davidb

I think cars in towns and cities are a bloody nuisance but until there is an alternative that can offer cheaper journey running costs than a car, the comfort and reliability of a car, the safety from mindless thugs and muggers, and protection from our unpredictable climate people will always use their cars!

i used to be a bus driver and the comment above posted by samkydd really hits the mark ,thugs and muggers particularly ,if you want people to use public transport ,you have a two man crew on the bus [ doesnt have to be a routemaster ] you have gaurds on trains and at train stations ,lo and behold passengers come back ,sadly it costs money so they wont do it ,but they will have "look at me im travelling on the tube "photo oppertunities ,they cost nowt

samkydd

The amount of Scotch he allegedly drinks at official meetings I suppose we should be grateful he doesn't drive! I don't think the odd tipple hurts anybody but never at work and in such large quantities, especially not when crucial decisions have to be made! Anyone else would be disciplined or even dismissed, but he's above all that nonsense! I was quite shocked when I saw the programme.

YouTube - [Channel 4 News] London's Mayor denies alchoholism claims

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Steve Crook

As you can tell from some of the people posting in this thread, a lot of people really have the knives out for Ken and can't wait to bury them in his back and then bury him. This is because we're coming up to election time and the stories told against him do seem to be particularly vicious this time.

Because of that I think it would be safest to not believe any of them - unless they are proved in a court of law

There are some powerful forces, many in various branches of the media, lined up against him.

But let's see what Londoners say at the ballot box.

Of course that won't stop people complaining about him, but then we can just continue to ignore them

Steve

davidb

the problem with ken [ and i havent got it in for him ,i dislike all politicians ] is hes never had any real battle till now ,steve norris was a pushover but how will he get on with boris becker ?or karloff ,sorry johnson

Steve Crook

Yes, it might be different if there was a real opponent but it seems the best that any party can field is a figure of fun. Boris the buffoon has insulted the people of Liverpool, PNG and Portsmouth. How long before he accidentally insults all Londoners as well?

Steve

David Brent

Let's face it, no matter what councils or governments tell you, the country would go bankrupt if they were not receiving the regular funds they collect from the good old motorist.

Rego, insurance, road tax, petrol tax, parking fines, speeding fines ect.... all fill the greedy government coffers nicely. That is why you see petrol prices rise so quickly.
The price of petrol goes up - everything goes up. Transport costs flow onto the price of food and goods that Joe Public has to pay. The government gets it's share of the added costs in taxes.
Never ending cycle.

I also see that the UK government are taking legal proceedings to try and prevent the full public disclosure of details concerning the perks politicians receive.
What have they got to hide?
Democracy? What a joke.

Dave.

tonyb

yes your right...if only he had modern explosives!!!!

"MR GRIMSDALE"-----" they`re at it again"

samkydd

Rather than help find real alternatives to congestion e.g. provide secure Park and Ride schemes at affordable prices, it always has to be penalise the motorist all the time for using his car. Years ago we were encouraged to live out of town and commute via motorways, now it's almost a sin to do so!

I don't know what the answer is apart from to get back to the days when most people lived within walking/cycling distance from work. If this was possible I'd be happy to sell my car and just hire one when I needed to travel away for a weekend break or something.

Unfortunately industrial estates and office parks are largely still being built close to motorway links but well away from railway stations and bus routes!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

davidb

i blame dr beeching , the cheapest quickest fix in the 1950s was to close /rundown the railways and build motorways /promote private car ownership ,50 years later the roads are heaving and nobody has had a better plan ,we should be like some other countrys where transport is not allowed to be a political football [are you listening ken /boris ] and what is right for the country as a whole is put through ,thats why i get annoyed with ken , he might be a car hater who wishes the things had never been invented ,but it doesnt help us in the real world does it ?

Steve Crook

I do a lot of visits to clients and when they're in situations like that I just get a train to the nearest station and then get a local cab

Steve

Dame Starry

You're talking about the odd visit, Steve, but what about somebody who has to travel to and from work 6 days a week?

DS x.

Steve Crook

I know I'm fortunate enough to be able to avoid the 9-5 grind. But I've worked long and hard to be in a position where I am so fortunate

When I was at college I had a holiday job working in the West End. That put me off commuting for life! Ever since then I've always made sure that I only work at jobs where the work you do is more important then being seen to be at your desk during certain hours (regardless of the actual work you do). Often that means I have to pass on up the higher paying jobs but that's fine by me. I'd rather be happy than rich.

Steve

samkydd

I've always been in favour of two man crews on buses. You ask any woman (or even a member of an ethnic minority or other vulnerable people) why they hate travelling on buses and they'll tell you that they just don't feel safe, especially during the evenings! The driver is concentrating on his driving and on-board CCTV is only useful after the event, so no comfort there then.

Whether people would pay more in fares for this extra person is another matter. I suppose the police could use buses and/or the Tube to get around their manor, they do in some American cities and it wouldn't cost the bus/train company anything! A visible deterrant is always a good thing and let's face it, most cowardly thugs/chavs only try it on if they're 99.9% certain of getting away with it! These are the sorts of ideas councils should be promoting, not just simply making life difficult for car users in some half-hearted attempt to get people to use public transport!

They should also look at the facts about congestion. Much of it is caused by buses stopping, the long delay as the driver collects the fares and then pulls out again only to stop a couple of hundred yards further down and go through the process again! In the old days the bus could pull out as the last passenger boarded and the conductor would collect the fares, so no delay in the timetable or to other road users! Lorries and vans making deliveries and blocking narrow streets, illegal parking usually by people in flash cars whose time is too important to have to walk from a car park to whatever shop or office they're visiting, and also roadworks by highways and utility companies! Get rid of that lot and we'd be zipping along in our cars no problem!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Marky B

Also,wasn't it quick to have people board the bus and pay when they have sat down,rather than a queue of people paying as they get on board.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

samkydd

And if the government are so keen to cut down on car use, why don't they introduce petrol rationing?

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"