Councillor blames fall in Brighton’s tourism since 2020 on parking prices… conveniently forgets Covid lockdowns; Wout van Aert gets flagged on Strava; Peter Sagan “deeply sorry for screwing up”; London’s most useless bike lane? + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Too fast for you? Wout van Aert gets flagged on Strava
Flat 100-km ride, how quick do you think you can do it?
Now, how quick do you think a certain Wout van Aert can do it?
After demolishing a 104.2km ride in 2 hours and 18 minutes, with an average speed of 45.2 km/h and max speed of 63.8 km/h, the Belgian rider’s activity has been flagged on Strava.
This comes just a couple of weeks after we reported that the activity-sharing app is updating its algorithm to flag suspicious activities, after a host of nefarious Strava fanatics started using motorbikes to cover segments and steal cyclists’ prized possessions of KOMs/QOMs.
All his segment records have been excluded as of now. So the locals are probably safe from waking up to the dreaded “Uh oh” message, only to find that they have lost their crown to a three-time cyclo-cross world champion.
But if you would anyone to expect to be putting up those numbers in the world, Van Aert is probably going to be in the top three or top five, at least. And with a little cycling get-together due to begin this weekend, maybe he was doing final training runs?
Cheating? In cycling? Never heard of that before...
Okay this one’s a bit different. Everyone talks about doping, we know cycling went through that. But there’s a time and place for other, non-substance reliant cheeky and sometimes eye-gouging ways to get yourself over the finish line. And that’s what we take a look at here…
> Cheating at the Tour de France — a rich history dating back 120 years
Why you should read this blog for prepping for the next pub quiz: Evidence #4,192
Not cycling related per se, but with the Tour making its way from the Basque city on Saturday, it qualifies. Also, just a really good trivia worthy of a blog mention.
Random 1923 connection: This was the year that Athletic Bilbao won the Copa del Rey. They were managed by a man from Wolverhampton called Fed Pentland, famous for his bowler hat, and nicknamed “El Bombin” – he revolutionised the way that football was played in Spain. pic.twitter.com/rB5eFHXjr4
— Ned Boulting 🏳️⚧️ (@nedboulting) June 29, 2023
Is this London's, and perhaps the world's most useless bike lane?
You have been merrily pedalling your way from Peckham for a nice Chacago-style pizza in Soho (and a couple of pints, of course), when just a few minutes into your ride, you are reminded that you will have to cross the dreaded Westminster bridge.
Has that ever happened to you? If not, you’re lucky and I hope it never does.
London’s – perhaps the world’s – most useless bike lane strikes again. pic.twitter.com/TNpwP0P2J2
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) June 28, 2023
But I’ll spare a thought for all those who’ve had to endure the trials and tribulations of this bike lane. Sometimes I think if it didn’t exist, how would all the people take pictures of the Big Ben or the House of Commons?
It’s a mistake people only make once.
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) June 28, 2023
Although I personally don’t have anything against the ice-cream van — it’s a landmark in itself, probably more iconic than all the other towering monuments around it — but the queues for a cone of indecently overpriced ice-cream do get a bit much.
Apart from the fact that just behind me there were about another 50 people stood in the bike lane to take pics with Big Ben in the background.
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) June 28, 2023
Jeremy Vine has a solution.
That said, an Airzound horn does help clear the path
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) June 29, 2023
But this one’s my favourite:
Park it the other way and hand out 99s to passing cyclists like marathon runners passing a water station
— Danny Chips (@danny_chips_) June 29, 2023
Lotto Dstny sports director Allan Davis won’t travel to Tour de France following accusations of inappropriate behaviour online
The Australian DS, a former pro rider himself, has been accused of sending inappropriate messages and photos to “at least 30 women” on social media, with Lotto Dstny claiming that the matter “has nothing to do” with the team.
Well, this would go down well for a team heading into the Tour de France on a wildcard.
Peter Sagan "deeply sorry for screwing up during a moment of weakness", after getting caught drunk driving
Another wild night out Pete? Wait, a wild morning out?!
The three-time world champion was handed a three-month suspended prison sentence, and banned from driving for the same period yesterday, after he was caught drink driving on a motorised bike through the streets of Monaco on 12 May… at 11:35 AM.
> Peter Sagan handed three-month suspended prison sentence for drink driving
At least he wasn’t behind the wheel of a car. I’m guessing it’s also significantly more difficult to perform wheelies on a four-wheeled vehicle than a two-wheeled one.
The TotalEnergies rider has now posted a supremely awkward apology video on Instagram, and he looks absolutely devastated. Or I think, that’s what I’m trying to believe.
He says in the video: “I am reaching out to tell you I’m deeply sorry for screwing up after a moment of weakness. I would like to apologise to my family, my friends, my team, our sponsors and everybody that supported me. I’m committed to learn from this mistake and becoming a better person in the future.”
Not the best thing to tackle when you’ll be starting your last Tour de France in under 50 hours. But hey, can’t be worse than Lotto-Dstny.
“Those are definitely middle aisle bike stands”: Cyclists raise security fears after discovering that new cycle stands at Aldi entrance can be lifted out of the ground
PSA: Please avoid middle aisles for bike stands.
TotalEnergies cancels pre-Tour press conference following Peter Sagan's drink driving sentence
It’s never a good look having your star racer get caught riding a motorised two-wheeler drunk. Especially if it’s just two days before the biggest cycling event of the year.
TotalEnergies was supposed to hold a press conference today ahead of the Grand Départ on Saturday, but apparently it’s been cancelled now, after it was reported that three-time world champion Peter Sagan was given a three month suspended prison sentence for drink driving in Monaco yesterday.
Sagan has since then uploaded a really awkward apology video on Instagram, and his lawyer said that Sagan was exhausted at the time. “As he was very tired due to jet lag and only six hours of sleep, he did not think he had such a high blood alcohol level,” his lawyer told the court.
But of course, last month’s reckless behaviour isn’t the first time that Sagan has found himself on the wrong side of the law thanks to drink driving.
> Peter Sagan fined for breaking Monaco COVID-19 curfew and injuring police officer
In November 2021, the Slovakian star was fined €5,000 for infringing Monaco’s Covid-19 curfew and injuring a police officer who attempted to take him to hospital to undergo a drug test.
Sagan, who was drunk at the time of his arrest, was travelling on his scooter with younger brother and fellow pro Juraj, with his lawyers later claiming that he began to struggle with the officers because he feared he was going to be “forced to be vaccinated”. The 33-year-old later apologised for his actions, which he claimed were due to his excessive alcohol consumption that night, something he said he was not used to
"I hope Mark has a good Tour de France": Fabio Jakobsen sends Cav best wishes for Le Tour
Us too, Fabio, us too.
Soudal Quick-Step’s Fabio Jakobsen has wished former teammate Mark Cavendish all the best for this year’s race, saying: “I hope Mark has a good Tour de France. I think he has shown in Rome [in the Giro d’Italia] that he still has it, so it will be nice for the people and spectators to watch to hopefully see him get the result he wants – which is obviously a stage win!”
Seems the two elite sprinters are fond of each other, after last year’s Wolfpack’s Tour roster selection drama (which Netflix completely seemed to gloss over in one of their recent series vaguely about a cycling race in France).
Last year, Jakobsen had revealed that the team wanted him as their fast man for the Tour, leaving Cavendish to race the Giro d’Italia instead and short of that one elusive stage win that would take him clear of Eddy Merckx’s record.
Cav won the green jersey and four stages in 2021’s Tour de France, equalling Merckx’s 34 stage wins at the race. This year’s race will have eight flat stages for the sprinters, offering the Manx Missile opportunities to go out with a bang in his final Tour. And he’s shown that he’s still got it, after his heroics in the final stage of Giro d’Italia this year, aided by a brilliant leadout by old mate G.
🧶🚴🏽♂️ A wholesome Tour de France crochet cyclist appears!
Here’s some heartfelt and wholesome content for you readers.
Perched on a postbox like it’s just reached the summit of Alpe d’Huez on a solo breakaway, this cute and snuggly crochet cyclist is in celebration of a Wiltshire resident’s “nephews birthday (colours of his cycling team), Fathers Day and of course, the upcoming start of the Tour de France”.
Sent this way by our very own Patrick Joscelyne, this national treasure can be found on the main road through Holt, Wiltshire, at Melksham end. He says that although this was taken down yesterday because of the winds, it will surely be up there for the weekend.
Okay quickly where can I get one for myself now?
In the latest episode of "War on cars": Brighton's fall in tourism since 2020 is due to increased parking prices, definitely not the Covid lockdowns
Let’s see if I get this right.
Bella Sankey, a Labour councillor in Brighton has accused the Green Party’s increase in parking fee for drivers for causing the popular tourist destination to supposedly see fewer people come in the last three years and suffer a £1.2m fall in parking revenue.
Am I forgetting any particular global event which might have put off the said people to go and have fun at the beaches?
As much as I’d like to, I just can’t seem to get around and do this trick of forgetting. But seems like someone has figured out a way to erase those wretched memories of being stuck in your home in your PJs, watching too much YouTube and Netflix, and eating an ungodly amount of Skittles. Erm, the last one might be just specific to me.
The Telegraph reports that Sankey blamed “incompetence” of the Green Party council, which after increasing the parking fee seems to have “scared off” the drivers, leaving a “black hole” in the city’s finances.
The Greens were running a minority administration since 2020 until earlier this year, until the Labour won back majority of the Brighton and Hove City Council, and during that time, the former party presided over a string of increases in the cost of parking in the city for visitors and permit-holding residents.
> Cars to be banned from road along Brighton seafront to allow people to exercise safely
In April 2020, the council had also closed a major road along the south coast resort’s seafront to motor traffic to give locals more space to take their outdoor exercise while maintaining social distance during the coronavirus pandemic.
But the convenient rewriting of the last three years and somehow blaming the increased parking fee for people for not leaving their houses as much to go to the beach has left people on social media baffled.
Anything else that could’ve put people off day trips from 2020-22? Anything? Hmm.
— Kyle Mcnamara (@KyleMcn12667834) June 28, 2023
Did anyone also forget the cost of living crisis?
There is no link between this and the drop in tourism, you clutching at straws. The country as a whole is going through a cost of living crisis. People would not be put off just because of a rise in car parking.
— Keith Beard (@KeithBe63758343) June 28, 2023
Or maybe, people still went to Brighton, but just not by cars?
The article doesn’t have any evidence fewer people went to Brighton – it just says parking revenue went down as fewer people went there by car.
— London Cycles (@London_Cycles) June 29, 2023
"Actively against active travel": Brighton's Labour council accused of "wilfully destroying cycling infrastructure"
Remember the morning’s debacle of Brighton and Hove Labour council leader Bella Sankey claiming that falling revenue from parking over the last three years meant that Brighton’s tourism was in a crisis due to the increased parking prices by the former Green council… all the while conveniently forgetting the lockdowns due to the pandemic?
Sounds bizarre? Believe me, it is. But some people are now concerned with the council’s apparent anti-cycling and walking outlook, saying that it’s now showing through the cracks.
Last week, we had reported that Sankey and the Labour Council came under criticism for their inappropriate use of language. Announcing the plans, Sankey said: “Our announcement today has the potential to be a win-win-win for pedestrians, cyclists, and road users. We passionately believe in promoting walking and cycling in Brighton and Hove and delivering the highest quality, permanent, active travel infrastructure.”
Echoing Sankey’s statement, Brighton and Hove Labour’s Twitter account emphasised that “it is our duty as your representatives to get this right whether you’re a cyclist, pedestrian, or road user” – an interesting distinction also used by the council leader and picked up on by several cyclists on social media.
Now road safety advocate Adam Bronkhorst has tweeted about the Labour council’s more anti-active travel decisions. He gave these five instances as evidence against the council on Twitter.
On these actions, do you think a council are for or against active travel? 🧵
1. Voted to remove pop up cycle lanes
2. Opposed LTN plans
3. Cancelled seafront cycleway
4. Cancelled sustainable transport corridor
5. Called emergency meeting to reduce car parking charge increases— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) June 27, 2023
1. Brighton & Hove Labour Party voted to scrap one of the first pop up cycle lanes (which they themselves brought in), despite the council’s own report recommending to keep the lanes and that they were a benefit to the city. This road is still treacherous to cycle on.
2. They also voted to scrap the plans for the city’s first LTN, despite years of work towards this. Rather than try it and see; or amend it they voted to divert money away which scrapped it.
3. Within their first few weeks in majority control of the council, they voted to ‘look again’ at the plans, which have been designed, consulted, voted on (approved by them a few months ago) AND fully funded. This will mean delay and risk future funding.
4. In another blow, plans which have been years in the making (again they’re ready to start building), have now been delayed, yet again, to be ‘reviewed’. There has never been a safe direct way to cycle to the seafront from inland in Brighton.
5. They are now holding a ‘review’ of increases in parking charges. Same party who didn’t vote against the same increases in February. The Labour leader says ‘council must recognise people’s concerns’ (but apparently not when it comes to active travel).
The decisions are now catching flak by Brighton and Hove residents.
Really great thread about how @bhlabour are pretty pants at taking action against climate change in the city, and proving that when it comes to active travel and supporting non-car modes of travel they’re just useless. https://t.co/3ywv0gtmFy
— Jack (@JackaryWoo) June 27, 2023
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them”. @bhlabour are actively working against active travel and showing zero leadership on climate action. https://t.co/sZc3cmAeAp
— Mark Doidge (@markdoidge) June 27, 2023
The whole parking debacle has also got TalkTV and Howard Cox involved today, with the usual average anti-cyclist and victimised drivers’ bingo. So I’m going to leave that out of today’s blog. Thank me later.
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
53 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris you've painted a rather alluring picture of social harmony there, but unfortunately you've got my name wrong. I'm Jack, not Nigel. However, to return the compliment, I must think of a story for you. I imagine you sat outside a pub, real ale and pipe propped on the adjacent table, in a similar fashion to Nigel Farage at his populist best. You turn to your wife. "You know what dear? I think I've been a bit harsh in my time. I've shunned the politeness and wisdom of others for too long and want to change my ways.* "There there Rendel", says Mrs Harris. "You're not a bad old stick, it's just living in London that's emptied your soul of kindness and compassion. I've found a lovely new place where we can settle down in our later years. It's on a leafy cul de sac, surrounded by friendly neighbours and smiling faces. There's a guy a couple of doors down, a remarkable man. As well as his towering intellect and rapier wit, he's also a keen cyclist, holding severa local KOMs. Don't be perturbed dear - he'll ride with anyone provided they show other road users the kindness and courtesy they deserve." Rendel turned emotionally, voice shaking. "Oh my dear, thank you for this second chance", and with that the rest of the pub goers turned and applauded the couple, throwing garlands of petals in their wake. The end.
As a Councillor, Edward needs to be paying some attention to all that parking obstructing visibility and manoeuvres at the junction, and sorting out those radii.
Ed Hill was chucked out by Reform in 2025, though TBF to him it was about how to run it rather than ideology I think. He is now reportedly closer to Advance UK, which is distinctly more extreme than Reform. I'd call this Alan Amos style attention seeking.
Emily, thank you for such an insightful piece. I’m a man, but I enjoy watching the women’s races, possibly more than the men’s. The racing is so much closer, we rarely know who’s going to win. You painted a wonderful picture of how a true champion is able to ‘rise above’ setbacks and distractions, and focus their energy on the task in hand. ‘All’s fair in live and war -and sport, but always good to hear riders expressing their admiration for their competitors
@Nigel Garage ...and then everyone applauded my courtesy and I waved courteously to all the people who were courteously throwing flowers and cheering and courteously waving flags that said "Nigel is the best!"
The picture from street view clearly shows give way lines from the roads to the green painted cycle/pedestrian lane. The road user should give way (or must...) to the user of the green lane. This would of course apply to any cyclist on the roadway.
If I recall there is a cave or two along the route - perhaps they were sheltering from the heat in one of those having taken it for a Golf bunker?
“So if there’s a cyclist travelling down the cycle path at the moment, from this position I can’t see them because my blind spots are too big on the left hand side of the vehicle”, claims Hill. Well, there's your problem, right there...🙄
First impression from the headline that he's likely a twit. Then the detail he was expelled from Reform makes you suspect that failing even their low bar requirements he really is. Then he clearly explains his vehicle is unsafe for the highway because he can't see to give way when turning. Any collision he now has should have that video run out explaining he drove a vehicle he knew to be unsafe. Advice for motorists; instead of thinking that pedestrians and cyclists are low risk 100kg objects, imagine them as a 300 Tonne trains that will crush you and your vehicle if you cross into their paths. You'd give way to the train, so you equally can to the others.
I've had a brief look on Facebook, and Ed Hill (who now appears to be affiliated with Advance UK) seems to have taken some useful road safety improvements under his remit, including an initiative to help local pedestrians on unpaved roads, where the wider council won't help due to planning failures. Regarding the cycle path, I think this is linked to a wider misunderstanding about giving way at junctions and I'm afraid I cannot agree with Mr Hill's conclusion. Regardless of the suitability of the cycle path, vehicles should give way at the junction to both pedestrians crossing and cyclists. It seems to be a poorly understood rule among motorists where some believe they have priority at junctions like this, where they certainly do not. I once had a similar issue myself, while leisurely walking to Waitrose to buy some lunchtime fripperies. A driver beeped their horn as I crossed the junction, despite me having priority, and was shocked and apologetic when I explained I had priority. A polite conversation later, the driver departed, educated and updated on the rules of the road.
53 thoughts on “Councillor blames fall in Brighton’s tourism since 2020 on parking prices… conveniently forgets Covid lockdowns; Wout van Aert gets flagged on Strava; Peter Sagan “deeply sorry for screwing up”; London’s most useless bike lane? + more on the live blog”
Motor pacing behind a scooter
Motor pacing behind a scooter is common training for pros – get the speed into the legs, and hone the feeling&position for staying tucked in and aero behind others.
Yep. He’s Belgian, spiritual
Yep. He’s Belgian, spiritual home of motor pacing.
The question is, is that
The question is, is that cheating on Strava? Riding on a road with passing traffic assistance wouldn’t be. Riding in a peloton wouldn’t be. Riding with somone on a scooter feels like it would be but I am not sure why I feel that way.
Is it because the other
Is it because the other scenarios, the benefiting rider has no control over the speed of the drafter(?) but when motor pacing behind a scooter you have specifically setup to draft behind, you can set the speed?
I suppose it’s one of those
I suppose it’s one of those “it is but it isn’t” tropes.
Whilst he was getting motor pacing assistance, he still needed to push out a decent number of watts (and no doubt he was training with a power meter) and putting in a decent effort.
I wonder if Strava actually have rules on such incidents.
I have often thought how popular an idea it would be to have a seperate pro athlete and ameteur leaderboards, where the new automatic flagging thresholds will be higher. Strava already identify verified athlete profiles of pro racers so it surely wouldn’t be that hard.
Strava’s rules are quite
Strava’s rules are quite clear that motor pacing is not allowed for “ride” activities, and motor paced efforts are not eligible for segment KOMs etc.
You can still upload motor paced activities, using the “workout” activity type.
https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/216919387-The-Activity-Flag-Remove-an-Activity-s-segment-results-from-the-Leaderboard#determineflag
https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/360061896712-Excluded-Segment-Efforts
should be flagged it’s a
should be flagged it’s a motor paced ride
Brighton’s car parking
Brighton’s car parking charges are astronomical!
Coming from Portsmouth where there is lots of seafront car parking and resonable parking charges it was quite a shock on a recent visit to Brighton
The multi storey car parks were £7-8 an hour! and with no real on street parking and none really along the seafront you are being held to ransom
I wont be going back in the car anytime soon for a family day out!
Driving in central Brighton
Driving in central Brighton is hell. If I go to there, I take the train. Or if I need wheels, I park in the suburbs and cycle in.
The train goes straight there
The train goes straight there.
Why would you want to go by car ?
Hirsute wrote:
Sure the train goes “straight there” if you happen to be on that line. Else for most it means having to get to London Bridge and change, which adds cost as well more chance of getting caught in disruptio. That is assuming the trains are running, especially at weekends.
Why would you want to go by car? See above, also suggest you watch Ben Eltons “great train disaster” on C4. You would drive, because you actually want to get there!
They did say they were
They did say they were starting from Portsmouth…
Hirsute wrote:
That’s about the only valid reason I can think of for wanting to go to Brighton at all. It’s a shithole, with the traffic being the shitty icing on a turd-flavoured cake of junkies, insufferable ex-Londoners and dreadlocked jugglers in their stupid juggler hats.
Brauchsel wrote:
No, no – don’t hold back and be nice about it. Tell us what you really feel 😀
dammit you beat me to it
dammit you beat me to it 🙂
Brauchsel wrote:
Brauchsel wrote:
Juggling helmets – because clubs, fire clubs, rings or even knives! If it saves one life…
Hirsute wrote:
Righto. So when you check that there is 1 train per hour direct that takes 1hr 19mins, and one between that has a change and takes 1hr 31mins. The cost of this is £19.30 return (off-peak).
To drive is also 1hr 30min and 48 miles. And you seriously wonder why people would drive rather than take the train?
Takes the same amount of time
Takes the same amount of time, you can get held up, roadworks in play, can’t drink and drive. Plus car park charges.
Why would you drive ?
LOL! This is almost as funny
LOL! This is almost as funny as Rendells past assumptions that everyone has access to night buses! Like I say go watch Ben Eltons programme on the state of trains. There are far more reasons to avoid the train. If you drive, you know you can get home, that isn’t a given with trains these days. If you are a family the cost is is significantly higher than driving even factoring parking
I don’t actually think I have had a single week so far this year for my commute where I haven’t had problems at least once, and I am only going to the office 2-3 times a week. Yesterday signal problems meant I had to reroute and take a longer way home, pretty much all Thameslink services to Kent were cancelled. The reason I started cycling again was to get myself to a train station where there were more options and give myself means to get home when the trains, as they regularly do, get terminated early due to running late. Even off-peak and at weekends on the odd times I have tried to use the trains I have had major problems.
We are doing the prostate cancer walk next month in London, and I have been looking at how we get there. I have had to think of multiple options due to planned strikes the day before that may have a knock on effect, not to mention the tains may just go tits up anyway. I don’t like driving in London, but the trains are that bad lately this has included looking at parking options in London.
I get an email from South
I get an email from South Western Railways whenever there are problems on their trains. This is the past week – it’s not always this bad, but if the weather is too hot or too cold it seems to cause problems.
Glad I’m working from home most days.
I enjoy my job, the people I
I enjoy my job, the people I work with are great and the pay is considerably more than if I was doing the job elsewhere. However of I was back in the office full time, I’d be giving serious consideration to leaving. The trains have definitely gotten worse.
For a moment I was
For a moment I was transported by to my CSE Maths and expected the answer to be be “Billy’s shirt was red”.
Oldfatgit wrote:
Well honestly that is what using the trains is like today. A constant re-evaluation as your journey progresses as to whether you need to change train/route or even abandon it completely. They can’t be relied upon.
If I’m heading into the office my day starts by checking Southeastern trains, Thameslink and TFL to see which bits are broken, to work out which route to take.
The Park and ride costs seem
The Park and ride costs seem eminently reasonable?
You need to park all day,
You need to park all day, when it is just a fraction of that price per hour.
Seems a good strategy to get people to stay, and reduce traffic.
PSNI officer dismissed after
PSNI officer dismissed after lost bike found at his home
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66024692.amp
Rendell’s weekly beer order
Rendel’s weekly beer order in transit.
8 stops away.
This cyclist seems to be
This cyclist seems to be leading a master class in tick boxes….
Licence plate, no hi vis, no helmet, no lycra – just spotted the sandals too!
Massively impressive cycling – no way I could manage with just one keg!
HoldingOn wrote:
— HoldingOnI suspect that they are empty. Obvious really, she’s headed away from Rendel’s place.
I assumed they were empty –
I assumed they were empty – full would be incredible. Nevermind being able to cycle with all that weight, it would also be incredible that the wheels haven’t buckled!
Can they possibly be full? If
Can they possibly be full? If so, that total load is about one tonne… on two bicycle tyres!
Cyclist was thirsty !
Cyclist was thirsty !
fourth power rule goes brrr
fourth power rule goes brrr
Weekly? That’s breakfast!
Weekly? That’s breakfast!
(Actually I’m off the beer at the moment for weight loss purposes, the sight of that has made my throat feel like sandpaper; roll on Saturday when I’ve promised myself I can have a couple with the Tour de France)
If you’re going from Peckham
If you’re going from Peckham to Soho via Westminster Bridge for any reason (even for an appalling mess of a pizza), shouldn’t you be on the other side of the road from the ice cream van?
I had a UK family holiday
I had a UK family holiday last year and went along the coast from the new forest to brighton to london and home.. traveling by car, brighton was a highlight, I’d not been for years and I thought it a wonderful vibrant city with loads going on and good food and coffee on every corner.. stayed in a basement AirBnB 20mins walk from the centre.. finding a car parking space was an absolute chore, however once I’d gotten my head around the fact the city was trying to replace cars for other methods of transport (something I’ve never seen in the UK before) I picked my favourite pricey car park and paid my dues. I’d absolutley go back, unlike Portsmouth which seems to me to be a cesspit.
Seems to me that the news is another a silly non-news story from another silly career politician (Labour in this case/but all parties are wholly interchangeable)
Portsmouth the only Island
Portsmouth the only Island which is only worth visiting to get to or from a different island.
Lol at all the Portsmouth
Lol at all the Portsmouth haters!
Im quite happy here, have lived in worse places and it seems so have many other people i know as they have moved here through their own choice
Anyway reason for driving to Brighton and not taking a train is when you have 3 young kids plus all their beach paraphernalia along with whatever the wife deems to be useful on a day out then its much easier to load it all into the back of my 6 seater van than lug it 2 miles to a train station and then lug it from Brighton train station to the beach
Then if you fancy going for lunch or the fair/arcades or even into the town, what do i do with said paraphernalia if ive caught the train?
A day trip for us can cost easily over £250 so having to pay £65 to park for upto 8 hours makes a big difference to us!
You must be loaded mate?
You must be loaded mate?
A 100 mile round trip with the kids and missus in tow when Southsea has a perfectly usable beach right on the doorstep.
If you want to make an adventure of it go east down the promenade, past the old Eastney barracks and catch the ferry over to Hayling Island.
Of course the Isle of Wight would be an even grander option, but as always getting in the motor for a needless journey is always the best option.
Innit?
Used a halo II headband today
Used a halo II headband today . Look like a complete dork, but at least the sweat is not going into my eyes.
I use a Halo under my TT
I use a Halo under my TT helmet – best thing I;ve found for keeping sweat out of my specs.
Used a halo II headband today
Used a halo II headband today
So, is this a recommendation? I have not heard of these, but I need a thin one for under my helmet. I used a Lawrence of Arabia (or Yasser Arafat) teatowel under my hat during my recent epic no-rest-from-good weather trip to Skye, and it was really good for saving the neck and ears, but this Halo looks good if effective
I think bigfoz is giving a
I think bigfoz is giving a good recommendation.
I only used it today and it was only 5k to the shops but seemed to do the job as my forehead was sweaty on arriving home.
It has a band on the inside which blocks the sweat from going down, then it should wick away at the edges.
Designed to fit under a helmet and you won’t know it’s there.
Sagan – worrying behaviour.
Sagan – worrying behaviour. Of course he’s sorry (for getting caught) but it’s not the first time he’s been caught drunk driving.
Not the behaviour a top athlete should be indulging in. Hope he stays sober after he retires.
alchemilla wrote:
…and doesn’t do a George Best?
Bus stop bollards: Leeds City
[b]Bus stop bollards: Leeds City Council sorry for cycle lane error[/b]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-66045247.amp
I think this article misses a huge problem. With the bollards the bus stop isn’t much good, without the bollards the cycle lane isn’t much good. This demonstrates why you can’t just add some paint and some bollards and call it a cycle lane
Jogle wrote:
True. Either the bus stops in the main traffic lane or they remove bollards and the stopped bus forces cyclists to move out of the cycle lane and go around it (and if the bus knocks down bollards, then other motorists will think that they are fair game…).
Bristol Green Party are
Bristol Green Party are raising a petition to ask Bristol City Council to ban pavement parking:
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pavement-parking/
Good luck to them with that.
Good luck to them with that.
Up here in Scotland, a bill was passed to come into law in 2021 regarding banning pavement parking. It was kicked back to this year, 2023, so far nothing.
It will never see the light of day.
All we had was a consultation
All we had was a consultation, which was presumably overwhelming opposed to drivers being allowed to park on pavements, but no action taken. No report on the outcome.
I don’t know of they expected to be able to point to the results and say “we understand your pain, but the majority are in favour of pavement parking” Because I can’t see why they would run a consultation if they don’t want to do anything.
Two objections, one pedantic
Two objections, one pedantic and one serious. Pedantic:
“No love lost” means people really don’t like each other, not that they haven’t lost any love for each other as you imply.
Serious:
Seriously, he deserves credit for “only” driving pissed on a moped instead of in a car? Can’t quite believe you wrote that. Mopeds are more than heavy enough to kill someone and a drunken rider can create all sorts of chaos that could lead to other vehicles crashing and injuring/killing people. He’s been given a three month suspended prison sentence for drink driving and you say “credit where credit’s due” as if it’s not so bad?
Yeah, I thought the whole
Yeah, I thought the whole tone was a bit odd. Being pissed in charge of a vehicle is selfish and dangerous as well as illegal, not boys-will-be-boys hijinks. Despite the inflation, strikes and general air of despair it’s not the 1970s.