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Maybe we'll be seeing more tourists from London now? 
Friday, 05 November 2010
"If you can't wait for London's redesigned Routemaster don't worry - there will soon be a strikingly similar one on the road.
Unfortunately, you'll have to travel 1,200 miles to Macedonia to catch it." says Mark Prigg of This is London magazine.
The fifties RouteMaster is already on its way to Skopje which has ordered a total of 202 busses.
Mr Prigg explains that the city of Skopje had the Routemaster double deckers in use some fifty years ago, purchased by the local Macedonian government from London. They were in use until the devistating earthquake in 1963 which wiped out 80% of the city including the public transport system.
Fans of the Routemaster welcomed the Macedonian vehicle. "This looks like a design based on a very early version of the classic double decker," said Dave Paskell of the Routemaster Association. "The Routemaster has been around for 60 years, and it's wonderful to see it has stood the test of time so well that other countries also want to bring it back.
David Brown, managing director surface transport at Transport for London, said: "London's buses are an icon around the world and clearly the Macedonians have drawn inspiration from the capital. We wish them the best of luck. And Londoners won't have to wait much longer before they get to see our own new bus for London."
Comparing London and Skopje
Skopje
Population 668,518
Size 715.8 sq miles
Mayor Koce Trajanovski
Famous locals Mother Teresa, model Katarina Ivanovska
Landmarks 66m high Millennium Cross on Mt Vodno; Kale fortress
History Macedonia's capital, urban settlement from 4th century BC
London
Population 7,556,900
Size 607 sq miles
Mayor Boris Johnson
Famous locals Michael Caine, Naomi Campbell
Landmarks Tower of London, London Eye, the Gherkin
History Bronze and Iron Age finds near Thames. Romans founded Londinium in 50AD
Friday, 05 November 2010
"If you can't wait for London's redesigned Routemaster don't worry - there will soon be a strikingly similar one on the road.
Unfortunately, you'll have to travel 1,200 miles to Macedonia to catch it." says Mark Prigg of This is London magazine.
The fifties RouteMaster is already on its way to Skopje which has ordered a total of 202 busses.
Mr Prigg explains that the city of Skopje had the Routemaster double deckers in use some fifty years ago, purchased by the local Macedonian government from London. They were in use until the devistating earthquake in 1963 which wiped out 80% of the city including the public transport system.
Fans of the Routemaster welcomed the Macedonian vehicle. "This looks like a design based on a very early version of the classic double decker," said Dave Paskell of the Routemaster Association. "The Routemaster has been around for 60 years, and it's wonderful to see it has stood the test of time so well that other countries also want to bring it back.
David Brown, managing director surface transport at Transport for London, said: "London's buses are an icon around the world and clearly the Macedonians have drawn inspiration from the capital. We wish them the best of luck. And Londoners won't have to wait much longer before they get to see our own new bus for London."
Comparing London and Skopje
Skopje
Population 668,518
Size 715.8 sq miles
Mayor Koce Trajanovski
Famous locals Mother Teresa, model Katarina Ivanovska
Landmarks 66m high Millennium Cross on Mt Vodno; Kale fortress
History Macedonia's capital, urban settlement from 4th century BC
London
Population 7,556,900
Size 607 sq miles
Mayor Boris Johnson
Famous locals Michael Caine, Naomi Campbell
Landmarks Tower of London, London Eye, the Gherkin
History Bronze and Iron Age finds near Thames. Romans founded Londinium in 50AD
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