In 1865, an antiquarian named John Leighton proposed a surefire way to eliminate expensive cab fares in London: Convert the entire city to a hexagon grid, eliminating the twisty streets cab drivers used to extend rides and drive up costs.
According to Strange Maps:
Leighton suggested that the old borough boundaries should be altered to conform to a honeycomb pattern. Within a 5-mile radius of the General Post Office all the sprawling, differently sized boroughs were to become hexagonal-shaped areas, 2 miles across. There were 19 altogether with the City in the centre of the honeycomb. Each hexagonal borough would be identified by a letter, and the letter as well as a number would be painted or cut out of tin-plate to be visible by day and night on lampposts at every street corner.
Very efficient!
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