malumbu

I'll stop grumping about politics. My new obsession is posting the whole of an earlier thread, which makes it very difficult to keep on top of multiple threads. Just cut and paste a snippet. Another big issue is taking freight off the road. Not as easy as it sounds as it can be quicker and more reliable to go from London to Inverness by truck rather than train. I'll post some useful links but Only Connect is on now and it quizzing night on the Beeb

Oh, I thought I had stumbled on an adult site and that licking envelopes meant something else.....

Issue with deliveries are the amount of stuff that is returned. No stats to hand but reducing the amount of stuff being bought on spec and then returned free of charge will all add up. There's lots of good stuff about consolidating deliveries before the final destination, increasing local deliveries by bike, and the use of pick up points. Oh the howls of protests as our streets become congested with e cargo bikes!

Lots of reasons for declining car use in London, obvious ones like congestion and parking. I expect more joined up public transport in particular contactless/Oyster had a big effect, joining overground services to the tube via the Overground (always wondered why they called a tube line this lame name), and people tending to learn later in life - teenagers having free travel, and the cost of insurance be it their own or using their parents. Spent time in Northern Ireland where passing your test at 17 is a right of passage, then getting a hot hatch and sadly for many crashing them. They have a different driving test out there reflecting differences with GB - I think we have caught up a little with respect to 'independent driving' in the practical test. I meant to also say that my understanding is the level of car use is not that sensitive to cost. Relationship with fuel price is 'inelastic' (demand curve) ie price goes up and car use doesn't necessarily respond to this. Not increasing the fuel duty was an error. I'm not sure that sunken costs is that much of a factor in deciding whether to drive, as opposed to 'convenience' and journey time. I shouldn't go into anecdotal evidence but I know that there are many who would prefer to be in a steel box on their own, with their own private space, rather than share with others irrespective of whether it is quicker or not. If cost comes into the decision making I expect that most simply think of fuel costs rather than full cost of motoring in doing comparisons with public transport.

Good to have a reality check but..... government is saying the opposite re: a bus revolution, even if they have watered down the message on the stick. Still interested in what this green bus service is, why it is different/special. Bus use in London did increase massively in the last decade or so, before the curve flattened and dipped a little in recent years. It can be done. We are roughly on the same page.

Do cut the politics please. Green buses is a bit of a generic term and I'd be interested to find out more. I can discuss politics elsewhere.

rch Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- What's a digital green bus RCH? Is this a service on demand like the ones offered to vulnerable people in the community? Has this featured in recent government announcements on plans to modernise bus services and increase passenger numbers? I expect you have political connections - have you raised this with them, government direct or through your MP? This should be all fertile ground https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users although much of this appears to be on investing in electric buses rather than different ways of doing things. I'm sure that different ways of doing things will feature when the new bus strategy is consulted on. Outside of the capital, and a few other more enlighted areas eg Oxford, Brighton, Nottingham, Reading and the like, buses are seen by most as poor peoples' transport, quite a barrier to get over. > > I still think that a Green Bus connecting DV and ED would be one of the most pro-active solution (in addition to cycling) to getting residents out of their cars for local journeys, but I suspect Covid will put this on hold. Yet, this option should definitely be flagged to councillors and cabinet members. Great to hear more about this. Also great if people can refrain from political comments, including swipes at the Cycling Campaigns. I'm bored of this but interested in better ways forward.

Actually the General Election was akin to a referendum except there were two questions. Would you like a hard Brexit and not have Corbyn as Prime Minister. A resounding yes. Game over really...... So deal or no deal?? I'm sorry I haven't a clue. I suppose it depends on whether we play our cards right. And we could call my bluff. But get this wrong and we could be losing our family fortunes. You don't have to be a master mind to work out that we are at the tipping point. Although at times it appears pointless. And we are the weakest link. Ignore this nonsense and views on the first question. The obvious one is that both sides will compromise late on, and claim victory. I reckon with or without Cummings this will have been the case. And Gove will still avoid answering the question. Until all the nonsense starts at the ports and Irish border. It's a mad mad world.

What's on the news tonight? Would you like to say more? We had a nice walk in Sydenham Hill Woods two weeks ago, but there were too many people there. Haven't you got your own woods to go to? Where were you before Covid? And most annoyingly there were no people on bikes. In deed, good to have a good moan.

Funnily enough I've been looking at this response that Corbyn made to the EHRC report. About half of it makes sense, and if done in the right order perhaps adding at the end some statistics on incidents in the Labour Party it would have looked very different. You would still probably question his integrity. I'm not aware of the whole of this being showed on the news channels, but perhaps it was damage limitation after his earlier views.

Rather fitting....

I'm looking to a good example of how to genuinely say sorry for may actions. The best to date is Frank Kelly aka Father Jack. Others almost as good at Priti Patel Ken Livingstone And Jeremy Corbyn https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2020/oct/29/im-not-part-of-the-problem-jeremy-corbyn-reacts-to-ehrc-antisemitism-report-video Do others have good examples?

Wow lots of food for thought. Firstly thanks First Mate for the link to Southwark Cyclists. I was planning to send a letter of support for LTN and this gives some additional material to support me. Metallic, your post is precious and I'm afraid I have to break my vow of silence with regards to debating this issue. All a bit throwing insults in the play ground - my dad is bigger than yours and cyclists don't pay road tax and aren't insured (we've been there before so please don't debate). For the first time I mouthed the words Nimby Yes Nimby. For the hard of hearing Nimby. This is a place to debate the healthy streets initiative so should be for and against, and in the middle too. For the hard of hearing if we want to address climate change we can no longer drive where we want, when we want, what we want, how we want. If we can be in agreement on the basics that we need to reduce road transport we can have an adult conversation. Here's an argument against this - "what is the point if China, US, developing countries etc don't do similar'". The counterargument is will our kids and grandkids thank us for not even trying? Heaven knows they will be poorer than us, wont be able to afford to own their own homes and will be paying for Covid and the government's magic money tree for decades. So if we agree about cutting road traffic then how do we do it? We are too wedded to our cars for simple behaviour change to work. Do you want to save the planet? "of course". Do you want to cut road pollution? "obviously". Will you drive less? "how very dare you". Where there is a will there is a way but sadly there doesn't appear to be the will. So what are your alternatives? LTNs and the ULEZ are very clumsy measures. Road charging is a win win. But last time this was proposed there was a massive backlash, and this was within recent memory of the fuel protests. What a shame that Labour handled the latter so poorly, and didn't keep their nerve on road charging. But it's back (on revenue rather than environmental grounds, but hey ho). ULEZ was a Tory Mayor's initiative so at least you will see cleaner air in a year of so's time when most of the more polluting vehicles are off the road around here. Sad that consecutive governments do not want to be see as the enemy of the motorist, I'd prefer them to be thought as saviours of the planet. And it's wonderful that there is commitment to the green agenda, albeit a scattergun approach of throwing money at everything, and no doubt driven in part by Brexit with the agenda of going alone (military spend another example). This free spending interventionist government is just bizarre, but still worried about being unpopular with the Telegraph and Mail, which sadly resulted in some watering of the message on public transport and active travel in the ten point plan https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-outlines-his-ten-point-plan-for-a-green-industrial-revolution-for-250000-jobs. But with that bloke in charge being pro cycling, with Gilligan at his side I hope that he wont to a 180 degree on this one a la Brexit. OK, hope this generates some good discussion on alternatives, including which roads you WOULD close and how you would do this. This is in my back yard.

What I am trying to get my head around is why? Why the antisemitism in the Labour party?? I've found Zionist Occupation Government conspiracy theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_Occupation_Government_conspiracy_theory but this appears to be far right groups, white supremacists, christian fundamentalists. It doesn't appear to be one favoured by left leaning political groups. But to digress, I'm not protecting JC but Johnson seems to be untouchable - as seems to come out of his handling of the Patel bullying report. So when he comments on Muslim women wearing the niqāb and talking looking like bank robbers it's seen by many as him using a bit of banter to get attention, or agreeing with him and praising him for raising a difficult subject. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/02/boris-johnsons-burqa-comments-led-to-surge-in-anti-muslim-attacks If JC had commented on British orthodox jews as failing to integrate and looking ridiculous with their 'funny' clothes and hair, and oppressing the women folk would that have been seen in the same light

I used a cut through in an estate that ran parallel to the Brixton Road. When they closed it to through traffic I ran a campaign, ram raided the barrier, started a petition etc to get it reopened. Similarly years ago I found a council estate in Lambeth where I could park free of charge and walk into work, on the odd occasion I drove in. Imagine my surprise when notices went up to say the car park was being monitored and those without permits would be clamped. Things change. I didn't really protest.

I watched a cat fight one night. Two were facing off, and a fox was watching it too. The the fox went and butting one of the cats. It was a little surreal. But I see no cat on fox action in my garden that is visited by both. I do wish either would take on the squirrels. I blame us feeding both of these supposed predators.

Yep great what the kid is doing. If you had spent a little more time composing your first post then it would have helped and looked less like click bait. For fans of the other Elvis I've found some cover versions I want to a Showaddywaddy (really?) gig many years ago, more of a cabaret act, and when they asked if anyone liked Elvis the crowd cheered. Then they added "Costello", and it went quiet apart from a single cheer from me. For younger readers they covered 50s rock and roll numbers wearing pastel coloured teddy boy outfits. The drummer was not Dion Dublin's dad, but a friend of his.

Isn't there a spray you can use to stop the leaves falling, like the ones you can use on your Xmas tree to keep the needles on the branch? It would also be very pretty at Xmas having autumnal colours, and give you somewhere to shelter when it is raining. As to spring we could cross that bridge later. Alternatively all the trees could be replaced with synthetic ones, which would lead to much lower maintenance. The trees could go into a tree museum. As there is a lot of concern about lack of space for cars we could pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Is there a petition that I can sign? I've also got a good idea of a protest song, do we have anyone who is a 60s style female singer, guitarist and songwriter? Genius.

I have in deed seen Chinese Elvis, but some may remember the two Italian restaurants run by feuding family members in Streatham that both had an Elvis Cabaret. https://www.deseret.com/1992/8/4/18997635/elvis-is-alive-well-and-working-in-south-london-both-of-him

This part of the EDF. The lounge is dead, its passed on. This chat room is no more. It has ceased to be. It has expired and gone to meet its maker. 'Its a stiff, Bereft of life, it rests in peace. Its metabolic processes are now 'istory. Its kicked the bucket, Its shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible THIS IS AN EX-CHAT ROOM. With thanks to John Cleese and Graham Chapman.

I'm trying to limit myself to factual posts. Here's the London Streetspace Plan ? Interim Guidance to Boroughs, published in May, that should govern what boroughs do. Can't comment on its effectiveness nor whether it has already been discussed on this forum. I may cut and paste some relevant sections later. http://content.tfl.gov.uk/lsp-interim-borough-guidance-main-doc.pdf

A bit left field but wonder how the increased number of electric scooters is going to affect things. In one respect could replace buses and cars in some kids getting to school reducing traffic. But suspect it will work the other way with some kids who used to walk to school switching to a e scooter. I also have a two out of three rule - cyclist on the wrong side of the road, no lights, but on phone (it was a quiet street) - I would have been relaxed with two out of the three. Similarly lad on a scooter, on the pavement, but also carrying a passenger. I digress! https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/17/transport-for-london-gives-go-ahead-for-e-scooters-on-capitals-streets https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2020/november/tfl-and-london-councils-look-for-e-scooter-operators-to-take-part-in-year-long-rental-trial

More spam? Post above. What an excellent link Nigello - explains the spread of coronavirus so well in confined space. Shame we were not bombarded with this through public information channels back in July when we were starting to congregate again. Well the good news is that we shouldn't be so worried in outdoor contact. (The attachment and graphics shows the spread of aerosols in doors, its been compared to an un-ventilated room filling up with cigarette smoke). Scottish government and a teaching union have put out advice about ventilation in schools. Ah just found the national advice https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools This includes a whole section on ventilation and a reference to further health and safety advice - the maintaining a comfortable working temperature will no doubt be covered (I can see kids sitting wearing snow suits with howling gales around them...) The tube and train network are making a big thing about clean air, not sure about the buses, I'd be tempted to open all the windows, most of us have sat in a bus on a wet days with the windows all steamed up.

There is a much wider point on what we are doing as a nation and as a human race to manage/halt/reverse climate change. It was only a year or so ago that many were lauding Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg. Now much of the focus is on issues with local action and not the big picture. Unrestricted consumption is seen to be a good thing by governments in driving forward economic activity. I didn't see anything in governments ten point plan about more sensible use of resources. OK sustainable consumer activity wasn't the focus of this. But we wouldn't need to invest in creating tens of thousands of new jobs in a green revolution, if we didn't create the mess in the first place. This may sound like soapboxing but I am genuinely interested in views on the big picture rather than parochial level. On the former bringing America back into the equation has to be a good thing. There is a separate point about the government's magic money tree that I may start a thread on but I worry that the Lounge is dying when it comes to discussing the big issues in society. Where have so many people gone?

Ah thanks, not Elvis Costello then. It would have been nice if the OP had explained all of this rather than looking like they were spamming this and other community websites.