Year of the Bus sculpture on Edgware Road
A one-off design of a New Routemaster sculpture has taken pride of place brightening one of London's busiest streets. 'Come Rain or Come Shine', designed by Thomas Dowdeswell, is a colourful bus sculpture sponsored by London Highways Alliance Contractors- four joint ventures providing a full range of highways services across the capital for Transport for London (TfL) and many London boroughs.
The striking artwork adorns a model of London's New Routemaster bus measuring 2.5m long, 1m high and 0.5m wide, part of Transport for London's 'Year of the Bus' celebrations, and will be displayed on Nutford Place, just off Edgware Road for at least the next five weeks.
It is one of 41 sculptures that have been sited across London on three walking trails - Around Westminster, Around the River and Around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The sculptures will be auctioned early next year with the proceeds shared between Kids Company, Transaid and London Transport Museum.
Dana Skelley, Director of Asset Management at TfL said: 'This bus sculpture is a delightful addition to Edgware Road. The striking design contributes to the vibrancy and diversity of the local area. London Highways Alliance Contractors and TfL work around the clock to improve London. The changes we've made in this area are a great demonstration of this partnership.'
As part of its continuing programme of road modernisation, TfL has made a number of changes to regenerate Edgware Road over the past year as part of the Edgware Road Partnership.
The work has been done with the help of Westminster City Council, local businesses, landowners, and other local organisations. These have included improving pathways, street lighting and the road surface along Edgware Road between St John's Wood Road and Marble Arch.
There are also upgraded traffic signals at two key junctions along the route, helping to provide greater accessibility for pedestrians around the area. London Highways Alliance comprises Ringway Jacobs (North East London), EM Highways (South London), Conway Aecom (North West London) and CVU (Central London). For more information about the London Highways Alliance, please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/roads. For more information about Year of the Bus events, visit www.tfl.gov.uk/yearofthebus and www.ltmuseum.co.uk
The London Highways Alliance Contract (LoHAC) has been developed as a joint initiative between TfL and London's boroughs, to deliver a reliable, reputable and cost-effective highways service across the Capital.
Events and activities are being held throughout 2014 to celebrate TfL's Year of the Bus, in partnership with London Transport Museum and the capital's bus operators - specifically the role that London buses, bus drivers and the staff who support them play in keeping the capital moving. The Year of the Bus also marks a number of important anniversaries including 60 years since the creation of the original and iconic Routemaster, 75 years since the launch of its predecessor the RT-type bus, and 100 years since hundreds of London buses were sent to the Western Front to play a crucial role during the First World War
Further information on the Year of the Bus sculpture trails can be found at: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/campaign/sculpture-trails
Photos of New Routemaster bus sculptures in Trafalgar Square and of sculptures that have already been painted and adorned - are available on Flickr at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tflpress/sets/72157648389362150/
London buses carry 6.5m passengers a day and, alongside the Tube - which carries around 4m each day - provide the backbone of London's transport network. It's one of the largest bus networks anywhere in the world, with an 8,600-strong bus fleet, operating across around 700 routes serving 19,500 bus stops. Despite its size, the bus network remains flexible and able to adapt to the challenges of operating in a constantly changing streetscape.