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Come with me to Fordingbridge
Come with me to Fordingbridge, or Disappointmentville as it’s known chez moi. There are so many small/medium-sized places riding this one.
Sitting at the western edge of the New Forest, with a pleasant riverside setting, bypassed, it should be a much nicer place than it is. It’s the wrong size, i.e.it’s big enough to have local problems, but not big enough for a one more lane will fix it solution. A couple of my cycling routes take me through here – you can get all the way to the south coast on minor roads.
The Facebook chatter is about what shopping people would like to see. The context is a couple of recent shop closures and the new housing planned and under construction to the north-west. I guess as long as I’ve been involved in this sort of thing the people who speak up often have aspirations for the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker independent shops and cafes that in this location it’s already been proven don’t make money.
The High Street itself (I’ve highlighted the shopping area) is narrow, suffers from pavement parking and simply is not a pleasant place to be on foot at any time of the day or evening, so I don’t hold out much hope for much retail revival in this form. There are lots of “give us free short-term parking” comments – back to our old friend induced demand, I guess. When the new housing was being proposed, the cry was often about the choked roads, etc.
I guess too this is the dormitory effect coming through – to live there, you’re a car owner, so to go anywhere you get in your car – it then makes little odds to you whether you then drive into your own town, or further afield.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A6HBVZ5TK/?mibextid=wwXIfr
https://www.newforest.gov.uk/article/1399/Fordingbridge-Car-Park-Fordingbridge
Stunning UK city divided as
Stunning UK city divided as super controversial LTN made permanent
The traffic scheme has divided the local community
I see in this follow-up story that the LTN has been given an upgrade to super controversial.
Supporting the scheme, travel change expert and University of Bath researcher Sarah Toy urged the council: “Stand strong in the face of this opposition from a vocal minority of car drivers. […] Opposition will fade away as the benefits become clear to everyone.”
She added: “As a transport professional, I am confident that the council’s consultation process has been robust, fair and inclusive. The reason for calling in this campaign is political and not evidence-based.”
What looks like a simple traffic scheme has caused real and serious division in the local community. Ms Toy told the committee: “The vocal minority campaign against has been delivered in an aggressive and bullying way which has, I know, frightened people away from publicly supporting the scheme.”
Was thinking of getting our Mr McCabe a present from the Radical Tea Towel company. My pick is this anti women’s suffrage poster – apparently if women can be given the vote then so can cats.
https://radicalteatowel.co.uk/posters/suffragette-cat-poster
Scruffy cathedral car park
Scruffy cathedral car park (bottom of the picture) operating since 2014 without planning permission refused
One of life’s simple pleasures is wondering about historic enclaves like the cathedral close (and the streets to the south) – the experience not enhanced by cars. One of the finest in the country, Salisbury cathedral close is home to residents, museums, a national trust property and a school. To the right of the pic, an independent school which includes the Bishop’s Palace – no access.
Scruffy car park, not the only parking in The Close, is tucked as out of sight as it can be; but to get to it, cars have to pass through the High Street Gate, which I think is a gem in itself. (The Harnham gate bottom right, smashed-up by a driver some years ago, is exit only.) The High Street Gate is also narrow and busy with visitors and the only cars I think belong there are those with the man with the red flag walking in front of them.
As was said in the meeting, not sure what you can do to make a car park any nicer – but here’s another example of something that should never have been allowed to get started in the first place. High Street Gate pays the price of induced demand.
Our scripture reading today is from Romans 13 : “1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended”
Glory be to God. Here endeth the lesson.
https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/25024225.live-southern-area-planning-committee/
EDIT Follow-up article contains “look what you made me do” reaction from the cathedral:
A spokesperson from Salisbury Cathedral said: “We are disappointed that our proposal to improve and regularise car parking at the southern end of the Cathedral Close was not approved by the Planning Committee.
“This means that we cannot proceed with plans that would work towards our goal of reducing carbon consumption and facilitating the transition to low carbon transport.
“We will also not be able to begin careful landscaping work in the car park that would improve the experience for worshippers, visitors, staff and volunteers. We will now consider the options of how we may move forward with this project.”
Active travel schemes are
Active travel schemes are ‘squeezing out motorists in favour of cyclists’
Go Rochdale!
With apologies
With apologies
Cycle Happy wrote:
[quote=Cycle Happy]https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/news-opinion/new-20mph-speed-limit-mansfield-10023690 Classic drivers logic here. Plus, for good measure, ignoring well proven safety statistics re pedestrians outcomes when struck by vehicles at 20mph compared to 30mph. What is it about driving that makes people so entitled and selfish? This is still as true today as it was in 1950 – https://youtu.be/mwPSIb3kt_4?feature=shared%5B/quote%5D
In any rational world, there’s no debate around this – drivers have not one fact that supports the notion that faster is in any way better for anyone except drivers. My other question is what plan, if you’re resisting this, do drivers have to stop all the crashes?
no, me neither, but there’s a
no, me neither, but there’s a nice “sausages” moment at 20″ in
EDIT Essential Sunday night viewing, That’s Life:
A bit of light rain is all it
A bit of light rain is all it was on Friday
Car flipped after aquaplaning on A338 Spur Road
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/25029358.car-flipped-aquaplaning-a338-spur-road/
Yep, laugh it up at the Tesla
Yep, laugh it up at the Tesla owners eco hippies, but the danger is that it gets caught up in the wider EV / petrol forever hate. Not sure why people in proper cars are going to pass you unless who have indeed ditched your Tesla and are walking.
Bristol Live? Bristol Dead if
Bristol Live? Bristol Dead if you want my opinion. There must be something in the area you can be doing today that the newshounds can report on? Surely there’s a cafe or a pub closing down, or someone’s got a rare 50p piece commemorating the end of the Boer War or a new jacket that shoppers can’t get enough of?
Gran says she would rather go to prison than pay £60 parking fine
Wendy Hill parked and tried to pay for a ticket but had to download an app
Instead of paying to park in the Fentiman Way car park, she’d instead mistakenly selected to park on Fentiman Way itself. Mrs Hill believes the RingGo app thought she was on the road rather than the car park as she’d moved onto the pavement between the two parking areas to use the app.
“I’m so law-abiding, if I hadn’t paid for a ticket I would have paid for one as soon as I got home.”
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/gran-says-would-go-prison-10043008
Woman fed up of entitled neighbours parking on her driveway takes matters into own hands
A woman has slammed her ‘entitled’ neighbours who kept asking her to park on their driveway simply because they didn’t want to park on the street – so she taught them a lesson
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/woman-fed-up-entitled-neighbours-10037600
One story of what a great convenience and time saver cars are from Hornchurch, Essex, another that probably didn’t happen from Reddit.
Grassroots anger tests Farage
Grassroots anger tests Farage’s grip on Reform UK
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8x4np7zkx9o
The two main parties have indeed had to deal with problems emanating from their grassroots. Nigel has to tame the disaffected and, by definition, unfocused mob he has summoned if he wants ever to be more than a bit player at the margins.
But when there’s nothing you stand for and all you have in common, is a lairy attitude (you keep the underlying disillusionment and anger with the world arising from your failures in life hidden, I assume) and something, something immigrants – well, it’s going to be difficult isn’t it.
I left a few weeks ago.
I left a few weeks ago.
Black ice or avoiding a
Black ice or avoiding a cyclist
Southampton: Car smashes into
Southampton: Car smashes into shop on St Catherines Road
The car ploughed into closed corner shop Jupider in the early hours of this morning, causing structural damage to the building.
This shop has been closed since it was ram-raided in January of last year.
https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/25029509.southampton-car-smashes-shop-st-catherines-road/
I certainly don’t put every
I certainly don’t put every story about every fatal crash I encounter, this pair just got me curious, like why are 90 year olds still driving and the visceral description of the injured motorcyclist. Why are the sentences different? The driver’s age, his behaviour at the time (call your insurance – good one), guilty plea?