malumbu

I object to the title of threads such as this. If you'd said it was about a specific issue then you would have invited comments on this rather than simply some more local authority bashing. I don't know about this particular case so can't comment on it. But on the general principle of fighting for your right to party that is up to your conscious. If they kick at your front door, now you going to come, with your hands on your head or on the trigger of your gun? Well at the least we've spawned lots of good music. It's better to have fought and lost than not have fought at all. Anyway, following that musical interlude, one piece of advice is to pick your battles. Had some minor successes on planning, at times pushing at a slightly open door when speaking to planning officers. But on many times it can be like whistling in the wind. Developers with deep pockets have much more stamina/resources/expertise than Joe Public. Helped by relaxing of regulations form government which puts developers in even stronger positions. But there are also times when due to the greater good local authorities should not need to have extensive consultations etc and be allowed to get on with important business.

Some nice photos of the hills of Lewisham: https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-hills-of-lewisham.html Brockley three peaks walk: https://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTU1NDYzMQ== https://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/find-a-walk-or-route/walk-detail.aspx?walkID=3975516 You can extend this to include Telegraph Hill, Horniman Hill and Sydenham Hill

OMG wrong gig, I was thinking of 'It Bites' who I saw in Liverpool supporting the Icicle Works. I saw It's Immaterial with the wonderful Black (Colin Vearncombe rip) both supporting Wah Heat at Lanchester Poly. Now that is showing my age. Yes Its Immaterial were from Liverpool. Sadly the vinyl is very scratched as we had an old music centre with a poor stylus when I lived off the Aigburth Road. Don't think the other bands have any connection with trains planes and automobiles but I can check.

In my ride out into Kent and Bromley yesterday (yes it was legal) interesting to see all the cars parked on drives and on the street, many houses had two plus. I'm not the green police so will not be lobbying owners to tell them to trade their cars in for bikes. But, hell, car is king out there, and the difference between inner and outer London in these terns is massive. I've managed to get tickets over most of the country, so expect there is a satellite watching my every movement, and as such there is nowhere I can move to without being found. Spot on BTW Duncan.

Sue, you've set yourself up there, but I'll refrain from making comments about you in the cemetery at midnight.

I was fortunate enough to see the Cumbrian group It's Immaterial who's big hit was "Driving Away from Home" - a homage to a drive from Liverpool to Manchester up the East Lancs Road. And belatedly after never seeing Sniff and Tears, an acoustic solo set before lockdown including "Driver Seat" by Paul Roberts and Les Davidson from the band. I can do further posts on train, plane, cycling and walking songs

legalalien Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- "MPs should allow local government to get on with it, and concentrate on the big picture." Is part of the problem that Councils are also taking it upon themselves to concentrate on the "big picture" rather than focus on the wants and needs of their constituents, and the "populism" you describe is a reaction to that i.e. people expect local councillors to listen to and represent their views in a way that they understand MPs generally cannot - and this expectation is not being met?" So that gives me carte blanche to get my MP to wade in to local, issues outside their constituency - here's my starter for 10: Average speed cameras on Forest Hill Road and Brenchley Gardens, reducing the traffic lights to one on Lambeth Bridge Road roundabout; changing parking enforcement from catching the easy targets eg people outstaying their time on or near shopping streets, to those regularly parking on double yellows, on pavements, outside stations, particularly later in the day when they know there is no enforcement, removing those silly lights on FH Road/Dunstans Road, and a Zebra Crossing by FHR surgery. Yes, even I have traffic related rants. But I expect my MP wouldn't thank me if I pursued them continually over every issue I have. PS ignore this post as more interested in my previous one.

Sorry for not posting today, went out for a lovely bike ride in Kent, and ended up speaking to various people known and unknown as like most suffering from not enough human contact. Wondered what others thought about the concept of rewarding motorists for 'good' behaviour - see posts on Saturday. It would be good to hear from and anti LTNers as well as the pros. Maybe some common ground as DC refers to above?

Rewarding people for 'good' behaviour doesn't seem to have had any traction, the concept has been around for some time and could/should be supported. I think generally that many see this as a hippy academic concept. Perhaps it is back on the agenda. Carbon credits were also mooted in the recent past, after you'd breached a limit you'd pay exponentially more for further carbon emissions. Aimed at flying - but maybe budget flights/weekends abroad will be a thing of the past. Road user charging is a sort of reward scheme as you'd pay less at quieter times, areas of less pollution etc than you would at the moment. It wouldn't be seen that way I expect by many motorists. Thanks for broadening the debate.

No it is a very backward view on the subject seeking to score political points, and does no help but to Labour or the environmental cause. See longer critique on the healthy streets thread. It was his party that kowtowed to the road lobby.

This can be a toxic threa. Aligning yourself to anything and everything that supports your beliefs, does not help further the debate; the article by Paul Wheeler MP made me sad. (although since I started to write this I've been cheered up by Raeburn's positive comments) There are analogies on this thread to some Brexiteers, who not only wanted the UK to leave Europe, but the whole thing to collapse - it?s far easier to complain about something that is in place, than champion it. Many posting here consider Southwark to be corrupt, incompetent and subservient to the wealthier residents. Something that I do not agree with; it seems wrong for MPs to wade in due to the rise of populism. MPs should allow local government to get on with it, and concentrate on the big picture. Climate change is not a niche issue, and as such reducing the emissions from cars needs to be seen as the same. The article rightly points out the dichotomy of a Tory prime minister being a champion of the environment and taking a very Tory unlike interventionist approach (as he did as Mayor, being the architect of the ULEZ, not Khan), yet Tory boroughs are generally not at all receptive. Tory (outer) boroughs being the ones that overturned Fare?s Fair policy of the GLC in subsidising public transport in the 1980s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fares_Fair (take note those who complain about public transport fares, this was the Thatcher culture of me first, low taxation). The government has the environmental high ground and Labour is playing catch up. Paul Wheeler?s comments are unhelpful to the cause (both Labour and the environment), perhaps he should concentrate on reopening the pits and building new fossil fuel power stations ??.

Article here about stop start from a fairly authoritative source (RAC) https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/road-safety/stop-start-engines-and-engine-idling-the-law/ Although I did like one of the comments - stop start will bugga up my EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) - which the answer is: don't buy a diesel if all you ever do is drive in an urban environment. The article was very positive on reduced pollution. There's always a danger of quoting newspaper articles as they essentially pander to their readership - I expect the Torygraph and Grauniad are as diametrically opposed oj this issue as they were on Brexit. Having worked loosely in public affairs it's quite frightening when you have some expertise in a subject to find out how inaccurate they can be, and when I have dealt directly with journos how lazy too. "I can't give you the answer but there is very good book which gives you examples of enforcement action, I can even photocopy and highlight the lines for you". "No can't be bothered". I always loved the Grauniad's view on buy to let - alternating between great way of investing your inheritance, to all landlords are scumbags. My fave is of course looking at the headlines in the Express whilst queuing to pay at Lidl - everything this government does is wonderful, we (the UK) are the best. Personally prefer expert view such as academics, particularly where articles are peer reviewed.

PMd you, not very far away

I used to work for a famous match company. I told them about the management consultants who advised said company to save money by reducing the sand paper to only one side of the (friction) match box. It was an urban myth, there had only ever been sandpaper on one side. It's similar to green electricity. Oh nobody in government is considering where all this electricity is coming from to power electric cars. Of course they have. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-plans-to-make-uk-world-leader-in-green-energy Back to the subject - more thefts just up the road today: a catalytic converter stolen this morning and another resident intervened to stop a theft occurring. The police are looking for a blue Zafira without number plates. 3 men were in the vehicle. This was quite brazen.

That makes sense. I expect we all know of people who were in the right place at the right time and got a jab. I tried puppy dog eyes when at TJ Centre last week for another reason buy that didn't work. My reasons are pretty spurious!

Another point, picking up on other threads, when you are stuck in traffic (this is general advice) turn your engine off. And don't disable your stop start technology, which most modern vehicles have. Simple. But for some reason most ignore. https://idlingaction.london/ Enforcement is difficult and few receive FPN although this makes a good read https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=10&t=1705944

This is relevant and I have posted before. Road vehicles lead to local pollution hot spots but overall PM emissions very down. Most should be pretty clean nowadays and when you smell pollution it tends to be older diesels or those where the filters have failed or illegally removed - the MoT has been tightened for the latter (but it pees me off when I see the occasional van or car spewing black smoke). The ULEZ will get the old more polluting diesels off the road. The latest diesels are very clean, following dieselgate/VW standards were tightened.

Rented out places in the 80s through to the 10s and saw regs increase. Many for the good for example gas and electricity safety, having known of people dying through carbon monoxide 30 years ago. The local authority regs were a mixed bag, A bit annoying as they varied, but did it anyway. Having to put door closures on knowing that the tenants detach them was a bit rubbish. Never had HMOs which required sprinklers and the like. But went with the flow. I sense the tenants are at more of a disadvantage than in my day, perhaps as this market has grown so much, and few of the landlords that I have come into contact in recent years were as nice as me. Maybe they are just far more professional and business like that I was. The other thing that I noticed with student lets was as the universities demanded more from landlords, some would go to letting agencies, and as they charged less that those through the uni, would have no problems renting. But you'd get a situation where the landlord was one step removed. I did most of it myself, and generally did not have a good experience of letting agents. The last place I had the family did a runner, and the agents didn't know what to do. When I went round there was hints of a cannabis factory, but not full on - explained why the tenant didn't want to have inspections. The agents didn't even have legit contact addresses. Sold it and that was the end of by to let for me. Apols, I've digressed.

Food and other important supply chains will be protected come what may. But we are reliant on overseas workers in some many sectors - not just low skilled/manual work. Cat may know better but it is/was a right of passage for young people from Aus/NZ to travel to and work in Europe. Encouraged to do vocational training. Not sure what it has been like in recent years as gone are the days that most bar staff in London were Kiwis. But it must be frustrating in Aus/NZ not to be able to roam the world, but maybe the same for young Europeans too. I expect that travel will get worse before it gets better - I rearranged a number of trips from last year, and wonder if I will be even able to do next year.....

Well I suppose that I should thank you and others to directing me to Clean Air Dulwich and in turn this nice article about the longer term experience in Waltham Forest https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d30896202a18c0001b49180/t/60003fabf3791928a02b707f/1610629036655/LTN+Briefing_FINAL.pdf Refers to some academic studies - maybe tree hugging hippies wearing sandals even at this time of the year, but an interesting counterargument, particularly showing that it takes time for the positive impact to come through.

It worries me that some out there are trawling the internet for anything that you can possible find that is negative about LTNs. I don't feel obliged to do the opposite as don't have the same level of obsession. But on this occasion I've looked at the BATHNES article and will use this to further my own cause. 'One way streets should be accompanied by traffic calming'. My words: traffic calming is needed as too many motorists are irresponsible. That can apply to safety and the environment.

Any views on thin unit double glazing - you can use existing wooden box sash or casement windows and it looks like the original glazing, particularly important in listed houses and conservation areas? https://histoglass.co.uk/thin-double-glazing/

A Royal Mail driver was on his (hands on) phone at the rear of my work building a couple of years ago. I lost it, told him he should be sacked, before formally complaining. On calming down I didn't really want him sacked, and I was just as grumpy that the Royal Mail may not already be doing stuff to ensure that drivers don't do this. Separately it is bizarre that professional drivers in logo'd vehicles misbehave themselves

Nicotine coloured paint goes without saying. We converted a toilet where staff smoked to a lab in one company and cleaned the windows with solvent - lots of brown gunk. Yuk

Just doing some research, are you the chef at the Grand Trunk Road or are there two Dayashankar Sharma's. You are from Rajasthan? If so where and how is the cuisine in this part of India. Are you offering discounts to those from this site? In particular following India's victory this morning! I'm probably on your black list but that is a different subject.