Calls to rename East End station

A proposal has been made to change the name of a revamped station due
to open in the East End in two years time.

Shoreditch High Street station will open as part of the East London
Line.

Tower Hamlets councillor Abdal Ullah said the new station should be
called "Banglatown" to reflect the strong Bangladeshi community.

Transport for London (TfL) said changing the name would cost about £2m
and warned the proposals could cause some confusion.

"The Bangladeshi community of this area are the custodians of the
community," said Mr Ullah.

"This area has been a haven for migrant communities and the
Bangladeshi community by far is one of the largest at the moment and
they want to leave a symbol for future generations."

But a TfL spokesman said: "The cost of changing the name of a station
can be substantial and time consuming, as it is not just the physical
station signs that have to be addressed but also maps, leaflets,
related publications and pre-recorded announcements.

"It is important that a station name takes into account the street or
the official name of its area, as recorded on official maps."

Two years ago, Mr Ullah launched a campaign to rename Aldgate East
tube station Brick Lane - without success.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...on/7411512.stm

alex_t wrote:

Shoreditch High Street station will open as part of the East London
Line.

Tower Hamlets councillor Abdal Ullah said the new station should be
called "Banglatown" to reflect the strong Bangladeshi community.

The last I heard they wanted to give that name to Aldgate East (when someone
pointed out that "Brick Lane" would not be terribly accurate). I don't think
naming stations after ill defined areas is particularly useful when the main
purpose should be to indicate where the station is. I mean even the
Wikipedia entry for "Banglatown" is a redirect to Brick Lane.

Now if they were talking about the old Shoreditch station they may have a
stronger case.

alex_t wrote:
Calls to rename East End station

A proposal has been made to change the name of a revamped station due
to open in the East End in two years time.

Shoreditch High Street station will open as part of the East London
Line.

But a TfL spokesman said: "The cost of changing the name of a station
can be substantial and time consuming, as it is not just the physical
station signs that have to be addressed but also maps, leaflets,
related publications and pre-recorded announcements.

These reasons are the ones they nearly always trot out in response to name
change requests. Unfortunately in this case most of the difficulties are not
yet apparent, because of the two year timescale to completion.

"It is important that a station name takes into account the street or
the official name of its area, as recorded on official maps."

That's better...

Paul S

On May 20, 11:11*pm, "Tim Roll-Pickering" T.C.Roll-
wrote:
alex_t wrote:
Shoreditch High Street station will open as part of the East London
Line.
Tower Hamlets councillor Abdal Ullah said the new station should be
called "Banglatown" to reflect the strong Bangladeshi community.

The last I heard they wanted to give that name to Aldgate East (when someone
pointed out that "Brick Lane" would not be terribly accurate). I don't think
naming stations after ill defined areas is particularly useful when the main
purpose should be to indicate where the station is. I mean even the
Wikipedia entry for "Banglatown" is a redirect to Brick Lane.

Now if they were talking about the old Shoreditch station they may have a
stronger case.

I think that Brick Lane might have been reasonably useful as a name
because it is near where Brick Lane is located (as accurate as Euston
Square or Chancery Lane), but to name a station after people who are
assumed to live there has no precedent in London as far as I know.

Maybe Councillor Ullah is being bribed by a far-right group to make
ludicrous suggestions that will inevitably attract ridicule and racist
abuse?

Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
alex_t wrote:

Shoreditch High Street station will open as part of the East London
Line.

Tower Hamlets councillor Abdal Ullah said the new station should be
called "Banglatown" to reflect the strong Bangladeshi community.

The last I heard they wanted to give that name to Aldgate East (when
someone pointed out that "Brick Lane" would not be terribly
accurate). I don't think naming stations after ill defined areas is
particularly useful when the main purpose should be to indicate where
the station is. I mean even the Wikipedia entry for "Banglatown" is a
redirect to Brick Lane.
Now if they were talking about the old Shoreditch station they may
have a stronger case.

Not really. The old Shoreditch station (ELL) should have been called
Spitalfields.
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

On Tue, 20 May 2008 14:15:29 -0700 (PDT), alex_t
wrote:

Calls to rename East End station

A proposal has been made to change the name of a revamped station due
to open in the East End in two years time.

Shoreditch High Street station will open as part of the East London
Line.

Tower Hamlets councillor Abdal Ullah said the new station should be
called "Banglatown" to reflect the strong Bangladeshi community.

No it shouldn't. Are we going to rename the 4 stations on Oxford Street
"West End Big Shopping Street Stn 1/2/3/4"? This is all about trade
and commerce and nothing to with recognizing the resident community. All
they need to do is ensure their local publicity for their businesses
correctly reflect the hugely improved transport links they will benefit
from when ELLX opens.

But a TfL spokesman said: "The cost of changing the name of a station
can be substantial and time consuming, as it is not just the physical
station signs that have to be addressed but also maps, leaflets,
related publications and pre-recorded announcements.

Yes it takes a huge amount of effort and cost to do this.

"It is important that a station name takes into account the street or
the official name of its area, as recorded on official maps."

Is the right answer.
--
Paul C

MIG wrote:

I think that Brick Lane might have been reasonably useful as a name
because it is near where Brick Lane is located (as accurate as Euston
Square or Chancery Lane),

Both of which are old names from a different era. Just because in the past
ambiguities were made (although wasn't Chancery Lane a name that was
reasonably accurate for the site of the original lifts and never got changed
when a new entrance was built for escalators?) doesn't mean they should be
repeated now.

On Tue, 20 May 2008, Paul Corfield wrote:

On Tue, 20 May 2008 14:15:29 -0700 (PDT), alex_t
wrote:

A proposal has been made to change the name of a revamped station due
to open in the East End in two years time. Shoreditch High Street
station will open as part of the East London Line. Tower Hamlets
councillor Abdal Ullah said the new station should be called
"Banglatown" to reflect the strong Bangladeshi community.

No it shouldn't. Are we going to rename the 4 stations on Oxford Street
"West End Big Shopping Street Stn 1/2/3/4"?

Yes. And also rename Finsbury Park to Studly Geniuses.

At least until i move elsewhere.

This is all about trade and commerce and nothing to with recognizing the
resident community.

No, it's about an ambitious local politician trying to raise his own
profile and win some brownie points with his constituents.

tom

--
We got our own sense of propaganda. We call it truth. -- Rex Steele,
Nazi Smasher

As far as I remember there are some other sizeable minorities living
in Spitalfields/Shoreditch, so it is also a bit discriminatory
suggestion.

Are we going to rename the 4 stations on Oxford Street
"West End Big Shopping Street Stn 1/2/3/4"?

In the pattern of original suggestion we could have:
Golders Green - JewsTown
Vauxhall - GayClubsTown
Hyde Park Corner - SomeRussiansLivingNearbyTown (in Mayfair)

Disclaimer: I only used minorities to which I belong, so this is not
racism, this is self-criticism. Thank you, I'll be here all week.

--
Alex T
(who cannot believe that in just one month he will finally leave
Stratford for good!)

On Wed, 21 May 2008 00:35:19 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

Yes. And also rename Finsbury Park to Studly Geniuses.

At least until i move elsewhere.

g

Modest as ever, Tom.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!