London's night time economy

Indeed yes, cut out the alcohol component and it could be a bit quieter and much safer at night. But I remember the noise made very late at night by theatre-goers in Covent Garden. Just did not care that they were walking around residential streets braying at the tops of their voices, waking children up. Not drunk, just socialising in someone else's neighbourhood.

I absolutey agree with everything PeterSpring says here.

There must be thousands of central London residents who believe this. But no-one who is in a position to do anything about it is listening. Look at the pedestrianisation and transformation of Oxford Street. Transport for London and the New West End Company are desperately enamoured of their 'vision' for a 'world-class' shopping destination that is the best public space in the world (spin, spin, spin). But they are not adding any new public toilets - so desperately needed, especially at night. The project discrimates against less able and disabled people, because it removes existing accessibility by drastically cutting the number of bus routes into the area, and relocating the bus stops beyond the reach of less able residents & visitors. So far no sign of funds for provision of a shuttle bus or similar. There are no plans and no funds for the extra 'policing' of noise and peeing that will be needed. I don't think you will ever find a way to stop people from making noise. It only takes a glass or two of wine and their voices get louder and louder. Once they are well-pickled they just shout and shout, in Soho, in Covent Garden, all along Oxford Street. They kick everything that makes a noise, break things, slam car doors, have arguments at full volume. The only solution is NOT TO HAVE 24-HOUR OPENING.

AlisonPrice - did you respond to the Oxford Street pedestrianisation consultation (closed on 3 Jan)? Because one striking omission from the exciting and visionary tranformation of Oxford Street into the world's best public space, world-class shopping destination - no new public toilets. There is one on Oxford Street West at the moment. I don't know if there is still one further down Oxford Street. I know a lot of people do not use them, especially when drunk, but that is partly due to not knowing where there is one, and also because there is a charge, even if small. The problem of getting your fingers around the right little coins when seeing double.

How can Oxford Street pedestrianiation be called visionary or world-class if they cannot even put in much needed public loos? And what about public loos for people with disabilities?

The business community wants a 24-hour economy, regardless of the costs to human health, and certainly does not want to pay for costs of insulating people's homes against impacts such as 24-hour transport noise. National regulation for protecting residential amenity needs a serious overhaul to make it much, much stronger. Noise is always at the bottom of everyone's agenda, except for those suffering from noise nuisance. There isn't going to be extra money for night-time staffing. There isn't for the 24-hour economy. Neither Tory nor Labour Mayor's have any interest at all in ensuring that their constituents can actually sleep at night in their own homes.

Totally agree with this community member -- the rickshaws are dangerous for passengers, the drivers cause traffic disruption, and rickshaw music is loud and creates noise pollution.

That would be just fine, if only there was the funding available to rehouse every resident who is suffering from the noise and/or vibration from the night-tube, the noise and pollution of the buses, and so-on. Probably a lot of houses and blocks of flats would have to be demolished and rebuilt with full insulation and buffering at foundations level. A lot could be converted into offices and workshops. But in some the noise and vibration are too severe for them to be used at all. Whole streets along the overground tube lines would have to go.

I think noise can be a big problem and anything that can be done to keep noise down is a good thing in my view. Although I am 71, I am sure many younger folk are in agreement. There has to be a balance between 24/7 opening and peace and quiet in the evenings - difficult to mange though it is.

Then who will pay for all the street management and security costs of late-night drinking? It seems irrational to on the one hand enable all-night drinking, and on the other to tax it to pay for trying to stop people from wanting to over-drink, booze at all hours, and so-on. A sensible limit on opening and sales of alcohol hours is by far the most efficient and economic way to go, especially considering just how much time and money it costs the NHS to deal with late night drunks.

totally agree

True

It is a levy on late-night alcohol providers, to ensure that the costs of cleaning-up the mess, washing the urine and puke of the streets, and the policing, are paid for by those who make the mess.