Boris Johnson opens transformed Exhibition Road
2 February 2012
Crowds of Imperial staff, students and members of the public braved the cold on Wednesday afternoon to watch the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, the Welsh Guards, a mechanical elephant, and a team of somersaulting acrobats parade up the street for the official opening of Exhibition Road.
The parade culminated outside the College, with the Mayor cutting a ribbon, held by four young people from Whizz Kids (a charity supporting children who use wheelchairs) followed by a reception in the Main Entrance. The event was also attended by leaders of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster.
The Exhibition Road project was formally completed late last year after three years of construction work and today kerbs, barriers and street clutter have been removed. The aim has been to improve access for all users and in particular for those using wheelchairs or push chairs. Cars have also been slowed by the introduction of a 20mph speed limit.
Speaking about the transformation at the drinks reception afterwards the Mayor said: “It’s been seven years since The Guardian condemned this space as a “weak urban canyon” and yet today if you look outside pilgrims from around the world come to marvel at the transformation – not just brilliant international students who come to Imperial – one of the greatest universities in the world – but also urban design specialists from Beijing, Korea, New Zealand and Germany who have come to admire the fantastic shared space that has been created.”
“The cumulative effect makes the area more liveable and more attractive and will bring greater income, investment and tourism to the area.” He added that according to an independent report by the London School of Economics the new scheme will bring extra income amounting to around £50 – 140 million per year to South Kensington.
Talking to Reporter about what the transformation will mean for future Imperial students he said: “I hope very much that Imperial students will enjoy the extra amenity we have helped to bring to one of the greatest universities in the world!”
One of the girls holding the ribbon at the event talked about what it meant to her and other wheelchair users. “When we came here two years ago it was completely different. To cross the roads as an independent wheelchair user was near impossible as there were no drop curbs and there were so many people. Now having the roads as they are we can come independently to visit the museums and not have to worry about access. We can have a great day out just like everyone else.”
Councillor Warwick Lightfoot, Cabinet Member for Finance at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said: “It’s exciting to celebrate this worthwhile investment and see an unattractive streetscape transformed and how it enhances extraordinary institutions like Imperial, the V&A and the Science Museum.”
Watch a slideshow of images from the opening ceremony
Watch the procession and the Mayor of London offically open Exhibition Road:
— Emily Ross-Joannou, Communications and Development
Tags: Exhibition Road
Posted in College, Students, Uncategorized | 9 Comments »
9 Responses to “Boris Johnson opens transformed Exhibition Road”
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Babagana Mohammed, PhD, DIC says:
What a fantastic accomplishment! It’s very nice that the transformation has been completed and that Imperial has got a road it deserves!
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Bala says:
February 5th, 2012 at 10:54 am
Great effort! Fantastic transformation. Well done!
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Nik says:
February 29th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
I’m sure the transformation is wonderful. But not having had the chance to visit it in person, I was hoping this video might give me some illustration of what had happened.
A shame, therefore, to get a 4 minute video of which 3 minutes is vox pop and the remaining minute is either adverts of photos of crowds on the road.
Any chance a new video can be posted that shows how the road looks now?
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Sophia Cook says:
February 29th, 2012 at 8:08 pm
The revamp does look very attractive but it is totally unsafe for pedestrians – particularly children – as there is no proper border to the road. Such a pity that they didn’t make it pedestrian only! Hopefully that will come later and the museum-goers will be able to really enjoy the space.
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Jim Orr ARCS says:
February 29th, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Great about Exhibition Road, but rather than people celebrating, how about a link to Google Views, or even some photos taken by IC?
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Rini says:
February 29th, 2012 at 8:54 pm
I’ve been at Imperial for almost 4 years and have been living just next to Exhibition Road since I started my first year, I can say Exhibition Road has transferred amazingly and I am in love with it now!
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Antonio Osorio-Cordero says:
February 29th, 2012 at 10:19 pm
I am looking forward to see this new Ehibition Road!
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Paul says:
I’ve walked down there a few times and although it looks really nice, nothing has changed. People still walk were the pavements were and cars still drive really fast were the roads were dispite the 20mph speed limit. “School of Economics the new scheme will bring extra income amounting to around £50 – 140 million per year to South Kensington.
“, sounds wildly optimistic! -
Titine says:
The new design is brilliant
