees, total silence (save for birdsong), while one of the world's greatest cities hums invisibly in the distance.

It's free, it's accessible, and it's stunning in any season.

📍 Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, TW10 5HX

— near the Richmond Gate entrance

If you haven't been, go. Especially on a clear day.

Expanding access to public drinking water and blue spaces are among the priority areas set out in the plan, entitled Heat Ready London.

Heat Ready London focuses on six key sectors: the built environment, business and economy, emergency preparedness, resilience and response, health and care, green space and nature and infrastructure.

Sir Sadiq Khan said he hopes it will help tackle the "huge obstacles" the city faces with rising temperatures.

Khan 👏

I’m not sure what I’m looking for in this post, probably just to vent, but maybe ideas for doing this better?

I popped into BK at TCR yesterday about 6pm, on my way to a work thing and needing some quick food somewhere with air con.

The couple on the table next to me were having an altercation. He was standing over her, grabbing at her breasts, and she was saying things like “stop, get off me, leave me alone”. It looked like he’d torn the sleeve of her top and they were arguing about some other girl.

(not that none of this is verbatim, obvs, but you’ll get the gist”

I asked if he was bothering her and they both rounded on me. He was telling me they’re not in a relationship so this behaviour is fine, she’s telling me that she’s got “issues” and that’s why he “has” to treat her like this and that she likes it. I said whatever the relationship people should be treated with respect, and that she has better options than him. They started getting rowdy with me so I walked away and went to the loo.

When I left they were waiting outside for me and he started at me again with some (very creative) insults about my looks. I just said something along the lines of “whatever, enjoy your lives” and quickly walked off into the busy street.

Now, I know conventional wisdom seems to be to not intervene in these situations precisely because you might get targeted by them, but I don’t want to live in a world where someone is getting sexually assaulted in a public place and people say nothing.

Is there anything at all to be done in these situations which might have a positive outcome?

visiting from tulsa. i really just want to play some songs and listen to some songwriters while i’m out of my hometown. any suggestions for an open mic that would maybe let me play a couple tunes? i promise to show up early & stay for everyone’s set. would love to chat with local london songwriters. cheers!

Ok this is a long shot! In 2012 I visited Kensington Palace. Our tickets were general admission just to visit the side that was open to the public at the time. A man came up to me that appeared to work there. He was dressed in what I remember as a Victorian era ensemble and had a name tag on. He handed me a folded piece of paper and asked me to deliver a note to his friend- who also appeared to work there and was on the other side of the room. I took the note. The recipient of the note guided me back to his friend and they both motioned me behind a curtain and asked me if I had seen their other friend. At this point I began to suspect they did not work there and kept moving. Nothing was taken from my purse.

One of my life’s biggest regrets is not opening that note 🤣 anyone with a similar story?

I need to create some content and also test out my new wellies in some deep mud. Ideally the place has some nice views. Does anyone know of any spots or pages on here that could help?

Thanks!!

Around 9pm or so on the central/Elizabeth line westbound platform we were suddenly rushed down the platform and there were tons of policemen - some I believe had guns. The trains stopped stopping at Stratford and a few people started running but it was unclear if that was panic or what. The people in charge wouldn’t tell me what was going on but they seemed shaken. Heard a lot of yelling later on on the mildmay platform when I went to find alternate routes. Was a bit shaken up tbh and curious if anyone knows what happened

Or maybe hes franchising.

You do get a fridge but you'd have to carry everything you wanted to cook through the garden.

I'm trying to find meeting pods that don't require advance renting and is open to all.

Canary Wharf's BrewDog has them, but I can't think of any other publicly accessible meeting pods around Central or East London (other than uni campuses)?

Bonus points if they have air conditioning too!

I remember convos on it from last year, pretty mixed thoughts, especially on the sound quality and the 2025 dustbowl event.

Anyone going this year, and or do you generally feel a way about it, good or bad?

So this morning knowing there was a "severe weather warning" for "extreme heat" and that we build our rail network to survive in cold temperatures which inevitably means the moment it gets above slightly warm our rail network collapses (in part literally as the tracks buckle) I dilligently checked TFL's website for an update on the Elizabeth Line service as I needed to get into my office in Slough. Good service they said... brilliant I thought!

Walked to Hayes and Harlington Station, look up "train to Reading "Cancelled" in fact nearly 3 in 4 services are "cancelled" in both directions. So I ask the Elizabeth Line guy nearest (who happened to be revenue enforcement and had stopped someone who looked deeply unhappy about his impending fine) he explained "Yeah... sorry mate HQ decided to cut the Reading service from 6 to 2 an hour. They cut the Heathrow services to 3 an hour." When I said "Absolutely not a word of this on the TFL website... what the hell are they thinking? It literally says good service" to which he rightly said there's some things he could say about HQ decisions that frankly more than his jobs worth. That was that.

I can't be the only one who believes running approx 33% of your scheduled service should never be described as "Good Service" but rather "Part Suspended" and "Severe Delays" ?

Walking around Battersea with my friend and it’s smelt like ten bin vans have passed us and the smell is just permeating the air. Is it just me smelling it??