[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

[David9694]

It’s a nightmare to drive

It’s a nightmare to drive around the town

ST HELENS Council declared war on motorists a long time ago.

It’s a nightmare to drive around the town.

Lights, pelican crossings, so-called traffic calming temporary lights and roadworks everywhere, no parking everywhere.

Traffic wardens and even a two-hour limit for parking on the retail park… It’s pathetic.

This council have, over the years, turned our town centre into an eyesore concrete mess. It’s nobody’s fault but theirs.

https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/yoursay/letters/23745291.nightmare-drive-around-town/

Another driver writes

Decline of town centre comes from pedestrianisation

THE decline of St Helens town centre runs much deeper than parking – it comes from the pedestrianisation.

This pushes all big businesses to retail parks and the few businesses left in town struggle as the footfall of potential customers declines… Eventually they close.

Once closed, there is no revenue for the council and so there needs to be something in the building that will generate revenue again and the only viable option is a food outlet.

This is because you don’t have to go to them – they will deliver, there is no footfall needed here. 

Then there’s the people who work delivering the food. As demand increases, more delivery drivers are needed, which means more vehicles parked outside waiting for food so they can drop it off.

If the council wanted to truly regenerate this town, they would firstly reverse pedestrianisation of the town centre, allow vehicles back in, create more parking and put a limit on food outlets providing takeaways.

Yes, I know it creates jobs for drivers who deliver – but ultimately that’s all town will be in the end.

The last thing the town centre needs is knocking down and building accommodation and wine bars. Apparently, we need a new bigger bus station? Why? I can’t see people flocking here to go shopping; most of the bus services have been reduced or some just discontinued.

Get the conditions right and the town centre will thrive into the bustling place it used to be, pre-retail parks and pre-pedestrianisation.

These are two massive factors in the decline of the town centre.

[ktache]

I thought it was LTNs and

I thought it was LTNs and cycle lanes that slowed them down…

[David9694]

Who knew?? And there was me

Who knew?? And there was me thinking it was well, I dunno anything but too many cars

Firefighters being slowed down by traffic says Kent Fire and Rescue Service director

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/firefighters-are-being-slowed-down-by-traffic-292379/

[HoarseMann]

I have to say I was a bit

I have to say I was a bit intrigued by this overturning car transporter, especially as one of my regular routes is plagued by them (well, not the overturning bit, despite the presence of me, lycra clad, on a bicycle).

I think this is the exact location where our hero lorry driver was ambushed by the sudden appearance of cyclists (judging by the shape of the tree in the video).

https://goo.gl/maps/GGNJzDXgR5EScFxt7

Hmm…

[Rendel Harris]

By sheer coincidence a copy

By sheer coincidence a copy of the Daily Mail from next week happened to fall through a wormhole in space and then through my letterbox this morning, containing the following story:

NOT A SINGLE CYCLIST HAS SAID THANK YOU TO HERO TRUCKER

Hero trucker Richard Kilburn, 61, who last week crashed his transporter but managed not kill some cyclists when doing so, has revealed NONE of the lycra-clad ingrates has been in touch to thank him. “I wasn’t expecting any medals,” the heroic driver told the Mail, “but I did think they might have at least said thank you and maybe sent me some wine or an Amazon voucher. I guess that’s just the way people are these days, you don’t kill them and they just don’t have any gratitude.”

(Heavy-handed facetiousness aside, I once had to copyedit a series of instructional manuals for US trainee truckers; as I recall the primary cause of jackknifing was excess speed, especially going downhill, in sidewinds, so our “hero” would appear to be rather more responsible for the incident than he or the Hate admit)

[David9694]

“Hero Trucker.”  I read the

“Hero Trucker.”  I read the Mail, so you don’t have to. He lost control of the car transporter on a downhill – it’s a remarkable framing of him as hero and victim. 

‘When you are driving those transporters and there is a cross wind they can sway a bit because of the weight and that’s what happened to him.

It got to a point where he reached the tipping point, and it went over but he went over on the side of the road to avoid the cyclists in front.

‘If he had miscalculated it he would have ended up squashing them instead of scratching a few cars which will now have to be written off.”

 

[IanMSpencer]

Well, crashing a 40 tonne

Well, crashing a 40 tonne lorry is just one of those things you expect to happen every now and again. Thank goodness this driver was able to crash with such skill and daring.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12448151/Pictured-Hero-trucker-took-evasive-action-avoid-group-cyclists-wrote-2million-cargo-supercars.html

(I suspect there is a whole topic of stories along the lines of “I was driving like an idiot and kindly crashed with great skill to avoid killing lots of people”).

[David9694]

The people on the Welsh

Avid cyclist alert

The people on the Welsh border ‘confused’ and ‘frustrated’ over how fast they’re supposed to be driving

‘It’s going to be a nightmare for people to realise and remember’ said one person of the different driving laws

Barry Watson (not the avid cyclist, he comes up later), who owns businesses with bases either side of the bridge including Chepstow Property Services and Wye Emporium, employs drivers who cross the border daily. “We travel it every day and the issue is the speed restrictions going up and down all the time,” he told WalesOnline from his Sedbury base.

“Why in the UK is there not a uniform rule for speed on default roads? It doesn’t make sense to me, and it’s particularly frustrating for people having to cross all the time. It suggests that one lot has got it wrong and the other is right, doesn’t it?

yes, Barry it does 

I wonder how much money the authorities in Wales will gain from the amount of people who are going to be fined because they’re so confused by it all, especially if they don’t live in Wales.”

Drivers are raving about this simple trick to avoid speeding fines 

“Even as a cyclist I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said of the new Wales policy. “Generally I think most drivers are very patient and forgiving and drive very appropriately beside me. I worry that all this will do is attempt to force drivers to slow down and some will be annoyed by that. Sometimes I’m cycling faster than the drivers. I would worry about drivers who are angry and frustrated.”

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/people-welsh-border-confused-frustrated-27577381

 

[David9694]

Disappointing that these

Disappointing that these county councils are behaving this way, having lost their legal case – puerile stuff. 

[David9694]

Nottingham personal trainer

Nottingham personal trainer appeals ‘ludicrous’ park and ride fine after being clamped for parking overnight

NET said its rules are ‘clearly displayed’

Mr Raeside complained that the signs were not clear enough to motorists. “The signs that I saw were quite big with lots of writing on, it’s effectively small print,” he added.

“I was convinced in the knowledge of being able to do it as I had for such a long time. They need to put better signage up or make people more aware.”

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-personal-trainer-appeals-ludicrous-8703915

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/hundreds-cars-clamped-forest-park-8234446

[Rendel Harris]

From that article:

From that article:

It comes as motoring lawyer Nick Freeman warned that drivers entering the expanded Ulez from the Home Counties could have grounds to challenge fines.

Six of the seven Tory-run boroughs bordering the capital have refused to let TfL install Ulez warning signs.

Mr Freeman said the absence of such warning signs could result in a wave of successful challenges.

Looks like the top lawyer and road safety expert is talking cobblers again, as long as there is a sign on the boundary warning that drivers will be charged if they cross it in a non-compliant vehicle then they won’t have a leg to stand on. I suppose one could invent an unlikely scenario where they might have a case, for example if the boundary comes on a one-way street so they don’t have a chance to turn back, but in general, cobblers.

[David9694]

proudly independant, proudly

proudly independant, proudly employing local people, proudly supporting british makers and artists

[David9694]

What cars do to people:

What cars do to people: Driver attacks traffic warden in street with wooden pole

Police said a 41-year-old man was arrested and the incident was dealt with by a Community Resolution, which saw him pay for the victim’s damaged earphones

In this case, it looks like white van man bit off more than he could chew. 

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/driver-attacks-traffic-warden-street-27583964

[David9694]

Ulez spells ‘end for modern

Ulez spells ‘end for modern classic car (Evening Standard) ’

Trevor from Hillingdon initially talks tough with his Harley but eventually 

“I’ll still ride my bike, I’ll just refuse to pay the charge and I’ll take it to a garage to make it Ulez compliant at the first opportunity.”

No time like the present,Trev. 

https://apple.news/A6zNjpAtmRKKmnvP4T6HRUw

[chrisonabike]

HoldingOn wrote:

To be fair, much like me, they haven’t fallen off the transporter – merely gone with it when it has fallen over.

However it is, the picture shows one of the world’s most expensive sandwiches right there (outside of ones allegedly involving Donald Trump).  The filling alone’s likely way outside my budget.

[Author]

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