London gets on with it

Article by: Sarah Johnstone, August 2005

London came under its worst attack in 60 years last week, but everyone is talking about getting back to normal.

Prime minister Tony Blair has paid tribute to people's resilience in the wake of four terrorist bombs, which shattered three Underground trains, one bus, and many more lives than the 52 so far lost. Mayor Ken Livingstone has emphasised the need to carry on. Even former New York mayor Rudi Giuliani, who in another piece of surreal timing was in London when it experienced its 9/11, has spoken in admiration of the lack of panic.

Ordinary passengers, of all colours, races and creed, largely agreed with the politicians. Emerging on Friday and Saturday from the re-opened tube stations, they muttered things like 'got to get on with it' as they dashed past journalists – although, when pushed, most of them confessed to feeling, well, a little nervous.

Mobile-phone snapshots and stories of lucky near-misses have been doing the rounds among friends. Even at a dark time like this, locals haven't lost a sense of humour. Much of this has coalesced in 'up yours' displays of solidarity, uniting London and abroad through websites like http://www.werenotafraid.com.

On the day of the attacks, there were scenes of commuters streaming out of the capital on foot, which both harked back to Dickensian times and appeared sci-fi apocalyptic. The city's oft-overlooked Thames commuter boats ruled the waves; Soho's gimmicky rickshaws were suddenly the most popular ride in town. Bicycles were bought up; hotels were booked out, some of the latter copping flak for inflating prices.

Soho's gimmicky rickshaws were suddenly the most popular ride in town

Now a kind of abnormal normality has descended on the capital. Commuters are back on the tube, albeit in slightly reduced numbers and increasingly watchful of their fellow passengers. Tourist attractions like the London Eye, which closed on Thursday and part of Friday on police advice, are again welcoming visitors.

In many senses, London is, as the authorities have declared, 'open for business'; and there's a massive police presence to give reassurance. (Even cynical Londoners who might refer to Bobbies as dim-witted 'plod' on any ordinary day have nothing but praise for the police and the other emergency services for their superb handling of Thursday's events.)

However, of course there are scars immediately around the four bombsites at Aldgate, Edgeware Rd, King's Cross and Upper Woburn Place, where forensic work continues behind polythene sheeting. Mourners and well-wishers steadily stream in to the ad hoc memorial garden at King's Cross to lay floral tributes.

There are other holes in the semblance of business-as-usual. Sirens provide a nervy backdrop, taxis are permanently occupied, people are back behind the wheels of their cars, big-time, and traffic is moving very slowly. Knowing the perpetrators are still out there, and that London is on its highest alert, many suddenly seem happy to pay the £8-a-day congestion charge for driving into central London. At least, they're happy to do so this week.

Hotels and hostels, especially those in the vicinity of the attacks, admit they've received cancellations. However, the bulk were confined to the immediate aftermath of the bombings. Tourism authorities are confident that as a major world city London, like Madrid before it, will weather the storm.

'Burning with fear? Not bloody likely!'

The city will never forget this moment in its history, and last week's events will have subtly changed it forever. But it has not been broken. As one visitor has written at the King's Cross memorial garden in reference to a largely disbelieved website claim of responsibility for the attacks: 'Burning with fear? Not bloody likely!'