Nigello

The growth in the number of delivery vans and private hire vehicles together with the loss of road space to cycling have worked against the good effects of the congestion charge: [www.theguardian.com] If you don't want to read it, the boil of it is that congestion is rising, buses can't meet their revenues so the service is likely to diminish in terms of reliability and routes/timetables. Also, bus users are less likely to be "professionals" who know their ways around the system and are confident enough to complain.

If one of you rings 101 and gets a reference number, the rest of you - and anyone else who sees something similar - can then ring in with any more information. It will take a bit longer than coming on to the EDF, which is good as a warning but not much else. So, who will it be?

'Ow you say "virtue signalling" in francais?

Even if your etymology is correct it is a word that most of us associate with the USA, not Britain, and its adoption here over the past ten/fifteen years (probably because of the internet rather than films and music) definitely sounds imported. You hear it in adverts all the time: Asda mums in Pontefract say it, just as middle-class stag-lads do. I much prefer "bloke" or "man". It's become a bit naff, IYAM.

This from a nearby forum: On the Buses Route 185 has been re-awarded to Go-Ahead London with new battery-hybrid buses. This new contract will begin in October, so we should start to see new quieter, less-polluting buses appearing on this route. The peak-hour vehicle requirement on this busy route is going up from 24 to 25, which would suggest a slight increase in peak-hour buses, possibly to one every 7 minutes towards Victoria in the morning and towards Lewisham in the evening. The 363, which runs along Wood Vale and Sydenham Hill, is also going hybrid from October this year.

I said small buses in between rush hours, when I agree that there are half-empty vehicles. I still think a limited stop service - just one or two an hour - could help. The route is not solid traffic from Dulwich Library to Denmark Hill, so a limited stop for only part of the route would be useful. What's your valued input on the idea to help people walk?

Everyone being called "guys" and women being called "girls", even the women in our excellent female Olympics teams call themselves "girls". They are women, not girls. Blokes, lads, fellas, chaps - but not guys, please.

I think the bus routes in, around, to and from SE15/22/5 etc could do with a rethink. An express/limited stop service could be brought in for the 176 and 40 to stop the overcrowding in the morning when people CBA to walk a few stops to the station. Smaller buses on certain routes could be used between rush hours to prevent jams and reduce fuel consumption and waste. Some of the dodgy, hazardous crossings (or lack of) could be seen to to encourage walking. On a plus note, Mr Mayor (he was apparently the son of a bus driver, you know) says Camberwell station's reopening possibilities are being looked into.

I saw a constable near the Sainsbury's, just past CPR, one afternoon earlier in the week. Looked like he was on his beat and not there on a call-out.

I just limped back from the physio and saw a Mini (reasonably new) with its passenger window smashed in, glass on the pavement. It was just down from the Actress, just opposite the chippy.

A workman was measuring up a sign at the shop on the corner of Rye Lane and Choumert Road. He told me he thought it was going to be an estate agent's (agents?). It used to be a money transfer place, I think. Also, Lerryn's is now Corals (not Coral's).

I think the best thing is to redesign that bit of Rye Lane and get rid of the hardly-visible cycle path, or refit it with a kerb so that it is seen only as a cycle lane. That area is confusing to pedestrians, some of whom I have seen apologetically get out of the way of speeding cyclists, thinking wheels have priority! (On a separate note, having a child on the back of your bike or chaperoning them does not allow parents the right to cycle on footpaths, which will confound a fair few mummies and daddies.)

Yes - just call it "cider vinegar" like it has always been called. Cf: "grilled cheese sandwich" vs "cheese toastie" and "mac 'n' cheese" vs "macaroni cheese".

I disagree that a "noone says a word" about Mears and Laugher. Their success was given lots of airtime on the BBC and online and they feature in today's papers. They're not going to be household names, even with this level of success, so it isn't fair to compare them to the (er, over-exposed) Daley. More like them (and the other UK athletes of all disciplines). To keep on post: dimbo, selfish parents who think it's a good thing to show their contact-bereft young child a kid's cartoon/show with the volume on on a bus or train.

Two police officers were stopping cyclists where Rye Lane begins (opposite the library/arch), and where lots of cyclists ride on the pavement. It looked like they were issuing fines. Cyclists tend to get to the end of the (admittedly naff/camouflaged) cycle lane and then not follow the curved bit but dash across the pedestrian bit but the police were having none of it.

I agree with the sentiment and acknowledge the facts but I still think there is an element of confection, a syntheticness about this UK version of the movement in the US.

The licence is not just for TV, remember. It is for online, radio (including R1, R4, World Service, 6Music). Just because you don't like cookery shows/bonnet-busters/news/radio drama doesn't mean you should dismiss the whole corporation as "not doing it for me".

The N176s (or perhaps it is without the "N" because it is a 24-hr service) at night are much more modern and quieter (not that they could be any louder) but I think they are run at night because of their better CCTV. It is a shame because the 176s are old workhorses that should be put out to pasture sooner rather than later. Do you remember the ones with the slatted, wooden floors and ingrained grime? It was like TfL meets Peaky Blinders.

People practically trample all over each other to get through the warren-like staircases and walkways whilst a handful of coffee sippers lounge in an overly-large cafe that could be better used to accommodate passengers. Who thought that up?

Actually, there are windows on both sides on the upper deck.

There is at least one of the (likely very) many No 12 new Routemasters that have had windows retrofitted on both decks but only on the pavement-facing side. They slide open on the inside so keep the flush look of the original design. Cue complaints of "it's too draughty" as soon as mid-August is out....

I saw my first Jersey tiger moth, which are usually around towards the end of summer (late August/early September). What could it mean.....? https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/0_%C3%89caille_chin%C3%A9e_-_Euplagia_quadripunctaria_-_Havr%C3%A9,_Begique_(3).JPG

Although it is possible to ask for the tip to be removed (so that you can leave another amount, perhaps in cash, or none at all) many people do not lest it be inconvenient or embarrassing. I think it is shifty to add a tip, especially for a coffee or even a light meal, and then have an extra jar for more tips.

Given that experience, I too would be sceptical to report another problem but I would still do it and would copy in other parties (like the MP, councillor etc). A coach almost ran over me near to Waterlook Bridge/Imax after the driver had sped up at a pelican crossing and gone through a red light. I got a reply telling me that the driver had been given a warning and training, which was a good outcome. I tell you this to show that it can be worth complaining.

There's been a bit of action at the site of Le Moulin (near to The Plough) but still no real clue as to when it will open (as a restaurant).