In message lekom.at,
at 09:36:35 on Thu, 17 Feb 2005, Guy Perry remarked:
Short question: what's the sense in comfort if we knowingly ruin our
environment?

Life's like that. I take it you don't have central heating, as running
that ruins the environment too?
--
Roland Perry

Terry Harper wrote:


For anyone who has to drive a large vehicle, the ability to see where
the rear wheels are is an important part of reversing.

Not only for reversing. I allways wondered how bus-/lorrydrivers can run
along the kerb so close without constantly hiting it - until I did the
license myself. Having those massive mirrors on both sides makes it
quite easy to maneuver an up to 15m bus or 18m bendy: you see the whole
length and height of the bus and _that_ makes not hitting the kerb
possible. Though the problem reversing is the masive blind spot you have
behind (unless equipped with a camera). I sure miss larger mirrors on my
car (and the retarder).

In article ,
Dan Gravell wrote:
Mike Bristow wrote:
I've driven from Leytonstone to Paddington on a number of occasions.
Certainly more convienent when meeting She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
and her luggage. It was probably quicker than the Tube (the PT
alterantive), but it's hard to be sure. Certainly not much slower.

How much luggage are we talking?

Enough that I wouldn't want to carry it far.

While I see that as a reason *you* make
this journey, I don't think it is a valid reason for anybody but yourself.

The number of people parking outside the station with blue badges suggests
otherwise.

But I'm guessing; hard figures would be interesting.

My guess would be that is not the case

Perhaps it's time for a survey.

--
Mike Bristow - really a very good driver

Roland Perry wrote:

Life's like that. I take it you don't have central heating, as running
that ruins the environment too?

Good one! Yes I have heating - long distance it is at least. Yet I think
as town dweller I can easily do without car most of the time, just a
matter of planning.

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 09:47:34 +0100, Guy Perry
wrote:

Terry Harper wrote:

For anyone who has to drive a large vehicle, the ability to see where
the rear wheels are is an important part of reversing.

Not only for reversing. I allways wondered how bus-/lorrydrivers can run
along the kerb so close without constantly hiting it - until I did the
license myself. Having those massive mirrors on both sides makes it
quite easy to maneuver an up to 15m bus or 18m bendy: you see the whole
length and height of the bus and _that_ makes not hitting the kerb
possible. Though the problem reversing is the masive blind spot you have
behind (unless equipped with a camera). I sure miss larger mirrors on my
car (and the retarder).

Very true. You have to watch the rear wheels going round corners and
when threading through narrow gaps in the traffic. It's too easy to
swipe the corner of another vehicle.
--
Terry Harper
Website Coordinator, The Omnibus Society
http://www.omnibussoc.org

Guy Perry wrote to uk.transport.london on Thu, 17 Feb 2005:

Good one! Yes I have heating - long distance it is at least. Yet I think as
town dweller I can easily do without car most of the time, just a matter
of planning.

I agree with Guy, here. We do own a car, but it spends most of the week
in the garage - it comes out on Sunday mornings and once a month on a
Wednesday evening. Otherwise, it is used a great deal for holidays and
trips out of London, but we find public transport very nearly as
convenient, more environmentally sound, and healthier - all that
walking....
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 23 January 2005 with new photos

Roland Perry wrote to uk.transport.london on Thu, 17 Feb 2005:

So I was stood around in the cold, in a dodgy part of town, for almost
20 minutes, and got home at around 20:20, 40 minutes after my
scheduled arrival at the station - not bad for a 2.5 mile journey !

Wouldn't it have been quicker and healthier to have walked?
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 23 January 2005 with new photos

In message , at 15:15:09 on Thu,
17 Feb 2005, Mrs Redboots remarked:
So I was stood around in the cold, in a dodgy part of town, for almost
20 minutes, and got home at around 20:20, 40 minutes after my
scheduled arrival at the station - not bad for a 2.5 mile journey !

Wouldn't it have been quicker

Ten of the 40 minutes were locked in a train a hundred yards from the
station. Which has at least six platforms, only two of which were in use
when we eventually arrived. Go figure, as the yanks say.

and healthier to have walked?

Such a statement assumes a degree of healthiness capable of 5mph for
half an hour, in the cold, after a very long day. Is this an inevitable
consequence of opting for public transport? And you wonder why people
use a car if they can?
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 15:13:33 on Thu,
17 Feb 2005, Mrs Redboots remarked:
Good one! Yes I have heating - long distance it is at least. Yet I think as
town dweller I can easily do without car most of the time, just a matter
of planning.

I agree with Guy, here. We do own a car, but it spends most of the week
in the garage - it comes out on Sunday mornings and once a month on a
Wednesday evening. Otherwise, it is used a great deal for holidays and
trips out of London, but we find public transport very nearly as
convenient, more environmentally sound, and healthier - all that
walking....

Spoken as a true Londoner. And I'd agree that it's a sustainable
lifestyle for some. But there majority of people simply don't have
access to good enough PT to make that viable.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote to uk.transport.london on Thu, 17 Feb 2005:

In message , at
15:13:33 on Thu, 17 Feb 2005, Mrs Redboots
on.co.uk remarked:
Good one! Yes I have heating - long distance it is at least. Yet I think as
town dweller I can easily do without car most of the time, just a matter
of planning.

I agree with Guy, here. We do own a car, but it spends most of the week
in the garage - it comes out on Sunday mornings and once a month on a
Wednesday evening. Otherwise, it is used a great deal for holidays and
trips out of London, but we find public transport very nearly as
convenient, more environmentally sound, and healthier - all that
walking....

Spoken as a true Londoner. And I'd agree that it's a sustainable lifestyle
for some. But there majority of people simply don't have access to good
enough PT to make that viable.

Now that I am well aware of! But those of us who *do* have good public
transport ought to make use of it. And having said that, next month we
are going out to dinner with friends after an evening engagement to
which we usually cycle (him) or bus/walk (me) - I don't fancy trying to
come back from a part of London I don't know very well on my own on a
bus at closing time, so we will take the car that night!
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 23 January 2005 with new photos