The Big 'Let's sell our cars and take buses/ebikes instead' thread (warning: probably very dull)
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You've got it the wrong way around. For most people their needs could be better provided for by a properly managed public transport system and active travel.
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Why do you think that active transport and active transport is only for the liberal left? Is it that the right are all fatties?
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I don't, you misunderstood my point.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
No, it's you whose painted themselves into that corner. By portraying all initiatives to improve active travel or public transport as being anti-car you have made anybody who is pro such initiatives as being a liberal leftie who is trying to tell other people what to do, when all they want is a level playing field. Which leaves the right-wing fatties......
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Gridlock around me today. Dangerous and tedious on a bike but does make me feel a bit smug.
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Nope. You seems to be reading what you want to read rather than what I wrote. Common leftie failing.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Nope. You don't reason through the statements that you make. Common right wing failing, thinking with their guts.
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Less cars in city streets is overall a good thing irrespective of whether they veer left or right.
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😄
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Ideally they don't veer too much.
1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition2 -
At least if they veer right they only hit each other.
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A lot of sports cars are quite small.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Win-win then, as long as you don't get caught by the ULEZ in Bristol.
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That'll be pretty much any sports car less than 18 years old. Win-win.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Friend is working in Rwanda. Apparently they close all main roads to cars in Kigali every second Sunday.
Now there is a Rwanda plan I can support. Wonder if any council here would have the balls?
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.1 -
Don't see the problem here. I'm happy to support the closure of all main roads in Kigali at any time.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]2 -
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Jim Waterson's report on London's plan for pay per mile roads is now fully available (for today only) - worth a read.
https://www.londoncentric.media/p/london-road-charging-tfl-secret-plan
Such a shame that it got ditched.
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I don't think London would have the congestion charge if Livingstone hadn't been elected. He didn't care about party politics* and would be a fan of this thread's title if not it's content. Sadly, London will just get whichever dull Labour candidate is put on the ballot sheet now.
*Obviously he cared about self-promotion
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I am generally in favour of the concept but I don't really understand how a pay per mile that requires downloading an app would work in practice, what happens if you don't have the app (or you dont have a smart phone, or your battery dies) and you enter the zone?
There are bound to be a lot of areas in the 40p zone that people could be forgiven for not thinking of as London too - if you drive from the M25 to Chessington World of adventures, you do a mile or two in the 40p zone but it's pretty much all through woods and between fields.
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Yep, that's some good points. Look at how many problems the energy companies have been getting with mobile based usage monitors, and they're bloody static!
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The outer London zone is just as tricky as it was for ULEZ - there are definitely areas there that wouldn't need it for much of the day.
But generally, where there is public transport, I don't see why driving should be cheaper than taking the bus.
As for the app, I assume that if your phone isn't recording for the time you are in the zone, you pay the maximum (if you are detected by the evil cameras).
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Yeah, buts not how Councils act with regards to CAZ or other charging models by putting the onus on the driver to work out if they need to pay or not despite how unclear the boundaries are marked or obscured. They just fine you for not paying. They could just as easily send you an automated bill so you have the opportunity to pay a charge and not a fine.
I'm surprised no one has yet developed an App to warn you of approaching a chargeable zone and you can set to automatically pay if you want to. I'm sure there's a market for that. Hmm..... my fortunes await....
Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.
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There has to be a way of driving without a smartphone. That would be genuinely insane.
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Bathgate-based connectivity and network specialists The Clarus Networks Group has partnered up with ScotRail to boost the rail operator's efforts to provide reliable connectivity for its staff, operational systems and passengers.
Through its collaboration with ScotRail, supported by Scottish Futures Trust, Clarus said it is equipping Class 158 trains on Scotland’s Far North Line with Starlink to address "long-standing communication challenges" in the Scottish Highlands.
Beyond passenger services, Clarus is also deploying Starlink on measurement trains and enhancing trackside infrastructure, delivering precise, real-time data for diagnostics and remote monitoring.
Mike Butler, Director of Rail and Innovation at Clarus, commented: “Our certification of the latest Starlink terminal specifically designed for trains is a game-changer for rail communications. By deploying this advanced satellite technology as an authorised reseller, we’re delivering unparalleled connectivity that transforms operational efficiency and the passenger experience.
"This solution offers reliable, high-speed connectivity even in remote locations, supporting real-time monitoring and immediate response crucial for track condition assessments and fault diagnosis. Enhanced safety systems, such as surveillance at unmanned crossings, significantly mitigate risks and improve incident response times. This marks a major advancement in our mission to bridge the digital divide and ensure secure, reliable communications throughout the rail network.”
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24725564.elon-musks-starlink-provide-internet-scotrail-trains/
I always find it fascinating how different technologies can combine together to create/improve things.
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Dependent on cost, could be a major step forward.
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Starlink requires about 1/3 of the sky to be clear. Tried the app when house hunting. Even the odd tree can fuck up reception and break a connection. It is perfect for people who own a ranch in Nevada, and put an antenna on the top of a mast on top of a bluff though.
So I suspect that it will be fast and unreliable rather than slow and unreliable. In the rest of Scotland where there are some houses, it will be fast and incredibly unreliable.
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