Ernest Marples, the Transport Minister. Beeching was his tool.
Indeed I have and round too much of Lincolnshire - that is flat!
The East west system is being rebuilt, here some 60 years after it was destroyed.
MK was built around the car, in effect a prototype 15 min city.
I've not read the link. But I've heard all the pro's and cons arguments ad nauseam
Alas, there are always those who just don't understand the concept of showing respect to one another.
As long as they are in their place!Alas, there are always those who just don't understand the concept of showing respect to one another.
Unfortunately some folk just attract it.
That's a great idea, campaigning for a "better bus service" when they are talking about actually only running it 3 days a week. It's rural, you can't just magic up "more jobs locally". Have you seen the hills in S.W Wilts & North Dorset? Believe me, Geraint Thomas & Chis Froome would struggle !!
I think that there is the key to why it doesn't actually work all that well. I've cycled around MK; it's ok, but it's not the most intuitive or efficient system for a cyclist. Dutch cities were designed around multiple transport systems, that's why they work so well. Amsterdam is a big, old city not designed for much other than walking and horses, but it still works far better as a cycling city than anywhere in the UK. And central Amsterdam is nowhere near the newer developed areas.
Yet if cyclists or horse riders want to share the space they are entitled to, drivers start bitching and moaning about them. The problem is that in the UK, people are far too selfish and don't really want to share anything. This in itself is complex and has its own roots in the deeply entrenched class system, socioeconomics etc. As a society, we need to share things a lot more.
I wear it as a badge of honour; when someone has nothing to say but abuse, then it's an indication they have failed in their arguments.
Of course, but that's not going to happen unless we have a change of regime. Not just government, because although I doubt Starmer's New New Labour would be quite as bad as the tories, I can't see them enacting the kind of changes needed. As long as someone, somewhere is making lots of money off the current mess, then nothing is going to really change.
Obviously you haven't cycled it all then.
You obviously haven't used the red ways there are no roundabouts on them.
I've cycled enough to see that it was never actually designed for cyclists and pedestrians, more simply to get them out of the way of motor vehicles. Wheras the Dutch system considered all types of journey and doesn't prioritise motor vehicles like they've done in MK. The problem with the redways is that they're fine if you're just going for a leisurely pootle, at slow speeds, but if you want to actually get somewhere quick, or get up a bit of speed, they're crap. Which is why many cyclists will still use the roads. As you've said, MK is designed around the car, not people.
I guess you could look at it that way, being designed, it was for safety's sake.
Or cyclists. Both should stay off the road ways for their own safety.
It was designed for the maximum efficiency of motor vehicle movement.
It's motor vehicles that cause the problems, not cyclists or pedestrians. A simple look at KoSI'ed figures shows this fact. The way forward is to drastically reduce motor vehicles on our road and in our urban areas. In the Netherlands, this is done by just making it a pita to drive anywhere in such areas. If the quickest journey between two points is by bicycle, then that makes it much more attractive than driving. In far too many places in the UK, services such as shops, medical care etc are a long way from where people actually live. This is due to a failure of planning. My Aunt lives in a stupid place in Cornwall, where there are no shops or anything and you have to drive because there's no public transport either. When the place was being developed just post WW2, nobody thought to actually provide services so that people wouldn't have to drive everywhere. Stupid.
You just want cyclists out of YOUR way. Quite a selfish attitude. But you driving a car is actually the problem, not them. This is the reality most people need to wake up to. You're not 'stuck in traffic'; you ARE the traffic.
I never said that,
I have to admire those that moan and bitch about cars using the roads, and have the courage of their convictions not to drive one.
I know you aren't talking about me, because you can't
No, but I'm often found rabbiting though
You definitely implied it; 'you can lead a horse to water...'
I choose not to own a car, because where I live it's a complete waste of money. Car ownership is on average £5-6k ( you can buy a camera for that!) per year before you even factor in the cost of the car and maintenance etc. I choose to cycle (keeps me fit, I cost the NHS less as a result etc), use public transport or for the rare occasions I need private motor transport, I can happily pay someone else to drive me around. Chatting with a neighbour recently, about the holiday I'd just come back from, and he's saying 'you're lucky, I wish I could afford to go on holiday'. I pointed out that if he sold his car, which he only uses for very short trips anyway, he might be able to afford the odd holiday or five, each year. You can lead a horse to water...
If you don't understand the saying, it means you can provide the situation,
Insurance £320 / year
The figures I refer to relate to where I live. The average cost of running a car in the UK is over £3000. That's still one really nice holiday, or a couple of decent ones. As for foreign holidays; you should try one. Expand your horizons and experience.
Oh I understand it alright. Here in London, it makes economic sense NOT to own a car, and there are loads of benefits of not doing so, yet people choose to keep paying to drive their cars. Then moan about not being able to afford a holiday....
Very funny.
Been there done those a few years.
If I lived in central London, I may not own a car either,
What's funny?Very funny.
What lives under Bridges?
It depends on your situation and where you live, I like to go exploring out of the way places here in the UK it’s just not possible where we live to do that without a car
Are the bridges paid for by the 'Road Fund'?
You have trolled once to often.Are the bridges paid for by the 'Road Fund'?
+ Fuel, basic maintenance costs, depreciation, parking costs, Congestion Charge, fines, etc. So not just VED and insurance. London car insurance can be much higher than other parts of the UK, for obvious reasons. Add on the actual cost of the car, over the time it's owned, plus any major repairs etc, and that amount can increase significantly. Whilst £5-6k is the average, there will be many people paying a lot more than that. Annual running costs of £10k+ per year are not unheard of. And that's before we even get into those paying finance on cars...£5-6k for VED and insurance...!
It is only bestowed upon special people.I see someone has changed my profile details. How very mature.
+ Fuel, basic maintenance costs, depreciation, parking costs, Congestion Charge, fines, etc. So not just VED and insurance. London car insurance can be much higher than other parts of the UK, for obvious reasons. Add on the actual cost of the car, over the time it's owned, plus any major repairs etc, and that amount can increase significantly. Whilst £5-6k is the average, there will be many people paying a lot more than that. Annual running costs of £10k+ per year are not unheard of. And that's before we even get into those paying finance on cars...
By contrast; 30+ years of cycling has cost me less than £10k. And I've owned a fair few bikes. So that's around £333 per year, including the costs of the bikes themselves. And of course; no VED, no insurance, no vehicle tax, no Congestion Charges, no parking charges, etc etc etc. I think I spend around £100 per year to keep our bikes running smoothly, and that's mostly in consumer items such as brake pads, inner tubes, the odd new tyre here and there. All our bikes are over 10 years old, and 2 are over 20 years old. That's incredible value for money imo. But the biggest value is in terms of benefit to health. You simply cannot put a price on that.
I see someone has changed my profile details. How very mature.
I don't dislike cycling completely though I'd sooner commute by bike than bus.
Absolutely not. My large SUV (Land Rover Discovery 2; 4.0ltr V8; LPG) has a smaller footprint than my Mercedes estate car and costs less to run (p/m) using cleaner fuel.
