Power of Blogs

We live in an age when "joe blogs" can easily publish his/her thoughts to a worldwide audience. For many of us, it's simply our everday ramblings or vanity publishing. But events that have happened in London show another side to blogging. This egalitarian form of dissemination gives us access to eye witness accounts and news uncensored by official sources.

I've found this remarkable account from someone on one of the trains which I would urge you to read.

This blogger makes the very valid point about the design of the trains - the inability of people to get out of trains or at least get air into the carriages when such events occur.

As someone who experiences claustrophobia on the tube, it has always struck me how sealed the carriages are. Now clearly I understand that you don't want passengers to be able to easily jump out and run around over live rails but thought needs to be given to how trains can have breakable windows (like on overland trains) or perhaps emergency release hatches or something similar. Features such as these may not increase access time or prevent injury but I think that they would definately alleviate panic and also help by providing air flow into the carriages.

I'm sure there are far more intelligent and well informed people than me who can comment upon this. I only hope that, in the weeks and months to come, this aspect of the incident is examined carefully.