2 minutes ago, toot said:

Earlier i was charging my car on Edinburgh City Chargers and BP Pulse @ 55 pence a kWh.  Now i am 130 miles west and charhing for free.

 

I took pictures of the VW Buzz Van blocking a bay and not charging and was away to put on ZapMap & PlugShare but before i did i spotted a guy in the control unit shed from BP Pulse and they were at a faulty charger.  Nice guys, one with the van and one with a EV6. 

 

Anyway up pops a email while i was sitting and Eon Next made me an offer i could have refused but would have been stupid too.

I had to agree to a Smart Meter so i did, but then it was them that said previously the installer could not install it a couple of years back.

 

A special Tariff for special people, well ones that get the Warm Home Discount or have qualified in the past.

I might even charge the car at home occasionally this winter at this price, maybe even put heating on in the house. 

 

 

 

Almost giving it away. Very nice offer.  Good to think you can get cheap home charging and have the heating on. Great.  

 

There is a Council in the South of Scotland away to close a lot of Leisure Centers, Swimming pools, Libraries and much more, and i expect Public (Council) EV charging is going to be pretty expensive & maybe not much being spent on any expansion. I will check out later what the word is on that.

14 minutes ago, toot said:

There is a Council in the South of Scotland away to close a lot of Leisure Centers, Swimming pools, Libraries and much more, and i expect Public (Council) EV charging is going to be pretty expensive & maybe not much being spent on any expansion. I will check out later what the word is on that.

 

You would have thought getting a heat pump installation would be the right action to keep the pools open.

One cleverly combined a local data centre, with all their waste heat to help keep the swimming pool open.

Rare joined up thinking.

 

Edited 29 September, 20232 yr by lol-lol

Aberdeen can not keep theirs open with a fleet of wind turbines just off the beach and a city that is going all in with Green Hydrogen to power boats dock side .

 

There is something far wrong when the find farms are not putting enough money back into the community but lots to land owners.

There are community projects where the community invested and got part of the income.

 

The Councils with the biggest cuts coming are really run by people that are not capable of running a car wash or window cleaning business where they would be the sole employee.

1 minute ago, toot said:

Aberdeen can not keep theirs open with a fleet of wind turbines just off the beach and a city that is going all in with Green Hydrogen to power boats dock side .

 

There is something far wrong when the find farms are not putting enough money back into the community but lots to land owners.

There are community projects where the community invested and got part of the income.

 

The Councils with the biggest cuts coming are really run by people that are not capable of running a car wash or window cleaning business where they would be the sole employee.

 

Use to stay those that can't teach but I think it should be some of those who cannot go into local and national government.

 

1 hour ago, wyx087 said:

IMO 99% is pretty low, when in IT "five-nines availability " is the golden standard.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/consumer/new-law-make-ev-charging-network-99-reliable

 

Who said that we don't learn something new everyday? I had never heard of the five-nines availability so I Googled it. I would have called that kind of availability 24/7/365.

1 hour ago, lol-lol said:

 

UK Councils have no money, UK Governments have not money.

 

TESLA has very deep pockets and just needs the permission to get to work and change a site into TELSA charging hub.  No cost to the council, may even get a junction or road improvement out of it.

 

Grid Serve and others will need to sharpen their pencils and come up with some cheaper rates or deal to match TESLA who can easily under others as they manufacture their own charger units and I have heard are knocking them out at around a quarter the price than buying them off third parties that the other networks have to.

 

Not within council's power to install charges and can only offer to tender and what is happening in the States is that TELSA can quite easily win just about every tender.

 

No, but they can make charge point operators provide these facilities in areas where residents don't have the ability to home charge, either because of the type of building they are in or an inadequate electricity supply to the estate/road etc. This can be done in the same fashion as many supermarkets etc get permission to build, i.e., in exchange for the permission, you have to do something in return for the local community. Instead of providing community halls etc, provide safe and secure charging lots on some land donated by the authorities.

The Government keeps paying money to car manufacturers and steel manufacturers to stay and provide jobs.

They get in taxes and never anything like they are dishing out.  They spend more keeping people employed than just paying them not to work, but they want TATA Steel and others as part of the UK,s Pyramid selling type economy.

 

As with energy, oil & gas & electricity, utilities, water / sewage and all the rest they somehow can not be run to make a profit and pay a fair share in taxation on profits but manage to have their costs very very high with the best salaries for those at the top, lots and lots of wonderful lifestyles and even sponsoring some of the top sports people in the world or events as advertising for their amazing corporations that need hand outs all the time.

1 hour ago, Graham Butcher said:

No, but they can make charge point operators provide these facilities in areas where residents don't have the ability to home charge, either because of the type of building they are in or an inadequate electricity supply to the estate/road etc. This can be done in the same fashion as many supermarkets etc get permission to build, i.e., in exchange for the permission, you have to do something in return for the local community. Instead of providing community halls etc, provide safe and secure charging lots on some land donated by the authorities.

 

And here in Worcester they do, to at least a small extent.  At Warndon Community centre, which is in a generally poorer bit of Worcester, two 7 kw on Shap Drive at the Commune-ity centre but the up record looks horrendous, often ICE'd spaces. Says Free to use but I have also seen 28p per kWH quoted and one needs a RFID card to use.  1/10 score I reckon if being generous.    Well over 100 other public chargers in Worcester and close by.  Should be a place TESLA put in 6 chargers at least.  Coffee shop open sometimes plus other facilities. Council missed a trick, again.   

 

While this is maybe not strictly to do with EV cars, it is related I feel in so many ways and forms a part of the overall bigger picture and there are links to the data etc in the video which don't make themselves apparent if viewing the video though the forum so I'll try and post them below. The reason for posting the link to this video is that I'd appreciate people's genuine opinion on the topics raised by this.

 

If you are one of these types of people who answer is likely to be along the lines "I don't watch these videos, or not wasting my time, then please don't bother replying, but I think the majority of us are interested in most things related to cars and driving would watch the video have some opinions, and I'd like to see your thoughts raised in the video on the attached links.

 

 

https://mapping.wirral.gov.uk/WM9/Map...

ttps://haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk/hub...

https://haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk/20m...

https://haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk/20m...

https://haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk/20m...

https://mapping.wirral.gov.uk/WM9/Map...

https://www.wirral.gov.uk/20mph

https://www.wirralintelligenceservice...

https://petitions.senedd.wales/petiti...

Blanket 20mph is stupid. If people speed, it's because they feel it is safe to do so from the road design. The feel of the road should reflect the maximum safe speed of the road. 20mph is only needed at strategic locations where requires large open design but not safe to drive fast, eg. school gates.

 

The stress argument doesn't stand, just set ACC at 20mph (or speed limiter) and don't stress about it.

 

Finally, drivers like to think ourselves as main user of the road, the video talks about educating other road users. But the truth is, private cars and allowing cars to dominate roads are the worst use of public space possible.

 

 

Public spaces are safer and nicer when there's no cars on the roads. It's so nice walking on podestrianlised roads. Personally I hate old traditional style High Street where shops are at street level, it is both difficult to find parking to go to shops, and difficult to use it as a street to get to places. Worst of both worlds that I try to avoid as much as possible.

Surely the education is a good thing, so many parents these days have zero idea where or what their children are doing as long as they aren't under their feet that seems to be the only thing they care about. There is a balance to be made, cars don't normally drive on the footpaths, pedestrians should also understand that once they put a foot onto the road, they are placing themselves in danger and children should be taught that roads is not the place to play and that they need to respect the space allocated to the various users.

 

Not all cars have ACC or indeed any form of CC at all, and IIRC, early versions of CC could not be set below 40 or 30mph.

1 hour ago, wyx087 said:

Personally I hate old traditional style High Street where shops are at street level, it is both difficult to find parking to go to shops, and difficult to use it as a street to get to places.

 

But they can become very agreeable once pedestrianised, problem is with everything else that has built up around it over decades lots would need to be demolished to provide multi storey parking.

2 hours ago, wyx087 said:

Blanket 20mph is stupid. 

 

I'd agree if there was a 'blanket 20mph' but there isn't. Even Sunak had to lie about it. No great shocker there mind.

 

 

 

25 minutes ago, @Lee said:

 

I'd agree if there was a 'blanket 20mph' but there isn't. Even Sunak had to lie about it. No great shocker there mind.

 

 

 

It only affects roads that used to be 30mph, but what is going to be next step, someone walking in front of you waving a red flag? 

1 minute ago, Graham Butcher said:

It only affects roads that used to be 30mph, but what is going to be next step, someone walking in front of you waving a red flag? 

No. Are you Colin from Portsmouth?

 

@Graham Butcher Colin from Portsmouth is a parody of people who say things like 'what next, people with red flags walking in front of motor cars'.

Graham, no. People won't be walking in front of motor cars with red flags. Don't be so daft.

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, wyx087 said:

Blanket 20mph is stupid. If people speed, it's because they feel it is safe to do so from the road design. The feel of the road should reflect the maximum safe speed of the road. 20mph is only needed at strategic locations where requires large open design but not safe to drive fast, eg. school gates.

 

The stress argument doesn't stand, just set ACC at 20mph (or speed limiter) and don't stress about it.

 

Finally, drivers like to think ourselves as main user of the road, the video talks about educating other road users. But the truth is, private cars and allowing cars to dominate roads are the worst use of public space possible.

 

 

Public spaces are safer and nicer when there's no cars on the roads. It's so nice walking on podestrianlised roads. Personally I hate old traditional style High Street where shops are at street level, it is both difficult to find parking to go to shops, and difficult to use it as a street to get to places. Worst of both worlds that I try to avoid as much as possible.

 

I drive in Wales a lot for personal and professional driving and the 20 mph limit areas I still see most drivers travelling up to an indicated 25 mph. When it was 30 mph many drivers were up anything up to an indicated 35 mph.  I think Welsh police regions tend to use the lowest setting ie 10% plus 2 mph as shown below.

 

So a speed limit of 20 mph will have cameras set to a true 24 mph and probably translates to an indicated 25 mph as most cars over read slightly.  Not encouraging drivers to push the limits but my experience of driving in 20 mph zones, before the introduction of a standard 20 mph limit, which local authorities can vary at will, is safer and more sensible driving at indicated 25 mph or less rather than 35 mph in the case of nominal sign posted 30 mph zones.      

 

Having worked as a Department of Accident accident investigator for Trunk road accidents I have no problem with this recent adjustment to lower speed limit is residential, school etc zones. 

 

https://www.confused.com/car-insurance/guides/speed-camera-tolerances#:~:text=UK fixed and mobile speed camera tolerances,-We contacted 45&text=Most police forces have a,go up to 79 mph. 

 

Here’s what the 39 forces responded with:

Police force	Speed camera tolerance
Avon & Somerset Police	10% + 2 mph
Cheshire Constabulary	10% + 2 mph
City of London Police	10% + 2 mph
Cumbria Constabulary	10% + 2 mph
Derbyshire Constabulary	10% + 2 mph
Dorset Police	10% + 2 mph
Essex Police	10% + 2 mph
Gloucestershire Constabulary	10% + 2 mph
Gwent Police	10% + 2 mph
Humberside Police	10% + 2 mph
Kent Police	10% + 2 mph
Lancashire Constabulary	10% + 3 mph
Leicestershire Police	10% + 2 mph
Lincolnshire Police	10% + 2 mph
Metropolitan Police Service	10% + 2 mph
Norfolk Constabulary	10% + 2 mph
Northamptonshire Police	10% + 2 mph
North Wales Police	10% + 2 mph
Police Scotland	10% + 2 mph
Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI)	10% + 4 mph
South Wales Police	10% + 2 mph
South Yorkshire Police	10% + 2 mph
Suffolk Constabulary	10% + 2 mph
Sussex Police	10% + 2 mph
Thames Valley Police	10% + 2 mph
West Mercia Police	10% + 2 mph

 

The point is that whereas the 20mph limits were only in on some roads, its now on all roads that were 30mph. Here in Chelmsford there are many roads that have become 20mph since the pandemic and loads of new ones without any consultation. The end result is now massive congestion where wasn't any before and ambulances on 999 calls are struggling to get through to both the patient and back to hospital. So any improvements on fatal accidents I suspect are than countered by delays in getting people to life saving medical care. 

8 hours ago, @Lee said:

 

I'd agree if there was a 'blanket 20mph' but there isn't. Even Sunak had to lie about it. No great shocker there mind.

 

 

 

 

There are blanket 20mph areas though where all roads bar a main thoroughfare are 20mph.  We have that in some areas of Sheffield. 

 

Might that be what he is thinking of, as opposed to what people want which is targeted 20mph areas around sensitive receptors? 

Edited 30 September, 20232 yr by skomaz

Agreed, no problem with 20mph zones with schools etc, but those should only when schools are in use. We have managed with 30mph for decades without major problems. I think it is all about lack of education. It needs to be part of the education process and also parental responsibility to teach children road safety. It was when I went to school but sadly no longer seems to be the case. 

Rishi Sunak used 'Blanket speed limit' in his spin.   Wales used 'Default from 30 to 20 mph'.

 

It has been a few years now that Local Authorities were supposed to set Speed Limits appropriate to the locations & that could be reduce from 30 mph or increase to 40 mph on outer limits of 30 mph restricted areas.

Some Scottish Councils manged to do this.  I would imagine others in the UK did as well.  There is a thread on it in the General Automotive chat section. 

 

So the speeds do not have to be 20 mph, they defaulted to that unless the Council does a variation and keeps it as it was  or does what they found by the 'official figures' required.

Not that they all bothered their back ends even though the Councillors, the Civil Servants and the Road Department Employees drive, cycle or walk and live in that area or travel to work and meetings there and should damn well know where there are problems to address or solve.

19 minutes ago, toot said:

 

Not that they all bothered their back ends even though the Councillors, the Civil Servants and the Road Department Employees drive, cycle or walk and live in that area or travel to work and meetings there and should damn well know where there are problems to address or solve.

 

 

Here in Sheffield there is a specific problem on a certain main radial route into town at peak hours caused by taxis and others parking illegally outside a couple of takeaways to get food, on double yellows near a crossroads.  It causes significant issues for traffic flow and buses.  The solution would be better enforcement of the existing parking restrictions and the traffic wardens spending a few hours for a few weeks ticketing people. 

 

The council know that and have admitted enforcement is the issue themselves but their proposed solution was new all day bus lanes, junction modifications or to red route the entire length of the road.  It beggared belief that they were so stupid as to not see the obvious and act upon it in an appropriate manner and that a small vocal minority who were advocates of anything anti car had such sway in decision making (and before anyone questions this I was present in the relevant meetings and discussions with the council). 

 

Its a similar mentality with some of the 20mph zones....   So instead of using them to fix specific issues they've taken a nuclear option that brings the whole thing into disrepute and costs a fortune in Traffic Regulation Orders, bureacracy, Roadside signs and lining for no benefit over a targeted solution.  Its almost as if the mentality is 'we must spend money on doing something' regardless of what it is. 

Edited 30 September, 20232 yr by skomaz

@skomaz Agreed, all bus lanes manage to do is to double the traffic jams in length, which then also spill out onto other roads which join the road with the bus lane and in many cases actually manage to push the jams onto other roads that are away from the road with the bus lanes. Instead of fixing the issues in the first that caused the bus lanes to be introduced, 🙄 A lot of problems are introduced when they build new housing estates and don't provide extra roads to feed them, so all that extra traffic has to use the same old roads that were already overcrowded, the same as they attach the sewers of these estates onto the old network and then wonder why when it rains heavy that there is flooding. Maybe it comes back to poor education standards so people aren't able to do the critical thinking any longer?

I think it's a combination of lack of critical thinking and bandwagon.  LTNs, Active Travel and Future High Streets fund for example are all good ideas when targeted correctly but a number of Local Authorities have simply jumped on the bandwagon and made up business cases to gain funding for schemes that haven't been fully thought through and critically appraised and don't have public support or backing as a result as the evidence of benefits is flawed or lacking.  They are then required to deliver those schemes regardless of how good they are or they have to pay back the funding.