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Banning escooters on trains

Woodface said:
I don’t agree that people get into cars only with good reason, it habitual. Circa 60% of car journeys are less than 6kms, it’s utter madness. There isn’t a war on motorists just a potential rebalance. Cities shaped around car use are not very pleasant.
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Another anecdotal example (yes I know...)

Most mornings for the school run there's line of SUVs at the end of our (comfortably middle class) road queueing with their (big) engines idling to get onto the main road where they sit in traffic that barely moves.

It would probably be quicker for the kids to walk to school.

There are loads of bus services for kids who need to travel further.

In fact if I walk ten minutes down the road to a less middle-class part of town the buses are full of school kids.

So the row of SUVs shuttling Henrietta and Tarquin definitely represent car journeys made out of choice not necessity.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
We need better road infrastructure. Not shared spaces, but three designated zones for pedestrians, for eScooters and bikes, and for other road users (cars, vans, buses). This works on the continent.
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There is no space. Old, narrow roads, too many vehicles, people etc etc.
 
Snufkin said:
There is space; its how we decide to use it. Have you ever been to the Netherlands, they seem to manage.
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Indeed. And population density of Amsterdam is broadly similar to London (only about 10% less).

One big difference is bikes have priority. And most drivers are also cyclists so there's less of the 'us and them' attitude.
 
paulfromcamden said:
Indeed. And population density of Amsterdam is broadly similar to London (only about 10% less).

One big difference is bikes have priority. And most drivers are also cyclists so there's less of the 'us and them' attitude.
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There's a huge education piece to be had 're bikes in the UK. So many motorists think bikes don't count. "It's only a bike " I've heard more than once. A lot of drivers genuinely think that bikes belong on pavements. I regularly hear "get off the road" when I'm in town, and I don't even commute on a bike.
 
The lockdown days were bliss on the roads. Too many people moving around, that’s the problem. Oh, and the size of cars, which has become ridiculous. IMHO VED should be replaced by a tax per kg kerb weight. That should get people into smaller cars and free up some space.
 
paulfromcamden said:
Another anecdotal example (yes I know...)

Most mornings for the school run there's line of SUVs at the end of our (comfortably middle class) road queueing with their (big) engines idling to get onto the main road where they sit in traffic that barely moves.

It would probably be quicker for the kids to walk to school.

There are loads of bus services for kids who need to travel further.

In fact if I walk ten minutes down the road to a less middle-class part of town the buses are full of school kids.

So the row of SUVs shuttling Henrietta and Tarquin definitely represent car journeys made out of choice not necessity.
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It’s not anecdotal as it happens everywhere even when there is ample public transport. My kids went on a school bus to secondary school, at primary level our childminder dropped them off. Not ideal but at least she was carrying 5 or 6 kids rather than one.

Notice how traffic is just that bit easier during school holidays? I wonder what % of change that is? I walked to school as a kid, even at primary school. Have children lost the ability to walk?

It’s very frustrating that we complain about things that we actually do. “Oh I wouldn’t let Tarquin walk to school as the roads are too busy”. Idling cars at school gates is a big issue, I know of teachers getting into heated arguments about it.
 
Ponty said:
The lockdown days were bliss on the roads. Too many people moving around, that’s the problem. Oh, and the size of cars, which has become ridiculous. IMHO VED should be replaced by a tax per kg kerb weight. That should get people into smaller cars and free up some space.
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Very good point re vehicle size. We really need to address this. I would basically ban SUV’s unless you have a specific requirement, they need to be seen as anti-social. How many people really need such a big car?
 
Woodface said:
Very good point re vehicle size. We really need to address this. I would basically ban SUV’s unless you have a specific requirement, they need to be seen as anti-social. How many people really need such a big car?
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My local high street is typically full of the things. However, the other day one stood out as being particularly grotesque and offensive, a BMW X7. A more pointless vehicle I cannot think of. When I was doing big motorway miles I had a 7 series (E38), to make light work of 500 miles a day etc. If you see one on the road now it looks small!
 
Woodface said:
It’s not anecdotal as it happens everywhere even when there is ample public transport. My kids went on a school bus to secondary school, at primary level our childminder dropped them off. Not ideal but at least she was carrying 5 or 6 kids rather than one.

Notice how traffic is just that bit easier during school holidays? I wonder what % of change that is? I walked to school as a kid, even at primary school. Have children lost the ability to walk?

It’s very frustrating that we complain about things that we actually do. “Oh I wouldn’t let Tarquin walk to school as the roads are too busy”. Idling cars at school gates is a big issue, I know of teachers getting into heated arguments about it.
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In some towns they have sent the police round to ticket illegally parked cars outside schools at 830 am. Cue a great number of complaints. The observation that "your car was illegally parked outside a school as children were arriving. Your and other illegally parked cars endanger YOUR children" did nothing to improve the mood of middle class parents who really are not used to being told what to do.
 
stevec67 said:
There isn't "no space" everywhere. There are plenty of places with more than enough. This is like the "Britain is full" statement s re immigration, usually made by someone with their back to a cornfield.
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Correct, Britain is full. To the brink.
 
stevec67 said:
In some towns they have sent the police round to ticket illegally parked cars outside schools at 830 am. Cue a great number of complaints. The observation that "your car was illegally parked outside a school as children were arriving. Your and other illegally parked cars endanger YOUR children" did nothing to improve the mood of middle class parents who really are not used to being told what to do.
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& given how close you have to live to get into the preferred schools, lots of short journeys etc
 
RoA said:
Correct, Britain is full. To the brink.
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Hahaha, funny man. It's really, really not. Come to Yorkshire and I can show you unused ex industrial land all over Bradford, Wakefield, Sheffield. You'll be telling me next that "they have no infrastructure". Well, they're cities. They have city levels of infrastructure, with motorways, railways, an airport, hospitals, schools, factories, shops, offices and plenty of work. They have plenty.
 
The final thing that really pees me off is that usually local councils get it in the neck when it’s a lack of central funds delaying proper measures. As a result you get some non-perfect outcomes (to say the least).

Sheffield has a problem with vacant shops on the high street (as do many cities) this is seen as down to ‘the council’. Laughable, they don’t own the shops, they have hardly any powers to acquire or demand changes.
 
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