Public transport is encouraged in the NHS. Shame the bus service does not 'work' during weekends and bank holidays' date=' in the sense that SWMBO would arrive hours late and would be unable to leave. Guess what - they recommend using a taxi (!!!). Yeah right, work for 12 hour shift and give the proceeds of around half of that to the taxi driver? Crazy talk.

Note I am not having a go at taxi drivers for charging what they charge, they're are a business and the fuel & licensing cost must be scary.

Alternative is to take the car. Then you get charged for parking for 12 hours.... T*ssers. How about allowing staff to park for free when you underpay them? [/quote']

Shocking, I work on 'Green travel plans' for organisations and I know I am wasting my time. Problem is government has no control over public transport these days and I mean no control.

For a summery, a large transport company has transport services as only 5% of turn-over yet 15% of profit....

It all seems rather odd to me. What surprises me most though is how things that are so blatently obvious as 'it aint gonna work in real life' still get done.

For example we had a T-junction in A'don. Wasn't a problem' date=' a little hard to get out from the estate onto the road though when it was busy.

Suggested solutions:

1. Traffic lights, combined with pedestrian crossing and a turning-left lane with light.

2. Mini-roundabout.

First option was expensive so option 2 was chosen. Two deaths later... Hmm let's see, this is worse than before, let's rip it all out again, put a speedbump in near it, see if that works. Leave the mini-roundabout tho...

Another person got badly injured, seem to remember it was a biker that slid off the speed bump as he was forced to brake (too) hard to try and avoid yet another idiot who cant drive on roundabouts and 'forgot' to give way to the motorcyclist.

Then the whole lot was redone. Now it's back to being a T-junction, with lights as per the original idea. Just wondering how much council tax could have been saved had it been done properly in the first place, and whether those lives would have been spared. Makes me very [/quote']

Unfortunaly the way it's worked out is cost-losses. That junction probably at that time couldn't justify the

What irritates me is the way the tax is presented - call it 90%. Were it income tax or VAT it would be presented as a percentage of cost before tax' date=' in which case it would be almost 400% - instead with this (and tobacco) the government says tax is 90% (or whatever) and although it sounds horriffic, it's nowhere near the true figure.

I'll be leaving the UK soon all being well, I urge you all to consider doing the same. Once the government is left with only layabouts claiming dole and horrific taxes meaning nobody drives they'll be able to rest safe in the knowledge that they collectively f*cked the greatest nation on earth over a few short decades. [/quote']

With you all the way on that one

(not leaving the country though......yet)

I think having lights on roundabouts is absolutely the gayest thing ever in motoring. You have lights in JUNCTIONS, not roundabouts!! It will only coz heavier traffic...I know this because we still have some roundabouts in the region with traffic lights..

A mate's uncle is in charge of traffic strategy (or something equally useless) in my local council and.. Oh' date=' that's right, he doesn't have a driving license.

No disrespect to any individuals, but as long as councils are run by lefties and do-gooders there will never be any progress. The fact is, I drive 100 miles a day to contribute a damn site more to this country's economy than anyone on a bus does (bound to be exceptions I know), yet I am the bad guy. We're driving our cars because we're going to work, to pay tax; not for fun like the gov't would have you believe.

If you don't drive, you aren't qualified to make decisions about roads (Transport Secretary before this one didn't drive IIRC) as far as I'm concerned.

Sack them all and replace them with people who aren't left-wing idiots and idealists

Mode>

So there we go, no facts just a spleen thoroughly vented [/quote']

Yes, i agree. I HATE the way the government spins things. They make it sound like we only use our car because we like to. A lot of us have virtually no choice because of non-availability of public transport.

We HAVE to drive our cars to work, we don't all do it because we are selfish....

@flyingscot - I can only imagine how bad the rules must be :(

It's got to really be annoying to find a good solution to a situation to then have to butcher it to meet some guidelines/rules. As you say - budgets work in strange ways.

Same thing in a lot of other jobs where out-of-the-box thinking is both encouraged and frowned upon. Software development for example

You're quite right though, it was no doubt a mistake made by one or more of those involved. It would have been less likely with traffic lights.

Lane discipline in the UK is awfull, and so is the use (or lack thereof) of indicators. No steps towards that have been taken on the face of it :(

I think having lights on roundabouts is absolutely the gayest thing ever in motoring. You have lights in JUNCTIONS, not roundabouts!! It will only coz heavier traffic...I know this because we still have some roundabouts in the region with traffic lights..

Not really, I can tell you a few roundabouts that would be anarchy without them! It doesn't work on small roundabouts, but large roundabouts are in reality one-way roads, with traffic lights controlling the junctions.

Yet me tell you they are also bloody difficult to code as well, I can do the timings and output it but to put it onto the coding forms I have no idea! The timeings are no walk in the park either, fries your brain, sitting trying to do the radial calculations!

@flyingscot - I can only imagine how bad the rules must be

It's got to really be annoying to find a good solution to a situation to then have to butcher it to meet some guidelines/rules. As you say - budgets work in strange ways.

Same thing in a lot of other jobs where out-of-the-box thinking is both encouraged and frowned upon. Software development for example

You're quite right though' date=' it was no doubt a mistake made by one or more of those involved. It would have been less likely with traffic lights.

Lane discipline in the UK is awfull, and so is the use (or lack thereof) of indicators. No steps towards that have been taken on the face of it [/quote']

Guildlines! Don't remind me, every council has it's own. Every council. Ridiculous, it used to be all regional too!

I personally like doing the ones for new infrastructure, I did one traffic light junction for housing, you show it to the developer and explain why it's brilliant and what he is paying for, and then take it to the councils who put black ink through it. Then you inform the developer, and the council climbs down!

Yes, traffic lights are however absolute and cause a little bit more delay, roundabouts give lee-way and cause less delay. However they have problems as drivers are so crap, even people can't understand red/green lights! I'm also a person who is infavour of scrapping the red-yellow phase, and having red green on lights too to avoid even more accidents. Infact one of the roundabouts up here is trying that right now, as the yellow light has been faulty for 5 or 6 weeks on the primary signal! They ain't replacing it as they know they will have to do something when a mate re-designs it. Not a job I'd enjoy and I spent time winding him up about it.

Lane discipline is awful, I use the inside lane of the M8 and make more progress on it than any other lanes!

just paid 100.9p a litre for optimax, 95 ron is 94.9p... Thinking I might be sticking 95 ron in soon....

I am spending

Time to buy petrol cars boys

Why? Diesel still works out cheaper when you consider the MPG we get compared to a petrol car. :P

Yep , and the price gap between the two fuels is down to just 1 or 2 pence again

anyone who doesn't work in transport for the council isn't qualified to comment on how it's run i'm afraid.

You would all be suprised how level headed 99% of transport officers are and how much we battle for a BALANCE between capacity on junctions, public transport efficiency and general anti-congestion.

There isn't enough roads to ease the congestion, or enough money to help modify the current system - oh & usually 50% of the public want a scheme while the other 50% want your job for even suggesting it.

If anything blame Councillors not council officers, all the officers do is advise the councillors who usually choose to ignore the sound engineering advice & do what makes them look good :thumbdwn:

MPM

You cheeky monkey You work for the oil industry don't you....you work undercover don't you..

anyone who doesn't work in transport for the council isn't qualified to comment on how it's run i'm afraid.

Actually, as someone who has to drive to work and back everyday through rush hour, I feel i'm more than entitled to comment. I pay my fair share of road tax and fuel tax, and therefore feel I have the right to voice my concerns about the shocking state of our road network. After all, I am paying for it. In the ten years or so that i've been driving, i've never seen a single thing done to roads locally that has actually improved matters.

Another protest is required. I am proud to say that I took part in the last one in my 44 ton truck .

did not really help the normal car driver though

I'd rather people who write to their MP instead. Would save me the 20 quid I would be wasting being parked up in that queue thanks.

No offence but what's the point of a fuel protest that blocks roads - it causes queues, yeah, but they already happen anyway. It gets a message to parlement - sure. And which party do you know that would cut fuel duty? I don't know of one.

Waste of time IMHO. Campaign by getting lots of people and corporations to bombard MPs with letters, open letters in news papers. That kinda thing builds up a media frenzie, and may actually get a few pence knocked off the duty.

I agree the duty is high, and it's killing me too, but a rolling roadblock doesnt do it for me. Fully appreciate a protest is probably not a bad thing. But let's make sure other road users who have no choice (much like lorry drivers, taxi drivers, and those who are forced to work away from home) are able to do their jobs...

Added - As for not commenting on what happens in the council - you are having a laugh right? How about we vote you out next time round. That will help... Might even consider a career outside the council with that kinda attitude. There are those within councils that DO want to do a good job and get tied down by regulations/budgets. That is understandable. But to come in from the 'you dont work here so basically get lost' angle is really a great way of making sure you dont get considered as particularly good at the job you claim we dont know about (even though we are actually using the infrastructure and thus have practical experience, but what the hell do I know )

ARGH you don't understand what i said!!

I and probably most council officers agree that output production is sh*te, but we are tied down by over zealous councillors & a fussy public who hear what they want to hear - see above 2 comments (read the comment you quoted properly before getting personal please)

All to often i see council officers taking the blame for what is essentially NOT their fault. As for sacking me - i can't think of a more thankless job than council officer. I'll be glad to get out - and when all officers have gone and NOONE is left - watch the problems sprial.

Just to clarify -

you dont work here so basically get lost

How the hell did you get that from me saying that people can't understand the crap we go through if they don't work there...

anyone who doesn't work in transport for the council isn't qualified to comment on how it's run i'm afraid

In english for those who didn't read it the first 2 times - if you don't work in local government how can you understand the red tape & issues we deal with to try to get work done. NOT "just cause i'm qualified ur not"

MPM

off to work now for another week of being ****ed on by councillors & public for trying to do my job.... :(

97p is that per gallon or per litre?

In India diesel is for 35p/l and petrol is for 50p/litre. still too high if you ask me.

I get somewhat irritated by 9-5 office workers wittering on about 'why do you commute so far to work, I live 5 feet away from work where I've been for the last 50 years, why can't you?' and 'Why don't you ride a bike or get the bus like me?'

Fact is, an awful lot of us work shifts and/or have to go out and about for our jobs, try getting a bus carrying a big heavy toolbox. Not everyone is based in the same office all day. Jobs are also relatively unstable in the UK, remember no Social Chapter here, so what do you do if your employment goes, you either go on the dole, you commute, or you move house around the country every time your job goes bump. :confused:

Perhaps some of our 'Councillors, need a spell in the real world.

I get somewhat irritated by 9-5 office workers wittering on about 'why do you commute so far to work' date=' I live 5 feet away from work where I've been for the last 50 years, why can't you?' and 'Why don't you ride a bike or get the bus like me?'

Fact is, an awful lot of us work shifts and/or have to go out and about for our jobs, try getting a bus carrying a big heavy toolbox. Not everyone is based in the same office all day. Jobs are also relatively unstable in the UK, remember no Social Chapter here, so what do you do if your employment goes, you either go on the dole, you commute, or you move house around the country every time your job goes bump. :confused:

Perhaps some of our 'Councillors, need a spell in the real world.[/quote']

And here is the rub. We turned into a commuter society by taking the American solutions to things and creating out of town malls and suburbs.

Have a look at the following site. It compares prices in Euro's for petrol and diesel prices in the EU and selected countries. O.K it's not totally up to date, but by and by prices should have risen similarly in other countries to.

Looking at it our petrol price is roughly similar to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belguim, the Netherlands, Italy.

Our diesel price is out of the ballpark however, again because we followed the american solution, and the american reports into 'harmful diesel' and that was the real reason of protests

http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/