45. Cockpit Steps Where? Abridged spiral stair case leading down to St James Park from Old Queen Street, Westminster. What? This week, a rare intrusion into the third dimension, courtesy of Cockpit Steps. The curious name alludes to a royal cockpit, where gentlemen of note would thrash their bantams against one another in the name of sport. Today, there is sign of neither cocks nor pits. Instead, a truncated helix twists 90 degrees around a......

We've told you about Westminster's recent shifts in attitude towards parking enforcement, and now it looks like they're attempting to change how traffic wardens operate. A new plan to have traffic wardens issue fewer tickets and give more drivers a chance to move their motors is being implemented over the next 12 months, with the hope that 10% fewer tickets will be issued. As 800,000 tickets were issued in 2007, that's hopefully a lot......

Following Westminster's purge of the Oxford Street sandwich boards whose draconian fines kicked in yesterday, the New West End Company (another of those BID companies) is also taking steps to improve the 'up West' shopping experience by quizzing its 100,000 retail staff on their knowledge of the "wonders" of the area. The company, funded by the area's businesses aims to make shopping in the West End a more pleasant experience for tourists and locals......

Plans for a pedestrianised Parliament Square piazza (a tautology, surely?) have been scotched by City Hall. Mayor Boz has decided to review an £18m plan minted by his predecessor to "do a Traf Square" on the area, paving the southern bit beside Westminster Abbey and putting in extra benches in aid of turning it into a nice spot to gather and graze. The reason for this rethink? Concerns over traffic congestion, an issue that......

It seems in Southall, one must ask oneself, do I want fries and a yellow wheelclamp with that? Two families in Southall should consider moving to clamping-free Westminster after two identical clamping incidents have put their cars and fast food buying habits out of action. Locals Kamran Victor and Tony Martino both had their cars clamped in the car park of MacDonalds, Southall branch on Uxbridge Road by overzealous area director Atul Pathak, who......

A tale here of two local councils and their contrasting approaches to the pressing issue of water usage. Following a government campaign announced earlier this year, Westminster council have binned bottled water from their offices in favour of glugging straight from the tap (via a glass or plastic receptacle, of course). They estimate that doing so will save them in the region of £12,000. The council has also vowed to replace pre-bottled water at......

Westminster City Council has announced that it is trialling a budget parking scheme in its Queensway car park. Using a pricing structure based on that of Easyjet, the hourly rate will vary depending on how full the car park is when the driver enters. When it is nearly empty customers will be charged as little as 20p per hour for the duration of their stay, a price which will rise on a scale to......

52. Snake Attack! When you consider just how congested the capital is, how on Earth do so many mysterious creatures suddenly appear within the hustle and bustle of it all? We've spoken of huge birds, wolves, mystery exotic cats, pigs in the sewers, seals in the ponds... and now... snakes! Adders are of course common in the UK, but for a handful of other relatives to suddenly appear in London over the course of......

The Porchester Spa Queensway, London, W2 5HS Nearest tube/overground: Bayswater, Queensway or Royal Oak Tel: 020 7792 3980 Hours: 10am–10pm, 7 days a week. Men only: Mon, Wed, Sat. Ladies only: Tues, Thurs, Fri. Expect to pay: £20.35 for admission (£11.55 for Westminster residents); any treatments are extra Rating: 8 out of 10 Behind an unassuming set of West London doors boils the Porchester Spa, an Art Deco palace of heat, steam and sweat.......

The souvenir shops are going to have to act fast to respond to Westminster Council securing the copyright to its street signs. No longer are the people making and selling the signs to tourists simply manufacturers or vendors -- they've now been stamped with a scarlet C for counterfeiters and they only have a month to obtain a license to make and sell the iconic plaques designed by Sir Misha Black in the '60. If......

Ken's race advisor Lee Jasper steps down Al fresco boozers in Harrow - you're no longer welcome Tessa Jowell unveils Olympic legacy action plan London is Eighties pop star territory: Whitney Houston to follow Prince and Jacko with comeback gig Al Sugar meets Ann Summers: sex shop boss to enter charity Apprentice Cinematic Spitalfields courtesy of Homemade via the Londonist flickr group.......

At first glance, this looks like a rather pleasant alternative to the Millennium Bridge - a verdant, undulating span like nothing else in London. But look at what's written along the side and you may feel your gorge begin to rise. The Diana Memorial Bridge is one of dozens of abandoned London schemes in a long-running thread on skyscrapercity forums. These include an X-rated erotic gherkin, a bulbous colander for Trafalgar Square and, our......

A quick poll amongst the people milling beneath the Londonist penthouse reveals that, while mayoral candidate Boris Johnson may have the jet-pack of publicity strapped to his back, folk are less sure about his policies. The Henley MP is trying to rectify that. In addition to his Back Boris website, and promise to resurrect the Routemaster, Boris is now bringing out the big guns, with a vow to scrap the western congestion charge zone.......