malumbu

That's good news as I expect the Russians, North Koreans and Chinese authorities will have tried to destabalise SE London. Hmmm, thinking about it, how many are you are agents for these regimes if actually human? Those not from the metropolis will recall the trades fortnights in the summer when factories would coordinate closing down for a couple of weeks for the summer hols. With the quiet roads every day in the fortnight felt like Sunday. I think this is what Morrissey was thinking.

He was sadly attacked a few years ago and this may have contributed to moving on. He had a fairly long commute too,

With our road network there is always a balance to strike between the flow of vehicles, encouraging sustainable and active transport, pedestrian safety and access to amenities, Transport planers will do fine tuning with respect traffic controls, restrictions such as one way or no right turns, traffic calming, bus and other road user priority, traffic light sequencing etc etc. But ultimately it is the sheer number of vehicles on the road that leads to congestion. Which is my point that if we made smarter choices that would be beneficial for a number of reasons. Traffic calming is a whole subject of its own, and it is a shame that this is needed as too many would speed without it. Worse still there can be a negative impact both due to the severity of some traffic calming, and the simple reason that too few know how to drive smoothly over both traffic calmed roads and sadly on urban roads as a whole. It's right to prioritise pedestrians, over bikes, over buses, over essential transport such as deliveries, over motorists as a whole. Not sure how a simple widening of a pavement has led me and others to discuss road congestion. That's me lot. Just adding after seeing Angelina's post that many will automatically drive due to actual or perceived convenience, often incorrect cost assumptions (fuel used rather than whole life costs) and as it is is a habit. And a hard one to break.

If people made smarter transport choices there would be less pollution and carbon emissions. Whether they drive at all, how they drive, sharing journeys, the car they drive. As I have said numerous times. Why do some people insist on going on about the LTN at every opportunity?

Reminds me of being in the US many years ago where they have got rid of pavements in many areas as so many people drive to their local mall etc. Cars are responsible for pollution not pedestrians

Trump is driving a wedge between the UK and EU.

The posts on this part of the forum are virtually all complaining Sue. Some people wake up in the morning angry. Fortunately some of us don't. Looking at the world there is of course plenty to be angry about. We can discuss this on the Lounge. I try from time to time but they tend to be hijacked or gather zero interest. There are a small number of you who I expect have never posted anything positive. Shame.

Perhaps we could all try to post something positive? It's lovely and sunny outside, birds are making nests, spawn had turned into tadpoles, spring flowers are out, this part of the forum has been peaceful for the last few days.

Good to see that there is some joined up-ness to the works, not quite sure if this was pointed out earlier.

Sorry to hear. You should be covered for damage through the Motor Insurance Bureau. If she did not give you contact details report to the police, in particular if she didn't stop. https://www.mib.org.uk/ https://www.theaa.com/car-insurance/advice/what-to-do-after-a-car-accident

So you are against affordable rents and ownership for those on low incomes, key workers etc. Who is going to clean our buildings, serve in our shops, and look after us when we are old or ill? Some state intervention, particularly social housing, extremely welcome. Sorry if I have misquoted you.

That's a bit of a how long is a piece of string question. It's as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it, flying with an obscure airline via a country you've not heard of and sofa surfing Vs part of a luxury cruise. There will be loads on line eg this may help https://www.neverendingfootsteps.com/cost-of-travel-japan-budget/

What's wrong with spaghetti trees? I understand that the conditions are ideal for a good harvest. When I was younger I'd spend a couple of weeks in Italy helping with the harvest before moving onto pick grapes in vineyards. I'd urge youngsters to do similar, for example during the school and university summer holidays

https://www.datacars.com/

I cycle there.

Looking from the other perspective cycling and public transport are a reasonable option for many. And as I have been quoted, without being named earlier, many of us choose to live in a location due to transport links, and convenience for amenities, leisure and work. I've always lived close enough to shops, bus stops and train stations. As do all of you. In my time in London public transport and connectivity has improved for example the Jubilee Line extension, what was previously knows as the Overground, and Lizzie Line. The introduction of the one hour ticket on the bus, following the two journeys in an hour, has been excellent, but the world of public transport was revolutionised with the introduction of the Oyster card and subsequently contactless. There may be a case for charging us to park our vehicles on all public roads. Making it less attractive to drive will change some travelers' behaviour. How many of us would want to drive into central London with the C charge and zero free parking in many locations? Gone are the days when I could drive into London for the evening and easily park near Waterloo. One thing that has perplexed me for years is who on earth would ever drive up Charing Cross Road unless it was essential? I expect most of us have walked up their on a Saturday night when there is grid lock of vehicles. Yes you can find areas that are more difficult to get to by public transport - parts of NW and NE London are a pain to get to. Much of this was no central planning during the golden age of rail, when it was about getting most the masses into central London from the burbs and beyond as new commuter belts were established. Lack of connectivity between southern and SE services, with lines often crossing, is a pain. Having adjacent, or near adjacent, stations (some of which were amalgamated) - LB, Waterloo/Waterloo East, Kings x/St Pancras, New X and New x Gate, Victoria demonstrates the lack of joined up thinking. The rich land owners not allowing routes to join up in Central London in a New York Central Terminus way.

It's my profession. That's why I know a lot. I present facts or opinion based on my understanding. But I have no great interest in the fine detail of vehicle counters and all that dull stuff that gets discussed ad nausium on other threads.

I expect that they work similar hours to most on this forum. Ask Conway, they were very good in getting back when I reported one of their vehicles parked, with the engine on.

Totally the opposite, engine isn't labouring due to constant slowing down and speeding up meaning less nitrogen oxides, higher fuel economy, a smoother ride for the occupants, safer roads, less wear and tear including brake wear which contributes to pollution. Trouble is the masses are ignorant of things like this, And many simply don't care about harmful emissions. If you go in the M4 out of London you will see that the 60mph restrictions which discourages speeding and aggressive acceleration, as this leads to more nitrogen oxides. I've worked in the field for a long time. This has no particular relevance to a simple question asked on this thread.

I expect that it will be the opposite, all those people from Lee will say, I may as well walk/drive to Blackheath. Better for local shops and the environment

Smoother, slower driving, at loosely a constant speed, allows for more vehicles on the road. It messes up when drivers get into the accelerate/brake mode, as many do, particularly on traffic calmed roads. I was always tempted to take a video on Court Lane, when it was a through road, driving between 16 and 18 miles an hour, and not braking once. And then compare to virtually everyone else who accelerate between speed bumps, and banged the brake on just before. Taking just as long, but this would allow for less vehicle density. The problem is with all the theory of slower speeds, traffic calming and the like, that most people aren't very good drivers, in terms of smoothness. I'd beat most of you in a competition on fuel economy.

20mph actually increases the capacity of major roads. I'm starting to get into AI as it seems to agree with me: Improved Traffic Flow: Lower speeds mean drivers can maintain closer following distances and react more quickly to changes in traffic flow, leading to smoother and more efficient traffic movement. Enhanced Junction Capacity: At junctions, it's easier for drivers to merge into slower-moving traffic, reducing congestion and improving the overall capacity of the junction. Reduced Bunching: Lower speeds reduce the "bunching" effect where vehicles tend to group together, which can lead to stop-and-go traffic. Increased Safety: Lower speeds also improve road safety, as drivers have more time to react to hazards and the severity of accidents is reduced. Encourages Active Travel: 20's Plenty for Us says that safer streets encourage more people to walk, cycle or wheel, which can reduce congestion and improve air quality.

Well I don't know how Germany will prop up their car industry, it is difficult to do state aid if you are in the EU - the UK did it in 2008 when it introduced the scrapage scheme. State aid is hardly helping UK steel production - another Brexit benefit? German manufacturers were in trouble long before Covid. The Chinese state massively subsidises their EVs which the then dump on Western markets. Let's see how Trump plays out on that. Not all Chinese products are good, some of the MGs are cheap and very nasty. William Morris must be turning in his grave at what happened to his brand - MG = Morris Garages, a specialised arms of the then Morris motor company.

A separate subject, but does this include ratting on a neighbour for paying them cash for a small job in the house or garden? Worrying!

I was quite pleased with my last post, as this was written from memory and experience, rather than recent research. I then found a recent article from the Grauniad about decline in UK manufacturing which is worth a read https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/30/uk-car-production-falls-to-lowest-level-since-1954#:~:text=British car production fell in,fossil fuels to electric vehicles. Spoiler alert, apparently Brexit is not working well Cars did get heavier due to improved safety, mandated under type approval, widespread adoption of power steering, and other improvements That became standard. Driving a Citroen AX may be fun but not colliding into a fixed or moving object at speed. But the super sizing of vehicles in recent years has led to a further increase in average weight.