Popular website Teen Today (http://www.teentoday.co.uk/) have signed up to this year’s campaign asking young Londoners to come up with a road safety distraction slogan. The teen who comes up with the best slogan will win a ‘distraction date’ along with two friends with Rizzle Kicks, who recently dominated the charts with a number one and a number eight single in the same week. The band are kindly donating their time to support the campaign for free.

Teenagers are a vulnerable road user group. Last year the number of teenagers killed or seriously injured on London roads fell 14 per cent to 258 compared to 301 in 2009. Since 2000 the figure has fallen by 62 per cent. Despite this steady improvement, the Mayor and TfL are committed to raising awareness of the dangers when using the roads.

Last year stars including Wretch 32, Tinie Tempah and Eliza Doolittle recorded video clips free of charge which they then uploaded onto their social media sites. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXBMf1-_yJ4&feature=relmfu

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “Every single death on London’s roads is a tragedy, and teenagers are less experienced and more at risk than any other age group in the capital. So while the number of deaths and injuries is falling, we are determined to drive it down further, and get the message out to our youngsters to take extra care.”

Rizzle Kicks said: “We can relate to the message of getting distracted on the roads, that’s why we’ve decided to support the campaign. The teen road safety campaign is important to us and we’re happy to support it through this competition.”

Lilli Matson, Head of Delivery Planning, in Better Routes and Places at TfL said: “The on-going fall in casualties shows that TfL’s teen road safety campaign has really been making a difference, however we know that our work is far from done. It is easy to become distracted on the road, but it is vital that teenagers pay careful attention when using them. With the start of the new academic year, we look forward to continuing our campaign, this time by emphasising the importance of avoiding distractions on the road to the capital’s young people.”

During the whole weekend of 10 and 11 September  river operators including Thames Clippers, City Cruises, Crown River Cruises, Turk Launches, Tate to Tate and Parr’s Circular Services are offering 2-for-1 tickets^* to help visitors make the most of this year’s festival.

The festival is a stunning, free celebration of London and its world-famous waterway and is a key highlight in the city’s cultural calendar.  Activities take place all over the weekend on the River Thames, the riverside, walkways, roads, bridges, docks and open spaces from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge and beyond.

London River Services’ piers will be operating throughout the weekend, helping to provide fast and picturesque journeys along the river, passing the London Eye, The Royal Festival Hall and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre along the way.

London’s river services will operate normally throughout the weekend.

Andy Griffiths, Head of London River Services, said: “With a whole host of activities around the river this weekend for both Londoners and visitors alike, there is never a better time to enjoy the Thames Festival than from a scheduled River Bus or River Tour service. Our special 2-for-1 ticket* offer and clearer passenger information should make it a great time for all.”

In order to travel to and from Notting Hill easily and safely TfL urges visitors to arrive early because this year the Carnival will begin at 9am. By leaving early before it finishes at 7pm, you will have a great day, but reduce your travelling time by avoiding queues and crowded buses and Tube trains.

Transport for London advises all visitors to ‘check before they travel’ and plan their journey to and from the Carnival on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, 28 and 29 August. This can be done at: www.tfl.gov.uk and www.tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner which will have up to the minute information about planned improvement works on the Tube. The TfL website also has real time travel news, as well as maps, first and last train times and details of weekend engineering works.

Alternatively call the London Travel Information 24 hour help line 0843 222 1234. Information is also available on posters, leaflets and “Good Service” boards at Tube stations.

Travelling by London Underground

For safety reasons Ladbroke Grove station, located on one of the busiest sections of the Carnival route, will be closed on both Sunday 28 and Monday 29 August.

Some stations around the Carnival area will close early or be ‘exit only’ at certain times on both days to help ease congestion.

These include:

·Latimer Road – station will close at 23:30 on both Sunday 28 and Monday 29 August.

·Notting Hill Gate – on Sunday 28 the station will be exit only between 12:00 and 19:00. On Monday 29 August the station will be exit only between 12:00 and 18:30.  On Monday 29 August between 12:00 and 19:00, Circle and District line trains will not stop at the station.

·Royal Oak – on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 August, the station will be exit only between 11:00 and 18:00 and will close at 18:00 on both days.

·Westbourne Park – on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 August, the station will be exit only between 11:00 and 18:00, and will close at 23:30 on both days.

Suggested Alternative Tube Stations

• Bayswater – on Monday 29 August between 12:00 and 19:00 you are advised to use this station if you are travelling on Circle or District line trains, as neither will stop at Notting Hill Gate.

• Paddington (Circle and Hammersmith & City lines) – on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 August you are advised to use this station instead of Notting Hill Gate or Royal Oak as both these stations will have entry restrictions.

Other stations near to the Carnival are:

• High Street Kensington (Circle and District lines),
• Holland Park (Central line),
• Queen’s Park (Bakerloo line)
• Shepherd’s Bush (Central line).

For safety reasons some stations may need to close temporarily to prevent overcrowding and ease congestion.  It may be worthwhile waiting until the station reopens rather than finding an alternative station – please listen for announcements from staff and police.

Travelling by London Overground

London Overground stations near to the Carnival: Queen’s Park, Kensal Rise, Kensal Green and Shepherd’s Bush.

Travelling by bus

A number of bus routes run close to the Carnival area: 7, 18, 23, 27, 28, 31, 36, 52, 70, 94, 148, 228, 295, 316, 328, 390, and 452.

TfL will be running many extra buses especially on Monday evening to get you home quickly and safely.

Three special express routes– 2X, 36X and 436X – will run between south London and the Carnival on both days. The 2X will run from Norwood Garage to Hyde Park Corner, then non-stop to Notting Hill Gate. The 36X will run from Peckham to Vauxhall, then non-stop to Harrow Road ‘Prince of Wales’. The 436X will run from Peckham to Hyde Park Corner, then non-stop to Notting Hill Gate.

Special bus route 205X will operate between Aldgate station and the Carnival.

Additionally buses within a comfortable walking distance include: 6, 46, 159, 187, 205, 220, 274, 302, 332, 414, and 436.

Bus routes running 24 hour services are: 6, 23, 27, 36, 94, 148, 159, 205, 220, 295 and 390.

Night Bus routes: N7, N18, N28, N31, N52 & N207 will operate throughout Sunday and Monday night.

Some bus routes will be on diversion due to local road closures. Diversions will be in place from the first bus on Sunday morning 28 August until around 05:00 on Tuesday 30 August.

Travelling by bike

Five docking stations for Barclays Cycle Hire bikes will be suspended in the Notting Hill area from 8am on Sunday 28 August until 8am on Tuesday 30 August at Turquoise Island, Pembridge Villas, Chepstow Villas, Notting Hill Gate Station and in Bayswater at Hereford Road.

Ken Davidson, Head of Bus Operations for Transport for London, said: “The Carnival is a great annual event and we want everyone going to enjoy themselves. We do advise visitors to plan their journeys to and from the event, so they arrive and leave early and get home safely.

“The easiest ways to travel are by bus, Tube, on bike or by foot and we advise all Carnival goers to be aware that crowds and road closures could slow you down. People should also check options for their return journeys as these may be easier from an alternative station or bus stop.”

Just a few months later, but this time at the Louvre in the exhibition, ‘Leonardo da Vinci’s St Anne’, Leonardo’s newly cleaned and restored ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne’ will be joined with the National Gallery’s version, The Burlington House Cartoon – Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and John the Baptist, from 29 March – 25 June 2012.

These two exhibitions will illuminate the painting career of Leonardo da Vinci as never before, providing an unprecedented and unique chance to examine and study these related works in their artistic contexts. This collaboration between the two institutions has taken into consideration the serious scholarly ambitions of each exhibition and the research opportunities they provide. The Louvre and the National Gallery also believe that these comparisons will be of exceptional interest to a wide public. All these factors have persuaded both galleries to lend their precious masterpieces for the first time, in the expectation that no such exhibitions will be held again.

Director of the National Gallery, Dr Nicholas Penny, “We are delighted and very grateful to our colleagues at the Louvre for the loan of this celebrated painting. It is part of an extraordinary collaboration between the National Gallery and the Department of Paintings at the Louvre. I am quite sure that the experience of seeing these masterpieces juxtaposed will be one that none of us will ever forget or that will ever be repeated. I am delighted that such a rich context for these comparisons will be provided at each venue.”

Director of Louvre Henri Loyrette, “This exceptional collaboration between the National Gallery, London and the Louvre achieves two historical juxtapositions long desired by generations of art historians and which are certain to offer a source of considerable fascination for today’s museum visitors as well: Leonardo da Vinci’s two well-known versions of the Virgin of the Rocks and of the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne. As complementary as our two collections are, a continuation of this exchange would be invaluable and beautifully fruitful.”

The Virgin of the Rocks. The Paris version on the left and the London version on the right. Click on image for larger pic.