parking woes

[Mrs M]

I have to agree with most of what you say especially point number 10. Cyclists are the first to complain that they have no respect on the roads and how dangerous the roads are for them yet do something for them and they completely ignore it. They have no right to complain about the roads where there are cycle paths.

The presence or not of an off-road cycle path in no way affects the right of a cyclist to cycle on the road. This was tested in court last year. I never cycle on off-road cycle paths because I largely find them a waste of time, and in some instances they are more dangerous than cycling on the road.

Point 8, totally unfair to come down on the aged, totally agree about the rubbish service, too expensive and you forgot to mention maniac drivers.

Rubbish in what way? I actually find the standard of bus driving in Stafford pretty good.

Don't see where I said cyclists have no rights on the road, just the bit that suggests that they have no right to complain when things are being done for them and they're still not happy.
The road is a dangerous place for cyclists whether you are the most experienced cyclist in the world or not. Yes, I do find cyclists a nuisance (even though I cycle myself) but still give them their right of way which is more than I can say for some drivers that I have seen on the road. Cyclists have been complaining for years about their safety on the roads and now something is being done, they're still not happy.Cycle paths are there for the safety of the cyclists and drivers. It's no good saying when you are sitting waiting at the pearly gates 'well, at least I was in the right'.

This is my opinion as is my opinion on the bus drivers in Stafford but as you are telling me that I talk rubbish you must be an authority on this.

 

[simon]

Ok , so I'm a bit lost in this thread now and forgot what i was going to say....it's a good job I don't have a good point on anything!

There is already a bypass in place isn't there? For me, it's called Junction 13 and Junction 14, very handy when visiting the relatives 'down south!'

I cycle and drive so can see both sides of the debate here, one thing that does worry me is the cycle lane on the lichfield road near the entrance to the new retail park, to turn left on to the retail park you have to cross the cycle lane, surley this is a huge accident waiting to happen!?

Unless I've read the road markings wrong?

 

[darben]

I've lost count of the amount of times I've nearly been run over on the pavement by cyclists, it's even worse at the moment as most of them have no lights either, and even on the rare occassion we get any hobby bobbies about around here they just smile at them in a vacant fashion even though both activites are illegal!

I do drive, I don't cycle as the roads are too scary for it these days as there are a lot of nutty drivers about but pavements are for pedestrians, I am not against cyclists if they abide by the rules of the road! Its small wonder people take their cars into town as its dangerous to walk in.

 

[henryscat]

Don't see where I said cyclists have no rights on the road, just the bit that suggests that they have no right to complain when things are being done for them and they're still not happy.
The road is a dangerous place for cyclists whether you are the most experienced cyclist in the world or not. Yes, I do find cyclists a nuisance (even though I cycle myself) but still give them their right of way which is more than I can say for some drivers that I have seen on the road. Cyclists have been complaining for years about their safety on the roads and now something is being done, they're still not happy.Cycle paths are there for the safety of the cyclists and drivers. It's no good saying when you are sitting waiting at the pearly gates 'well, at least I was in the right'.

There is an issue with the safety of cycle paths - for instance they cross many driveways, having to look round 270 degrees crossing side roads, vegetation, debris on the path. I cycle where I feel safest, and where I can get from A to B in a reasonably quick time - which in my case is the road. The road needn't be such a dangerous place to cycle, and cycling technique can help play a part in safety. There's never going to be a decent off-road cycle network around the whole town, so cyclists need to be able to integrate safely with traffic. Ironically the more people are encouraged to cycle off-road, the less experienced/confident they will be when they do need to mix with traffic.

This is my opinion as is my opinion on the bus drivers in Stafford but as you are telling me that I talk rubbish you must be an authority on this.

Re-reading me sentence, its probably not well worded - I meant in what way were buses a rubbish service? They're frequent enough in the day (although not so of an evening), usually quite clean, reasonably punctual depending on the traffic. Although the services out there aren't perfect, they're not terrible either. On driving standards... I'm only putting an opinion forward from my experience - both travelling on them, and interacting with them in traffic, I've had no particular issue. I guess I also judge my experience versus years of using buses in Birmingham...

 

[henryscat]

Its certainly an "interesting" cycle lane arrangement, I've wondered about it myself, and whether it would actually be safer without the cycle lane marking. I haven't (yet!!!) had a problem cycling on that bit so far.

On Lichfield Road, the bit I don't like is going towards town where the mandatory cycle lane ends just by Alstom, and you get thrown out into the traffic flow at the point the road gets narrower!

I cycle and drive so can see both sides of the debate here, one thing that does worry me is the cycle lane on the lichfield road near the entrance to the new retail park, to turn left on to the retail park you have to cross the cycle lane, surley this is a huge accident waiting to happen!?

Unless I've read the road markings wrong?

 

[henryscat]

It does scare me the amount of people in Stafford who seem prepared to cycle without lights, and in dark clothing. Bizarrely driving into town the other night, the only cyclists I passed with lights were on the pavement, and the ones without were on the road...

The police also resolutely ignore people who park on pavements - equally as illegal, and far more widespread than people cycling without lights, so probably hoping a bit much for them to enforce the latter....!

I've lost count of the amount of times I've nearly been run over on the pavement by cyclists, it's even worse at the moment as most of them have no lights either, and even on the rare occassion we get any hobby bobbies about around here they just smile at them in a vacant fashion even though both activites are illegal! .

 

[db]

This is my opinion as is my opinion on the bus drivers in Stafford but as you are telling me that I talk rubbish you must be an authority on this.

erm, henryscat wasn't calling your opinion rubbish.. you wrote "Point 8 ... totally agree about the rubbish service", to which s/he replied "rubbish in what way?"!

not that i'm sticking up for cyclists () here, just wanted to clarify so this is a nice clean fight!

 

[Toble]

1. the proposed pedestrianation measures will totally screw up the flow around the town even more than it is screwed now.

Proposed changes seem sensible to me. I look forward to them. Impact on traffic flows will be minimal.

The road closures last Saturday should have given you a taster of the chaos.

5. Stafford needs the bypass to be completed. Opps, sorry, can't do that because there are now 2 new estates on the proposed route.

No it doesn't. The vast majority of towns where bypasses are built end up back at square one within a few years - bypass diverts some traffic, freed up road capacity in the town then fills up with generated traffic. Overall result = more traffic. Find a town where that hasn't happened...

I know, lets have an accident on the motorway, and put all the M6 traffic through the town.
Then, while i'm sitting in gridlock, with some old dear in the back whos frozen food is melting, that a bypass wouldn't be a good idea.

8. Buses. Rubbish service, too expensive, and full of smelly pikeys. And old people.

"Rubbish" - in what way?

When I lived in Preston, the estate I lived on was served by 3 routes, with a bus going past ever five mins or so. If stafford I've never managed to live within half a mile of a bus stop.

Which brings me to bus stops. Foregate. Down by the SGI and the other by the W+H. Why the hell did the council more them out of the existing laybys?

9 Pollution. Fact: The exhaust fumes on a new Mondeo are actually cleaner than the air going in the front end.

Urban myth. So, our towns would be less polluted if everyone drove Mondeos....? Combusting fuel = air pollution. It is not benign. Ford (or anyone else) cannot magic it away.

Sorry, I was wrong. Its the new Saabs. I'll did the proof out.

10. Cyclists. Right, Next time I see a cyclist on the pavement I WILL chin them. And next time I see a cyclist on the road when there's a perfectly good cycle path to use I WILL cut them up (with car, not knife - but that it tempting). If I can follow the cycling rules in the Highway Code, when I'm on my bike, they bloody well can too.

I don't cycle on the pavement, but I can understand why people do when there are drivers with your attitude. So what if there's a cycle path? It has no bearing on a person's right to cycle on the road. In most instances cycle paths are of poor quality, can only be used at slow speed, and can be potentially more dangerous than cycling on the road.

Sorry just got carried away there. I hope the person who rode into the back of me today hasn't read this, or i'll be getting sued.

11. Children. If you hit a child at 40mph, there is apparently an 80% chance that they'll die. If you hit one at 30mph, theres an 80% chance that they'll live. If the weren't pissing about in the road in the first place, it wouldn't be a problem, would it?

And the problem with keeping within the speed limit is....?

No problem at all. Its just that advert gets on my wick.

12. Taxis. All driven by maniacs. You'd be surprise by the miles/hours/accident rate though. Its very low.

I find it odd that taxi drivers aren't subject to drivers hours' like PCV drivers are. Both are responsible for conveying passengers. Neither are taxis subject to the same maintenance requirements that buses are, yet both cover high mileages.

Taxis have to have a council MOT like test every six months. Just like buses. All subject to the County Fleet Services Cartel.

And can only be run for a max of 6 years. I believe that fire engines and ambulances can run for 10 (gon2seed? am i right on that?).


For all other points: I really need to install a pissed-filter on my machine. I promise not to rant when drunk ever again. Until next week.

 

[henryscat]

The road closures last Saturday should have given you a taster of the chaos.

Short term road closures tend to cause more disruption though - longer term changes tend to start off with a week or two of some disruption, then settle down as people adjust to it.

I know, lets have an accident on the motorway, and put all the M6 traffic through the town.
Then, while i'm sitting in gridlock, with some old dear in the back whos frozen food is melting, that a bypass wouldn't be a good idea.

The M6 decanting through Stafford is a problem, although there ain't an easy answer to it. Assuming the M6 will end up at 4 lanes each way in the not too distant future (hard-shoulder running) - a Stafford with bypasses all the way round would still not cope with the massive volumes of traffic attempting to come through one way or another. Interesting experiment might be to close exit slip roads at either J13 or 14 when chaos breaks out, although potentially a bit of a bugger if you're on the motorway and live in Stafford. Sat navs are probably not helping either by providing a tool for people who don't know the area (and who previously might have sat the congestion out on the motorway) to divert off the motorway and find one route or another through.

When I lived in Preston, the estate I lived on was served by 3 routes, with a bus going past ever five mins or so. If stafford I've never managed to live within half a mile of a bus stop.

Population density in Stafford won't support that frequency of service (not without traffic restraint....!!!), nice as it would be - at least not on a profit making basis. Stafford has got routes like the 8 and 9 which operate to a 12 minute frequency during the day, which isn't bad. I know not all areas are quite that well served - but its a vicious circle of declining bus service = cuts = more decline.

Which brings me to bus stops. Foregate. Down by the SGI and the other by the W+H. Why the hell did the council more them out of the existing laybys?

Most councils are taking bus stops out of laybys - basically because other drivers refuse to let buses pull out, and if you've got several bus stops in laybys on a route, it starts to impinge on the efficient operation of the service.

No problem at all. Its just that advert gets on my wick.

Annoying adverts are usually the most effective though, as people tend to remember them!

Taxis have to have a council MOT like test every six months. Just like buses. All subject to the County Fleet Services Cartel.

And can only be run for a max of 6 years. I believe that fire engines and ambulances can run for 10 (gon2seed? am i right on that?).

Didn't know about 6 monthly MOT or age limit on taxis. Going back to buses... there's a requirement for daily walk-round checks, and I think a detailed inspection is every 34 days - a major operator I visited a few years back did them every 4 weeks though.

 

[Toble]

Interesting experiment might be to close exit slip roads at either J13 or 14 when chaos breaks out

Damn fine idea.

Which brings me to bus stops. Foregate. Down by the SGI and the other by the W+H. Why the hell did the council more them out of the existing laybys?

Most councils are taking bus stops out of laybys - basically because other drivers refuse to let buses pull out, and if you've got several bus stops in laybys on a route, it starts to impinge on the efficient operation of the service.

As opposed to having a bus block the road and impinge on the smooth flow of traffic.

Didn't know about 6 monthly MOT or age limit on taxis. Going back to buses... there's a requirement for daily walk-round checks, and I think a detailed inspection is every 34 days - a major operator I visited a few years back did them every 4 weeks though.

Don't let on that I told you this, but on a walk-round inspection, quite a few drivers would fail to notice a missing wheel.

On guy failed to notice that his back bumper was dragging on the road.

 

[Mrs M]

This is my opinion as is my opinion on the bus drivers in Stafford but as you are telling me that I talk rubbish you must be an authority on this.

erm, henryscat wasn't calling your opinion rubbish.. you wrote "Point 8 ... totally agree about the rubbish service", to which s/he replied "rubbish in what way?"!

not that i'm sticking up for cyclists () here, just wanted to clarify so this is a nice clean fight!

If you had read this earlier you would have read the un-edited version. If you also read on you will read that henryscat admits that it was not well worded.

 

[Scuttlingb]

I cycle and drive a car and I also drive a bus.

I agree with you about the pikey's and old people but not all bus drivers are maniacs. We have to pass a more stringent test than taxi drivers and people just never let us out of the bus stops. We have timetables to keep to and it can be frustrating but I usually manage to wait for cyclists when travelling very slowly up hills and wait for people to sit down on the bus before pulling away and all with a smile.

The thing about any form of travel is everyone wants to be somewhere else and if we're all a bit patient it can happen.

 

[Toble]

I worked in the bus industry for years, never as a driver though, always on the IT side. I know how it is with timetables.... i give you these examples.

Long ago my boss was tasked to time the Newport/Uttox run for purposes of generation the timetable. So he timed is at 4 in the morning, in his Calibra. we had to contruct the time table on those times.

and this is the best.....

".... can any service rival the Hanley to Bagnall route? In 1976 it was reported that the buses no longer stopped for passengers.
This came to light after a Mr. Bill Hancock complained that buses frequently passed queues of up to thirty people. Councillor Arthur Cholerton made transport history by stating that if these buses stopped to pick up passengers they would disrupt the time-table." - Source: The Book of Heroic Failures, by Stephen Pile.

 

[Scuttlingb]

Luckily our timetables are planned on the fact that you have to stop at every other bus stop. In quiet times it's a pain as you have to wait out times and in busy times you end up stopping at every bus stop but generally I don't find too much trouble out there. Mind you today two lovely men doing a delivery to Tedder Road with 1 washing machine. Blocked the road completely and said just a couple of minutes.......well they were plumbing it in as well and taking the rubbish! Luckily Weston Road was free of traffic and I managed to blast back into town only a couple of minutes late! The joys of earning a crust in this wonderful town

 

[Toble]

A warning to ye all. Don't go parking in the marked spaces along the side of the Chetwund Centre after 6pm. You may think you can park there, but after 6 the single yellow line comes in to effect and you will get ticketed. They were out at 18:02 tonight, and by half past had ticketed every car on the street.

This is particulary sneaky, as the sign relating to the boxes makes no mention of anything after 6pm, and the sign concerned with the yellow line is nowhere near the boxes.

 

[cat_woman]

mENTION THIS TO YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLOR TO SEE IF THEY CAN GET THE SIGN MOVED.

 

[tek-monkey]

I used to live up that road, and the parking nazis were always about. Ticketed my flatmate twice for parking outside the house, and I often saw them lurking to get someone.