July 7th - Five years on

Today you are going to see & hear much from a variety of news sources, blogs and websites about July the 7th. It's hard to know what to say right now, as so much was felt and reported at the time. This time five years ago, I was blogging virtually every half an hour trying to keep people informed. Then for about a month or so following the horrible day, virtually every day's post was about the aftermath as the London Underground & travelling on it had changed so much.


Monument to the Victims of the London Bombings on July 7 by The Londoneer
However, we got on. We stopped looking suspiciously at people with rucksacks, or beards, or men of a particular race. We stopped being anxious every time a train got stuck in a tunnel. We stopped seeing pictures of people in Florida wearing "We're not afraid" T-Shirts. We began to travel on the Tube with the same "freedom" and in the same numbers that we did in the past.

July 7th 2005 changed me in a variety of ways, but fortunately I am still alive to be able to think and talk about those changes. Hopefully, this blog is able to make people think a little more about the Tube journeys they share with 3 million other people every day - the good things & the bad.

Today, many people will remember the 52 people who were killed. The permanent memorial in Hyde Park will probably be the focus. Floral tributes will be placed by relatives and friends of the dead at the five sites of the bombings.

Let's hope that today will mainly be a day without blame, or finger pointing. A day to remember those who lost their lives and also a day to support all those who were seriously injured, both physically & mentally. Ordinary commuters whose everyday Tube or bus journey turned into a nightmare. Please take some time out to think about them and their families.

I would love to hear your memories of Tube travel at the time, or if you have any personal thoughts on July 7th that you'd like to share.