Latest Moan From You and Me 2023

I realise its within the rules, that's the problem.
What do you do when they make up the rules?

 

Vote them out. It was a great satisfaction to me back in the mists of time when we ousted our lying, two-faced councillor who had promised to fight a huge housing development on our behalf but did just the opposite. We formed a residents committee and fought it ourselves. We lost, of course, but at least we had the satisfaction of seeing him in tears when the local election results were announced. It's a sort of democracy...

 

I did say that if she was voted out, (very unlikely), she would only be replaced by someone else doing exactly the same thing.

 

Blanket 20 mph speed limit coming in September - with this following slowly at it's heels:

Fines of up to £80 for idling have been proposed as part of a clean air law going through the Senedd.

Road charges and targets to cut harmful pollution could also be introduced as a result of the long-awaited legislation.

 

I've heard people suggesting England follow the 20mph speed limit so I think its probably only a matter of time.
Is this all part of the electric revolution, think how many more miles you will get going at a snails pace in an electric car as opposed to a petrol/diesel vehicle.

If they got rid of some of the road works and managed the roads in a joined up sensible way it would help stop idling to a large extent, they do appear to like creating gridlock at every opportunity.

I've noticed some of the schemes regarding stopping traffic going through some city centres are being wrecked, planters stuck in middle of the roads being dragged out the way etc.
Sometimes, just sometimes I wish we were more like the French.

 

I understand each council area is surveying their roads to see which ones will remain 30 mph

The number of stationary vehicles I see around the place with their engines running for ages is ridiculous, and often in this little culdesac when I have the windows open I can smell the fumes.
When I go on a bus they often stop for a few minutes to make up time but they leave the engine running. It's stupid. Something needs to be done about it.

 

Buses often leave their engine running for heating or aircon reasons.

 

But when, for examlple, a van stops to make a delivery and is standing there for many minutes, it is not necessary for the engine to be running all the time and the exhaust fumes coming in through my window. And I don't want to close the window on a warm summer day.

And a bus doesn't need to leave its engine running for 5 minutes when it's standing in a bay at the bus station before the journey begins, or during the journey for the driver to go outside for a cigarette or to play with her/his ipad.

And why has the computer changed the word I typed from f a g to 'cigarette' ??

 

The centre of Edinburgh is all 20 mph and many towns and villages in Scotland are 20 mph. except the main through roads. Danderhall is virtually all 20 mph. One road is 30 mpg but for more than half of it, you would struggle to exceed 10 mph with parked cars and speed humps.
There is a section of the A1 into the centre of Edinburgh where the tourist buses stop. There are yellow signs telling the drivers to switch off their engines with a £30 fine for not doing so.
Idling is illegal in Scotland.
Vehicle idling is an offence against the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (Scotland) Regulations 2003. The law states that it is an offence to idle your engine unnecessarily, and you may be issued with a £20 fixed penalty notice.

 

I suppose I'm lucky but I've never been bothered by people idling, to be honest I've never really noticed it happening to any degree.
I see it as another modern thing as in most of my driving life no body has said anything about turning off your engine when waiting for traffic lights etc.

I do turn off my engine if it is going to be a long wait like level crossings but that's because I'm burning liquid gold.