Drivers and their problems

I love the comments in the daily echo, they're such a bunch of miseries.

brooksby wrote:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/29/extreme-car-dependency-u...

I created a forum post about that this morning, but it takes ages to show up.

David9694 wrote:

Protesters march to Cornwall castle but are barred from entering

'If we hear nothing within ten days we’ll be back,' say the self-proclaimed 'peasant' residents who are up in arms at move to install a cameras and charges in free car park

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/protesters-march-cornwal...

What do this lot not understand about private land ownership?   If they were walkers wanting access to a beach I might have some sympathy. 

Is that the ongoing "how very dare the person who privately owns that land we've all parked on for years even though it's not a car park, turn it into a formal car park and make us pay to use it!" story?

hawkinspeter wrote:

brooksby wrote:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/29/extreme-car-dependency-u...

I created a forum post about that this morning, but it takes ages to show up.

Sorry,  Peter: I must have missed that one 

brooksby wrote:

Sorry,  Peter: I must have missed that one 

Oh, it's not your fault at all. I know it's there, but can't even find it when clicking on the Forum links. It'll likely appear after an hour or so.

I've tried twice in last couple of days to create a lighthearted festive forum topic, and both times it claimed success, but neither (they were the same one) has appeared

wtjs wrote:

I've tried twice in last couple of days to create a lighthearted festive forum topic, and both times it claimed success, but neither (they were the same one) but neither has appeared

I've noticed previously that it can take a couple of hours for the post to show up in the forum posts section, but if it's not appearing at all, then it suggests you've done something wrong.

David9694 wrote:

What do this lot not understand about private land ownership?   If they were walkers wanting access to a beach I might have some sympathy.

Ah - but they are!  They are dog walkers just wanting the right to walk (their dog).  Of course they have to drive there.

But this land is your land * ... until, apparently, it's "my parking space" (perhaps on a public street, but I've used it before so I have first dibs now and if it's "taken away" I will be down the council with a pitchfork).

* Living in Scotland, I would generally agree with this idea.

David9694 wrote:

I'm guessing it's another one where drivers have been helping themselves for many years; it probably started small and (genuinely) no-one minded and gradually progressed to the piss-take and entitlement stage. 

Almost certainly.  With motor traffic though (well, plus "human population and prosperity growth") it's always like the children's song - it starts "A car parked near a windmill in Old Amsterdam..." and ends "There's nobody there now - but a whole lot of cars!"

brooksby wrote:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/22/uk-drivers-warn...

Grauniad wrote:

Motorists have been warned to be vigilant after a 60-fold increase in “crash for cash” fraud claims involving motorbike and scooter riders staging accidents so they can blame innocent drivers.

The insurer Allianz said its data showed that claims relating to this scam increased by 6,000% between January and December 2023 – a significant jump from the 50% increase the year before.

This type of insurance fraud typically involves an “induced accident”, in which a rider attempts to deliberately get hit by a vehicle in order to make a claim.

Criminals often target drivers as they park their cars – for example, they will ride past just as the driver opens the car door so that it hits the motorbike or scooter, with the aim being to make it appear the motorist’s fault.

Erm - but if they open their door without looking and hit someone, even a crook, then it is their fault.

Isn't it?

I can imagine some kind of stand-off (sit-off?) where the driver is waiting to open their door whilst the scammer is waiting to ride past at just the same time. The driver could start to open their door, but then pull it closed as the rider starts to move and then the rider would scoot back a bit to get in the right position.

David9694 wrote:

Residents beg council to remove e-scooter bays as trial ends

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/24483851.residents-beg-council-remove-e...

That driver does understand that you are not supposed to park across a dropped kerb providing access to what appears to be a small car park, yes?  Or is that to make a point because they can't park in the bollarded off scooter space?

“Using a phone whilst driving is dangerous – even more so in this scenario where drivers are likely to be further distracted by the collision scene.

“Those drivers we caught will now pay the penalty both financially and with points on their licence – and if anyone was a new driver who has passed in the last two years, then six points means they will lose their licence.”

They should contact Lancashire Constabulary with this shocking news- who would have known that this is an offence?!

And they say 'the comparison [is] "inaccurate" as Glen Sannox is a larger vessel'...that's beside the point.  The fact remains that it is more polluting than the previous vessel.

Miller wrote:

Drunk driver crashes through concrete wall to drop his car through the overhead power lines onto the track, blocking the Manchester - Liverpool railway. Apart from the Just Wow aspect, my reading of the layout is that car must have been on the ped/cycle walkway under the roundabout?

Ah, BBC live feed explains it; he took a motorway exit where there wasn't actually an exit. Till then.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c0k5214vn6pt

I'm glad that drink driving has become so socially unacceptable that it never happens any more…

The bbc are piss poor at reportiing on rtc

You might remember this one https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8107z61pno

originally it described an ebike hit and run as though the rider had killed someone. It wasn't until a few paras that you find a driver rammed an ebike. unsurprisingly it wasn't an ebike but a motorbike

cyber truck owners are complaining of vandalism due to the Tesla brand now being intrinsically tied to Elon’s negativity & bullshit.

David9694 wrote:

Malicious notes left on car windscreens in Herefordshire

What is the law on leaving nasty notes?

Leaving aggressive notes on car windscreens can land you in hot water, with Dominic Wyatt, an expert from the International Drivers Association (the what-now?), warning last year that "leaving a hostile or abrasive note on a vehicle can now result in a fine in the UK. Civility and propriety should not be discarded when addressing parking concerns.

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/24477788.malicious-notes-left-car-win...

In my experience, civility and propriety go out the window once someone sits in the driving seat of a car…

The daftest thing is the driver who caused the crash in the first place, won't be fined or given points, even though it's clearly an example of careless driving.

Hirsute wrote:

Ferry recently replaced orginally had 110 spaces but due to the size of cars it could only fit 90, hence in part the new ferry.

Noting the problems of "more car" isn't just the "politics of envy".

Anyway, chalk up another data point for something like Jevons Paradox / "what our fathers called luxuries, we term necessities" (society-wide "lifestyle creep") / keeping up with the Joneses?

Also noting that the more the figures are examined (total cost of obtaining the gas, losses when switching over power systems etc.) the less clear it is that this is any less polluting than the older ferry powerplant - even if the new one were closer in size.

David9694 wrote:

I can feel the "just one of those things, very sad" narrative building already. Lancs now has its own Wimbledon. 

I fear you may be right. The police are already saying "there is no indication that this was a deliberate act" as if that makes things any better. Shocking.

Oh dear! Even I can't blame this on Lancashire! Neither is Kendal in Cumbria, which no longer exists.