I saw that program too. The police should have been out there during those times giving tickets to every single person that was parked on yellow lines or blocking someone's driveway. There is no excuse for such inconsiderate behaviour. There is no reason that a child (unless disabled) cannot walk 500 yards when leaving school.
I used to live near to a primary school and the number of times these inconsiderate mothers would double park so I could not even drive through was amazing. I had one pull up right in front of me when she could see I was driving down the road and I had to wait while she jettisoned her kids in the middle of the road!
I think it is just part of a general culture of selfishness. If they have the time to sit there for ages waiting for their little darlings to come out of school they have the time to park further away and walk.
teabelly
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Regrettably, another sign of the times to go with inconsiderate drivers and parkers, is the fact that there are many parts of the country where it is not safe for a child to walk 500 yards, before or after school.
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Regrettably, another sign of the times to go with inconsiderate drivers and parkers, is the fact that there are many parts of the country where it is not safe for a child to walk 500 yards, before or after school.
I think that's more of a sign of lack of realistic appreciation of risk than lack of safety. And there's no reason why children too young to go on their own can't be walked 500 yards rather than driven. It would be quicker than leaving home half an hour early to pick the child up just to get a parking space.
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And there's no reasonwhy children too young to go on their own can't be walked 500 yards rather than driven. It would be quicker than leaving home half an hour early to pick the child up just to get a parking space.
What do you do when it is raining?
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Get wet?
SWMBO makes a 500yd each way school run every day, on foot, rain or shine! Some mornings she can walk out of the door to meet one of the other mums parking her car outside our house as she cannot get any closer to the school gates...
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What do you do when it is raining?
When I went to school in the rain, as I recall, I got wet. Miraculously I'm still here to tell the tale. Many of my comtemporaries drowned or were washed away.
There was an elite uber-class who had access to a marvellous device called an umbrella. I think you can still get them if you hunt around a bit.
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"surely this is (a) the most politically sympathetic option and (b) the cheapest."
You're missing the point. Ken Livingstone hates cars. He once said if he could ban them, he would.
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"surely this is (a) the most politically sympathetic option and (b) the cheapest." You're missing the point. Ken Livingstone hates cars. He once said if he could ban them, he would.
Yes, I recall that Ken said he would ban them. But surly if you can get cars off the road (esp school runs) then that is a step towards erradicating cars. I am not looking forward to the beginning of next year when SWMBO or me will have to jump in the car to take my son to school (unfortunately there are no schools that cater for his special needs in my part of town and he is not capable of walking).
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"there are no schools that cater for his special needs in my part of town and he is not capable of walking)."
Whilst not wanting to pry, if he is medically a "Special Needs" case then does not the local authority provide transport (SHMBO organises this for Essex CC as her day job, she ministers to my special needs at other times).
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Whilst not wanting to pry, if he is medically a "Special Needs" case then does not the local authority provide transport (SHMBO organises this for Essex CC as her day job, she ministers to my special needs at other times).
Don't know is the honest answer but I will look into it for the future. Problem is in this case the school is just over the boundary of the next council!
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Even if Ken Livingstone ceases to hate cars, he has put in place an organisation, Transport for London, which hates cars and will survive long after Ken is a distant memory on the political scene.
In the last year traffic in London has slowed by ten percent despite traffic volume having decreased by up to fifteen percent.
Most of this has been sacrifice on the twin altars of the bus and the bicycle, with miles of extra bus and cycle lanes and built-out bus stops, so when the bus stops so does everything else (including other buses).
IMHO the only sensible way to get round London is by Underground.
Buses, stopping every two hundred yards, are a dead loss for anything other than reaching the nearest Underground station and bicycles are, if fact, almost as rare as hens teeth.
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"and bicycles are, if fact, almost as rare as hens teeth."
and Ken's newts..................
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Ken Livingstone, and tfl seem to be similar to most other drivers. Get everybody else off the road so 'my' taxi* can take me somewhere quickly
*Remember Ken sees taxis as public transport, eg when he got one back from Blackpool, instead of taking the train.
Obviously when congestion charging starts and is a failure, it wont be because of the system being wrong, it will be because the congestion area isn't large enough. He's on about putting one around heathrow to as well, because Heathrow is 'well catered with public transport from London', shame not everybody in the UK lives near Paddington or on the picadilly line
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"SWMBO makes a 500yd each way school run every day, on foot, rain or shine! Some mornings she can walk out of the door to meet one of the other mums parking her car outside our house as she cannot get any closer to the school gates..."
I bl**dy well hope she still gets your tea on the table when you get in!
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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I bl**dy well hope she still gets your tea on the table when you get in!
That's not the approach you take on first contact with the chunky Cotswold crumpet is it Toad? That might explain your reported success rate.
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That's not the approach you take on first contact with the chunky Cotswold crumpet is it Toad? That might explain your reported success rate.
A female friend introduced [1] me to one of her friends.
As she was inspecting my appearance just before the lucky lady arrived she said "Remember, don't be yourself."
[1] Set me up with.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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"Heathrow is 'well catered with public transport from London'"
It might be, but it has whatsit-all transport from anywhere else in the UK.
To say nothing of the thousands of workers there who start at unsocialable hours, they don't all live in central London!
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Hot contender for Most Satisfying Moment of the Year was Dom Jolly making Ken look like an utter pea-brain.
Narrowly missed the award 'cos he whacked the wrong man.............
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Hot contender for Most Satisfying Moment of the Year was Dom Jolly making Ken look like an utter pea-brain.
Top show. I thought Ken came out of it quite well. One of the few 'guests' to stand up for the 'victim'.
Narrowly missed the award 'cos he whacked the wrong man.............
Fairey snuff.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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"Top show. I thought Ken came out of it quite well. One of the few 'guests' to stand up for the 'victim'"
Come on, TOTH, anyone who falls for a stunt like that is in dire need of a brain scan...........
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"Top show. I thought Ken came out of it quite well. One of the few 'guests' to stand up for the 'victim'" Come on, TOTH, anyone who falls for a stunt like that is in dire need of a brain scan...........
Ahhhh. I hadn't looked at it like that. Yeah. Total muppet.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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>>Heathrow is 'well catered with public transport from London', <<
In part because the black cab lobby has not only got its own private, free lane into town on the M4 (OK I did see a bus once), but they somehow have managed to get away with mandatory fixed fares at an outrageous level if you want to travel locally from Heathrow (e.g. £44 for the 7 miles to Windsor). In other words, they all want the lucrative trips into London, clogging up the roads with unnecessary vehicles.
PB.
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Of course: silly me.
I had quite forgotten that Ken thinks that taxis are public transport.
So everywhere in the UK is well served by public transport then.
Problem solved, you can get rid of buses and bus lanes.
Just have taxis and taxi lanes!
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Been trying to post a report here that I just read on the news, but for some reason I can't do it. Anyway, apparently a government-commissioned report states that congestion charges should be applied on roads within a 50-MILE radius of London. Seems these charges may affect more of us than I thought?!
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Look at it this way:
The provision of roads is a nationalised industry.
The supplier can't deliver.
So the customer is charged extra for not being supplied with the appropriate level of service.
You know it makes sense!
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I really don't see the problem with congestion charging.
1.There is too much traffic on the roads.
2.To get rid of some of the traffic you make it too expensive for the poorer motorists to use the roads. That makes it easier and quicker for the richer folk.
3.To penalise the poorer in society to help the better off is one of the founding principles of the Labour party isn't it? Ken L reckons his brand of socialism is purer than the present Labour party - so he should make it £10 to enter London.
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All motorists pay a congestion charge anyway, it's called fuel tax.
Use the car more = use more fuel = more tax
Stuck in a jam = use more fuel = more tax.
How there are people who agree to additional charging amazes me.
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Having tried to drive in London, anyone who wants to needs their head examined imo. So if they must drive they should be charged.. BUT the revenues should be used to improve non car transport eg the tube. Oops sorry Mr L and the Government cannot agree on that and NOTHING will be done for years and years.
(They say people get the politicans they elect and deserve:-)
If Londoners really cared, surely political pressure would force a change to the transport systems. Since nothing has been done for years, I assume London motorists don't really care. Perhaps congestion charging might make them.. I will not hold my breath.
Or perhaps the problem is that many of those who drive in London don't really care because they live elsewhere?
Judging by the filth in London and the congestion, not a city I would wish to live, drive or work in...
madf
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