4 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

Doesn't that in itself say something about the world that we live in today, that we as parents feel that it is no longer safe for our children to walk to and from school? In my time as a child, it was rare to see children being driven to and from schools. Its yet another sign of just how soft governments have become on law and order these days. 

Nothing to do with safety, it’s the kids or their parents getting lazier, easier to ride than walk. Obesity crisis, what obesity crisis

@Graham ButcherYou are where you are and believe what suits you.  There are communities that want reduced speeds in their areas.

 

That is what matters, they might get Community and Local Councillors on their side and the Committee, road convener and council leader.

That is all it takes, the MAJORITY of the population might not agree but that does not stop things happening. 

 

 

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

These so-called communities that want lower speed limits are really a case of its the squeaky wheel that gets the drop of oil. The vast majority of people just can't be bothered to take part in any consultation meetings in the belief of "I don't think this is going to happen", or "I'm sure that others will prevent it from happening" syndrome. I must admit to being like myself at times and I'm sure that these meetings are deliberately timed in their announcements and the very short duration for which they are open, hoping not to attract any negative opinions to their proposals.

 

Do they ever take the trouble to write to the residents in the affected areas? Its been my experience that they don't, they announce them in various low-key ways to avoid drawing attention to them, just like when the newspapers have to publish an apology, its in small case, tucked away in the middle of the paper so as not to draw attention to the fact that they had to do it. Yet when they published the article for which they had to make the apology for, it was more than likely on the front page and was in big bold letters to get people to buy the paper.

 

Sometimes I only hear about certain issues when someone decides to flag it up on my neighbourhood website because the consultation period has closed and someone has just spotted the published announcement tucked away out of site, or on the local authority's website, which we all regularly visit and scrutinise don't we? 🙄

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

How many Newspaper Articles / Headlines do you need examples of. 

I know about Scotland which is quite big and has local papers and National papers and then the likes of The Express which will let people know what is not vary Tory and ging to happen. 

 

Get out and about more maybe from Essex.  Pay more attention to what happens in your area of the England 20.

 

That must be the kind of place where people do not speak, do not know each other, do not have local newspapers just facebook pages etc.  

 

Local towns or villages for local people and also incomers & visitors.

 

There was always roads through them, maybe a chip shop open during the evening, a butchers, a grocers a newsagents, a garage and a filling station, now just houses, a village hall, maybe still a primary school and a shop or 2.

 

Nothing wrong with people needing to drop the speed to 20 mph for a few hundred yards or so. 

This is a modern world with modern vehicles and very big HGV,s. 

 

They can truck up the road at 50 mph once out of the habitation, and cars at 60 mph.

 

Some places already have a 40 MPH limit before you get in or out of the 30 mph.   Recently i see some where you enter the 40 limit then right into the 20 mph.

They never changed the 40 mph down to 30 mph. 

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

Haha, I can assure that I do get and about and have done for many years, especially the South, South East, East, Home Counties and the Midlands. Draw a line from Kings Lynn to Birmingham and down to Southampton, is that a big enough area for you? There have been quite a few trips to Swansea, Liverpool, Barrow In Furness and Newcastle upon Tyne as well as places in Scotland and the Emerald Isle, so I think I know my way around the country, don't you?

 

I'm not talking about the speed limit dropping to 20mph for a short stretch of road through a village, or past schools etc, but whole towns, estates etc. For example, in my city there is a whole massive estate of well north of 40 odd streets suddenly becoming a 20mph zone, there are zero schools on the estate, zero hospitals and zero shops except for 1 street which is full of shops and yet that street is a 30mph zone, go figure.

 

This whole estate is bounded by 3 main roads, one of which is an "A" road and the estate has only 4 access points, hence the local council wanted to split it up into quarters and it becoming known as the "quarters", erect physical road blockages to stop people using it as a local rat run and they made the mistake of well publicising it. The locals organised themselves and had proper big window posters printed saying "No to Quarters" and almost every house on the estate displayed this poster in their windows as it would mean that themselves would then be adding to the overall traffic gridlocks as they attempt to get into and out of their quarters which could add upto 45 minutes on a trip to circumnavigate the estate in order get back to their homes after shopping etc.

 

The council then dropped the plan and now without any proper consultation slapped a 20mph zone on the entire estate and another that borders onto it, this is universally disliked by residents and seems to be done as if it was a punishment for thwarting the "quarters plan".

 

This is the objection to these 20mph zones I have, they only make sense in certain areas such as schools, homes for the elderly etc.

Edited 16 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

I had a trip to ol’ London Town (Canary Wharf) this afternoon/evening. As it was fairly late decided to drive through London to get back to Winchester rather than out on the A20 and round the M25 (my route there).

Was surprised that from Canary Wharf to Hammersmith it was all 20mph limit.

Thankfully my car is ULEZ compliant and was after the congestion zone timeframe.

Yes, there have been many 20mph zones introduced in London and many of these started to be introduced about 2004 to 2006 and actually made getting about London seeing clients very difficult indeed. Public transport would have been the best solution some of the time, but it just not lend itself to carrying large demonstration cases, sample cases and supporting publicity in order to do product demos and also service visits to many of the universities and hospitals etc. I did try that once, and I lost count of the number of times I was challenged by security staff and had to physically open the cases etc to show what it was I trying to take onto the tubes with me. Even a couple of times I was stopped by police foot patrols.

 

Honestly, the 20mph zones were a real nightmare for people who have to travel around these places, it really does slow you down and impacts on the number of client visits a day that is possible. 

Edited 19 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

OK, on the 2nd of December last year information about the ULEZ scheme and others around the country being used as a smoke screen to install cameras for other purposes such as a pay per mile scheme with different tariffs being applied according to the number of people in the car, time of the day and what type of roads you use. Now I don't think that many had any belief in it, well it seems that it is real and that it is becoming a step close to becoming a reality and urge readers to watch these videos first and then examine the links provided to see the evidence for your self.

 

I understand that many people have already formed their own opinions that this person is only a click baiter just after the money, and hopefully those that do actually watch these two videos and follow up with the supporting evidence, might now agree with me about the need to keep an open mind about things and start to ponder are we all just following the pied piper like mindless rats into a trap that could be prevented if we examine things more?

 

Motorists DESPERATE for PAY PER MILE say Newspaper. BALLS! Says Geoff. (youtube.com)

 

(78) Angry Motorists want Road Charging. WE GOT A REPLY! - YouTube

 

https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/...

https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/...

https://bettertransport.org.uk/wp-con...

https://committees.parliament.uk/work...

https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/defau...

https://committees.parliament.uk/work...

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/...

Lets get the Poll Tax / Community charge back and have everyone pay for services and get it away from who owns a house of what value / size.

They pay utilities,  How many or few live in the house should be irrelevant.

 

Have the opposite with Passenger Cars.   Charge on weight and size and if charging per mile charge more if there is just a driver and for each empty seat.

The point is that the authorities have been  denying that they have been preparing for this. Now why would they deny it, I wonder. 

 

 

Edited 19 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

The UK does not even have compulsory ID cards.

 

Lets get the Registration Numbers on Vehicles registered to people and bar codes or more modern chips on vehicles and the ANPR fit for function and at filling stations and charge hubs and then the ability to Disable Vehicles without MOTs, Insurance or VED.

 

Use the available tech over the whole of the UK.    Problem being the whole of the UK does not have Mobile Phone Reception, Wi-Fi, Broadband or councils or governments that can organise a p!55 up during a lockdown without being nabbed.

 

They do not like that big brothers can know where everyone is because it is just meant for plebs.

That won't stop them, watch this space, the real question is, is there anywhere where a GPS system will not work? As long as they have GPS then can fit a GPS tracker to a car and it can then report back where you have been once it is back within a mobile phone signal area again. There are insurance policies that rely on being able to know your precise location at all times. I know this because I have had no option but to use such a system myself for the last 3 years, as policy without such a device was just cost prohibitive, just because my car received damage while being transported on conveyor system through an American style car wash and I reported it to my insurer at the time, even though I never made any claim, my premium became stupidly high at the next renewal. Doing research with the MIB revealed that as being the reason. Dashcam footage can be run through a special program that can actively display your location at every point of your journey and that position, date, time and speed accurately shown on digital maps.

 

Edited 19 January, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

Yes there are places that GPS does not work in the UK.

 

As long as it works in England and especially London where the Government in Westminster for the UK has plans & ideas and it would be good to actually know who was in the country, going where and doing what.

Starting with those that are part of Think Tanks & then Politicians and their advisors.   Then the Peers of the Realm. Let us all know when they are in or out of the country. 

 

They should be all for that i am sure in Parliament and the House of Lords, 

Well, it seems that the ULEZ adverts have deemed as misleading on at least 3 adverts by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) as the Brown Car Guy reports here. The claim that since it has been introduced, the level of NOX has been reduced by 46%. It transpires, as I have always suspected, that these claims are not actual scientifical tested and proven but instead are calculated, WTF.

 

If this was factual, then why has there not been a scientific study and the report published? Because it is not the truth, that is why.

 

This is the report from ASA Greater London Authority - ASA | CAP 

 

 

The truth is out there, it is just hiding, well hidden... The truth does not fit the agenda. It is like the BBC's temperature figures, they are at ground level not as they used to be because ground level figures are higher and fit the agenda.

Quote

TfL noted that three of the five complaints made to the ASA about the ULEZ advertising were not upheld.

https://news.sky.com/story/ulez-ads-made-misleading-london-pollution-claims-watchdog-rules-13065917

Edited 8 February, 20242 yr by @Lee

4 minutes ago, @Lee said:

https://news.sky.com/story/ulez-ads-made-misleading-london-pollution-claims-watchdog-rules-13065917

TfL said it was "disappointed" with the ASA's ruling, adding how scientific analysis based on modelled scenarios and estimates was "standard practice" in the scientific community and central government.

 

Translated means, if that is true then any claims made by the Government in support of its radical policies, really cannot be trusted to be anywhere near factual. Figures it seems can be plugged out of thin air, and we are supposed to swallow them hook line and sinker and not to challenge them.

 

Now I wonder why after 14 years of austerity, designed to put the country back on its feet again after the famous note left by the outgoing Government saying "There is no money" and yet there is still no money and the country is in a even worse state than it was 14 years ago.😒

@CrasherPlease explain the point about temperatures.

 

There is the ground frost figure given by weather reports, ground temp, then the other temperature is the Air Temperature, as taken at 1.25 meters above the ground in a Stevenson Screen.

There might be permafrost, or melting permafrost.

 

?

What temperature do you want to know about, is it  the 1.5*oC , is it the Global Temperature & Climate change rather than in Cities, towns or countryside in the 4 countries of the UK?

 

2*oC air temp outside where i am just now, air temp.  Snowing a little while a go but not laying. 

I'd like to know what the BBC's 'agenda' is or whatever the 'agenda' is.

Edited 8 February, 20242 yr by @Lee

As to the ground frost / temperature.

The ground / road temperature might be as much as 5 degrees C below the Air Temp, maybe night time a couple of degrees, hence black ice forming  when the cars Temp shows 4*oC.

The Scottish Transport Scotland weather sites used to show air and road temp, but the newest site is crap. the roadside sensors do have the data. 

Here is how accurate it was hour by hour and where you might be away to travel to and a few miles difference could be very different. and you can see the road temp and the air temp. and the difference. 

35 minutes ago, Rooted said:

Here is how accurate it was hour by hour and where you might be away to travel to and a few miles difference could be very different. and you can see the road temp and the air temp. and the difference. 

Good point, if the ground temps are lower than air temps, then with the BBC being the government mouthpiece, I'd have thought that they would have been using the air temp as it is higher and actually would be backing the claim that global warming is a real thing and would help the adoption of EV cars more?

Edited 8 February, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

They do use Air Temperature, 

 

Listen closer to the weather people, they often explain.   temperatures in towns / cities, in the country, in glens.  Airports are built where they are for a reason, villages grew to towns and cities for a reason, next to rivers, in valleys, near the sea etc.

 

& then the Likes of  'Wind Chill',  and my favourite, 'Thunder Snow'.  because some people are just dim. 

Edited 8 February, 20242 yr by Rooted

I can't see any reference to them quoting air temps on the screens you posted, just wind chill? Speaking of Thunder Snow, I see that they are forecasting a chance of you getting upto 10 inches of the white stuff.

Edited 8 February, 20242 yr by Graham Butcher

The weather stations, the thing at road side, the around gardens / parks etc the white box with the thermometer in it is measuring 'Air Temperature'.  A the container in it rain fall.

 

Read a School Childs 'Learning sheet, read a BBC or MET explanation of Map colours.   Your Wind Sock at runways is wind direction, the weather station there is Air Temperature,

1.25 meters above the ground. 

Edited 8 February, 20242 yr by Rooted