Another example of drivers just not getting it

[Joshua Plumtree]

Norwich has a brilliant bike park. Its a big cage in one of the big, central car parks. The parking attendants, in their booth thing, let you in. You get to know them after a while. We used it a lot the year before last and took them chocolates at Christmas time. Magnetic lock is broken at the moment but I'm sure it will be fixed soon. There are cameras in there too. Much safer than locking your bike to a bike rack elsewhere.

Where exactly is it, Saluki? Cycled to Norwich last Saturday and locked the bike outside Chapelfield, which didn't feel particularly secure, plus I had to remove the lights and bike computer!

 

[glenn forger]

I lock my bike outside the florist's on the market almost every day, it's fine.

 

[Saluki]

Where exactly is it, Saluki? Cycled to Norwich last Saturday and locked the bike outside Chapelfield, which didn't feel particularly secure, plus I had to remove the lights and bike computer!

St Andrews Car Park. You enter on Duke Street and wave nicely at the Lady or Gent in the glass booth/office place and they will let you in. They release the magnetic lock from the inside of the office. As I said, last time we went, the lock was broken but it will be fixed soon, they said.

 

[gbb]

Its not just shoppers either...
We park in a long series of bays at work. The later you arrive the further you have to walk to the clocking in machine.
Several occasions, when ive got there early, ive gone off site for 10 minutes during the day....to come back and find that one of two perpetrators in particular have moved his car to where I was parked....to save himself an extra 10 metre walk later...10 whole metres. Plus the fact hes not really saved any energy anyway...hes simply walked the extra earlier rather than later.
No surprise really, some peoples stupity beggars belief. The same guy will spread the salt on a frosty morning. One hour later, he's washing the yard down, washing the salt away, leaving the yard to get icy. The yard looks lovely and clean...then in half an hour, its dirty again from all the lorries. Complete waste of time and energy. Try telling him....he just grins and carries on. He's a nice fella, but Jesus.....

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Every space was taken at the local Tesco on New Year's Eve with panic buying ahead of New Year's day. It's as if the world's coming to and end.

 

[andyfraser]

Good to see that planners are now reclaiming some of the streets to just pedestrian thoroughfare and open spaces for events and market stalls. Been to few towns in recent years and there is a new buzz about. Only wish is that they have more bike stands and in prominent places to avoid the vandalism and thefts.

They have quite a few bike stands here but they're either out of the way or in the dodgy parts. I'd like to see them moved to the main shopping area where there are lots of shoppers around.

There's at least one secure bike park with CCTV like @Saluki mentioned but a card costs £10 and I haven't got around to getting one yet. I really must do that.

 

[KneesUp]

As I always say, public transport is a public good i.e. the public benefit from it regardless of whether they themselves use it. As such it should be subsidised by all of us. It costs the thick end of a tenner for us as a family to get to town (under 5 miles) and back on the bus. That is ludicrously expensive.

 

[Drago]

How would I benefit from subsidising someone elses public transport? Will they be subsidising my bikes in return?

 

[screenman]

How would I benefit from subsidising someone elses public transport? Will they be subsidising my bikes in return?

I doubt it, but if more people used buses the roads might be a nicer place. Note the word might.

Do you only use a bike, or do you own a car as well.

 

[KneesUp]

How would I benefit from subsidising someone elses public transport? Will they be subsidising my bikes in return?

Less pollution, calmer drivers, fewer vehicles to hit you.

 

[KneesUp]

How would I benefit from subsidising someone elses public transport? Will they be subsidising my bikes in return?

It's attitudes like that that led to public transport being privatised, so now it costs a lot more for a family to use public transport than it does to use their own car. It's not going well - you may have noticed.

 

[John the Monkey]

I doubt it, but if more people used buses the roads might be a nicer place. Note the word might.

The canteen culture of some companies would have to change *a lot* for that to work out, but we could hope

I admit to being at the point that I like a good gridlock. If the cars aren't moving, at least they can't be driven at, or into you. Some of the roads on my commute are so close to complete standstill during the inaptly named "rush hour" that it doesn't take much to back traffic up a long way - a single poorly parked vehicle, a set of temporary lights, or a breakdown can do it on quite a few roads on my route.

Pace other comments, blaming it all on schoolrunners, or shoppers is a bit of a red herring too. It seems, for the most part, to be a way for the commenter to blame other people for a problem they're responsible for as well. You could make a cogent argument that as schoolrun vehicles tend to have multiple occupants for at least one leg of the journey, (and those occupants are ill equipped to deal with Britain's hostile, impatient road culture outside a car) they've more of a right than a commuter on their own doing the same distance.

Again, speaking only for my route, but term time or not doesn't make much of a difference, other than the "big" holidays (the long summer vacation, Christmas).

 

[screenman]

Have you ever noticed that all those people in the cars blaming the other motorists for the jams are part of the problem, I take great fun in pointing that out.

 

[Drago]

I doubt it, but if more people used buses the roads might be a nicer place. Note the word might.

Do you only use a bike, or do you own a car as well.

I got a dirty great pick up truck - I don't do cars - but do very little mileage in it. I only keep it cos its handy for chucking the wife's wheelchair in the back, otherwise I'd not bother with a motor vehicle at all.

 

[mcshroom]

The benefits of incentivising public transport are numerous, including: -

1. Reducing the amount of traffic on the road (better for cycling or driving)
2. Putting less stress on the road surface (fewer potholes)
3. Making a more extensive route viable (more chance that there would be a useful bus/train/ram for your journey - becomes a virtuous circle)
4. Reducing the number of parking spaces required (more space in town centres freed up for other uses)
5. Reducing the need for extra road building (same benefits as 4)
6. Reducing vehicle emissions (better air quality for everyone, including cyclists and pedestrians)
7. Reducing noise levels in urban areas (more pleasant environment, better for pedestrian and traders)