[David9694]

A new catch-all Tea Shop thread for those miscellaneous new stories that don’t quite fit with parking, crashing into buildings or trapped/prisoners in their homes. 

Topic

[chrisonabike]

I’ve been wondering for a

I’ve been wondering for a while where this eating bugs business comes from?  It sounds pretty good (depends on the bug of course, I’ve got some standards).

Obviously taking away people’s cars is total hyperbole though and will never happen!  Besides it’s far too lucrative for a few people.

[David9694]

And we could always rekindle

And we could always rekindle THAT debate – wing windows already? (Quarterlight) 

[David9694]

I sometimes wonder if there’s

I sometimes wonder if there’s enough interesting material for an “Oh! Mr Facebook” thread. 

[David9694]

…or a bike bike?

…or a bike bike?

[Cugel]

David9694 wrote:

Overnight road closures in Gloucester ‘make thousands of residents hostages in their own home’

More than a mile stretch of road will be closed overnight while road works are underway on the A430 Secunda Way in Hempsted

David Bucknell said: “We are now faced with over three weeks of Secunda Way being closed each night. With little or no provision for 4,000 residents who will be made hostages in their own homes by highways.

“Hostages”!  “In their own homes”!! Who is holding them there and what ransomes are being demanded? I imagine it will be carloons, unable to go out to murder cyclists and pedestrians so seeing if they can get some dosh from their neighbours to buy an even bigger SUV or perhaps just a better child-killer bumper for the front of their surburban tank.

Stockholm syndrome is bound to occur. Many of the hostages will already be minor or proto carloons themselves.

Perhaps we should club together to buy these hostages some draughts or dominoes to pass the time? Can the paper lads get through to deliver their Daily Hysteria, Express Liar and other essential infotaintment-for-dafties? They must have something to do, the poor dears.

They might all be dead of immobility by now, or well on the way, glued into an armchair staring at the tele despite there being nothing on it worth watching.  Forget the draughts and dominoes – send them all an exercise bike!

[brooksby]

This image turned up on my

This image turned up on my wife’s FB over the weekend:

 

[David9694]

Overnight road closures in

Overnight road closures in Gloucester ‘make thousands of residents hostages in their own home’

More than a mile stretch of road will be closed overnight while road works are underway on the A430 Secunda Way in Hempsted

David Bucknell said: “We are now faced with over three weeks of Secunda Way being closed each night. With little or no provision for 4,000 residents who will be made hostages in their own homes by highways.

“Work is being undertaken at night to minimise disruption. For safety reasons we cannot allow vehicle access through the site during the overnight closure when work is going on, but we are working on ways to allow some essential access for residents living within the closure when safe and practical.

“A diversion route is in place throughout the works and pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.”

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/overnight-road-closures-gloucester-make-8706294

[ktache]

Not generating much heat

Not generating much heat through not pedalling as hard…

[HoarseMann]

ktache wrote:

woman who I share my morning rail journey with, changed from escooter to acoustic bicycle

Well, you wouldn’t want an e-bike in Reading in the summer, I was there yesterday and saw some very cold looking chaps whizzing up the road. At least with an acoustic bike you will be warm and won’t need to wear a balaclava…

[ktache]

Flammable stuff that petrol.

Flammable stuff that petrol. Diesel a little less so.

As I understand it fire services approach to EV fires, which will happen, they get damaged, is to cover with a blanket, and let it burn.

I’m guessing there is a worry about fast charging in home garages.

I’ve seen posters up at Reading station about no escooters, but don’t know if the guards are doing more than having a word, or what the gate staff are doing. Was on a Southern service in the week, they were using a TV adboard to inform of the ban.

Bit of a shame, based on their lack of legality, made the perfect to/from station transport. Couple of months back, woman who I share my morning rail journey with, changed from escooter to acoustic bicycle.

Sure I’ve seen escooters on the GW service in regularly take since the ban, but very few manned stations.

[David9694]

The three major changes a

The three major changes a transport expert says the Welsh Government should have made to its 20mph rollout

The transport expert has raised concerns about the impact of the Welsh Government’s new default 20mph speed limit

Transport expert : Professor Stuart Cole CBE, an Emeritus Professor of Transport Economics and Policy, University of South Wales (it usually turns out to be guff put out by a medium-sized fleet hire company or an obscure trade rag with a name like Motaquest).

His points:

• Welsh Government’s objectives were “appropriate” (a concern?)
• start off in urban areas where most casualties, etc occur 
• the government should have introduced bus priority measures to accompany the scheme

[David9694]

Somerset villagers try to ban

Somerset villagers try to ban non-residents from driving through

Sounds like you guys want an LTN? 

“…councillor Oliver Patrick shared a message with thousands of local residents on social media claiming that “enough was enough” and non-residents had been barred from driving through the narrow lanes of Hardington…”

” ‘Somerset Highways has restricted access into Hardington to ‘residents only’. If you ignore these signs, continue to cut through Hardington without a legitimate reason, and are involved in a collision, then your insurance may not cover you.’ “

“a spokesman for Somerset Council said: “The council is trying to restrict access to non-residents by appealing to the better nature of road users with the use of advisory signs.”

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/somerset-villagers-trying-ban-non-8699040

[David9694]

Tell me again about that

Tell me again about that dangerous, flammable e-scooter. One month’s worth of “car bursts into flames” uk news stories: 
 

[David9694]

Another media “cyclist lucky

Another media “cyclist lucky to be alive” focus / reframing and the story of the driver doing a hit & run not developed. 

Helmet credited with saving doctor’s life after crash

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/23748090.helmet-credited-saving-doctors-life-crash/

PS The cycling mayor isn’t an official appointment, but I can see him ending up not pleasing anyone here – the BE are in sensitive mode at present when the comments get out of hand as they invariably do whenever he, cycling or speed cameras or e-scooters come up, otherwise I’d have told him where he can stick his “opinion” (even though in practice I follow it). 

“Derek Heritage, Bournemouth’s recently appointed ‘cycling mayor’, said: “My opinion is that cyclists should always wear a helmet. I have two close friends who were involved in accidents and believe they could have died had they not been wearing them.”

[David9694]

Do dogs crap in the country

Do dogs crap in the country park? 

Dog waste may harm nature reserve biodiversity by fertilising the soil

“especially high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphates were measured within 200 metres of parking areas across two of three sample sites”*

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2307320-dog-waste-may-harm-nature-reserve-biodiversity-by-fertilising-the-soil/

* I made up the quote, but it does fit with my experience of walking in the New Forest: a lot of the nuisances the locals complain about arrive by car – e.g. fly tippers, car park thieves, idiots who pet the livestock, a well as the direct actions of verge parking, gate blocking and killing the livestock. 

[Author]

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