On 15 Dec 2011 at 6:11am expat two wrote:
I see Nicholas "Fatty" Soames is now calling for tolls on the A27.
??The majority of roads in mainland Europe are tolled and are of a significantly higher standard as a result.? he says, cleverly overlooking the issue that most mainland Europeans don't pay road tax.
Of course one could be forgiven for thinking road tax in the UK isn't for funding roads, maybe its for funding Fatty's restaurant bills, and is thus currently in deficit.
Mind you, he's one of the few Tories who can't be described as an odious little creep.
On 15 Dec 2011 at 11:51am Pedestrian wrote:
There is not enough car sharing.
On 15 Dec 2011 at 12:13pm Dingo wrote:
No he`s an odious big creep.
On 15 Dec 2011 at 12:20pm Pedestrian wrote:
O some chins alas. (Several in fact)
On 15 Dec 2011 at 2:42pm Southover Queen wrote:
Hmmm. So we're to be charged for using the A27, eh? Do we get cashback when there's yet another hideous crash at Middle Farm because the A27 is a deathtrap from Southerham to Eastbourne?
It won't happen, because this government is terrified of upsetting the "motorists" lobby (which means the Daily Mail, really). Witness the fact that they've postponed the duty rise on petrol next month: surely that's a better way of raising money anyway? If you drive more you'll consume more petrol and pay more tax. Simple, really.
On 15 Dec 2011 at 4:39pm bastian wrote:
I am rapidly beginning to think that they are so desperate that they don't care who they upset in their grasp for cash to fill the hole the hedge funders have left us with.
On 15 Dec 2011 at 6:34pm mickyboy wrote:
soames should stick to pontificating about something that he knows about and is relevant to modern society, If anybody is aware of any area he could reasonably make a valid contrubution I would be pleased to forward the infomation to him at the place of westminster
On 15 Dec 2011 at 9:22pm Southover Queen wrote:
death trap you twait....
the roads are marked ie no over taking speed limits etc if someone chooses to overtake then thats something else now people that cross a road without a crossing could we call that a death trap no its stupidity crossed with a sequence of events..
In time we learn what causes these events and why.
On 15 Dec 2011 at 9:37pm Simon wrote:
Fantastic post SQ. You've surpassed yourself.
On 16 Dec 2011 at 12:07am Southover Queen wrote:
I suppose I should be flattered, except that I find the evident illiteracy of my would-be flatterer offensive. Nowt to do with me, should anyone be in any doubt.
On 16 Dec 2011 at 12:30am expat two wrote:
I spotted the fraud immediately SQ, it doesn't take long to recognise the literate (or indeed, illiterate) contributer.
On 16 Dec 2011 at 10:20am Feline wrote:
I think the accident was caused by a car turning right out of Middle Farm. It is a nightmare. Now they've built the bridge over the railway line there aren't the gaps in the traffic going east that there used to be. And the traffic does thunder down that road both ways. Visibility looking east out of the Middle Farm exit is poor due to the topography. They need to reduce the speed limit to 30mph and put double white lines all the way down - or better still a barrier. I believe 'the Firle straight' as that bit of the A27 in known, is the most dangerous stretch of road in Sussex (East and West!).
On 16 Dec 2011 at 10:56am Dingo's mate (just 1) wrote:
On Thu 15 Dec at: 11:51 Pedestrian wrote:
There is not enough car sharing.
Oh yes there is Pedestrian, especially at night up at Firle Beacon. I think they call it dogging, or is it Dingo'ing!?
On 16 Dec 2011 at 11:17am Southover Queen wrote:
Exactly, Feline. That turning is awful and puts me off visiting Middle Farm at all. I didn't know it figured so prominently in the stats, but it's not a surprise. There are reasons: the mix of traffic is toxic (heavy lorries, boy racers and cautious elderly) precious few safe overtaking spots and deceptively poor visibility (ie hidden dips). They have tried to improve the junction at Middle Farm with prominently painted markings, but you still take your life in your hands turning right there.
That said, the junction at Glynde does seem to be a lot better than it was. It's still a nasty stretch of road however you look at it.
On 16 Dec 2011 at 5:22pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I don't think the road is that dangerous, tbh. It's the cretins that fail to drive appropriately along it that are dangerous.
Mind you, I did once have a near miss when a loony tune drove round the bend at Selmeston on the wrrong side of the road. I nearly had to go back home for a change of underwear.
You get eejits on the C7, too, and some buffoon nearly drove me off the A272 at Scaynes Hill the other evening.
On 16 Dec 2011 at 5:46pm Simon wrote:
With so many incidents ACT had you ever considered that you might be the problem ? Many drivers who claim never to have had an accident have caused plenty.
On 16 Dec 2011 at 6:08pm Southover Queen wrote:
I think the problem with the road is that there is very little room for error; other roads are much more forgiving of stupidity than that stretch. And there's plenty of stupidity...
ACT, I agree with you about the C7. My heart sinks when I come across cyclists on it in particular: the road is too narrow to overtake them safely and they're often going very slowly up the hills. I'm happy enough to wait until it's safe, but an awful lot of people get very impatient and are either clairvoyant or just crazed. I've seen quite a few near misses. I had some overseas guests this summer who were keen to go cycling, and were really horrified by how impatient we are as drivers towards them.
On 17 Dec 2011 at 3:51pm underwhelmed wrote:
It won't happen, because this government is terrified of upsetting the "motorists" lobby (which means the Daily Mail, really). Witness the fact that they've postponed the duty rise on petrol next month: surely that's a better way of raising money anyway? If you drive more you'll consume more petrol and pay more tax. Simple, really.
SQ I am a supporter of the motorist lobby so please tell me why I should pay a disproportionate amount of tax through fuel duty because I have to work in Eastbourne and need to drive to get there each day.
Ask your MP Norman Baker why the A27 hasn??t being duelled.
Bastian I was unaware that the hedge funders spent all the countries money I was under the impression that the previous government had a hand in it by putting an end to boom and bust!
On 18 Dec 2011 at 3:43pm Southover Queen wrote:
Underwhelmed, my answers to your questions are unlikely to be very welcome, but here goes.
Shifting cost of the maintenance of our roads onto the most frequent users strikes me as very proportionate indeed. If you drive ten times as many miles as I do then I think you should probably pay ten times as much tax.
Also, driving a vehicle has a considerable cost both to the community and to the environment, so if high petrol prices encourage use of more fuel efficient cars and fewer journeys then that's good.
I don't know where you live exactly, but when I've had to commute to Eastbourne I've done it by train. It takes about the same as driving, it's much more reliable and it's far better for everyone.
The train IS indeed expensive, and when I rule the world I'll change that. It's mad that in this country the cost of commuting to work by train is absolutely prohibitive, and no wonder drivers jam the roads. I'd encourage park and ride schemes and make commuting at least competitive if not considerably cheaper. One person driving a car is wasteful, frankly, particularly if they do that journey every day.
London was entirely transformed - for the better - when congestion charging was introduced. The money that raised paid for subsidised public transport which was cheap and frequent, so suddenly taking a bus was a good option. If drivers want the luxury of driving their vehicle from door to door then the nuisance that causes, to the environment and to the wider community, is taxed and ploughed back into a system which is better for us all.
Widening roads is absurdly short term as a general solution - just look at the M25. For about two weeks no-one knew it was there and it was a dream; now it's frequently one giant traffic jam. When you build roads people decide to use them, and the benefit gained is very short lived. That said, the road between here and Hastings (and probably beyond - I've never tried it!) would definitely benefit from upgrading, but let's not then just flood it with even more traffic...
Check it out here »
On 20 Dec 2011 at 7:19pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Trains SHOULD be cheaper than one person doing a journey by car, but often they are not, especially if it's one way.
A friend came down from Surrey at the weekend, and could have got a lift back. The single train ticket was £16.60, and the journey would have taken 1.5 hours. It's only 34 miles by road, so much cheaper in fuel and it only took him 50 minutes.
The car always wins out if you want to go to more than one place on the same journey - say, central Brighton and Holmbush, for example. Really impractical by public transport. And a lot of people (me included) have to drive from place to place to do their job. I could never fit in 4 or 5 home visits in a day by public transport!
On 21 Dec 2011 at 12:37am Southover Queen wrote:
Yes, it's absurd. Trains are absurdly expensive and there's nowhere to park near the stations (or it's even more absurdly expensive). There aren't any buses at the other end either, so someone who does the same journey every day chooses to use his car rather than take public transport because it's cheaper and quicker. If our priorities were different then "underwhelmed" might be making different choices and you'd be able to get to your four or five home visits in half the time. I'm not arguing for no-one to use their cars, but wouldn't it be better if the roads weren't clogged? At the moment the pressure is applied by the blunt instrument of taxes which are not being reinvested in better regional transport. I suppose I'm advocating the carrot rather than the stick approach: once it's easy, cheap and comfortable then it will be the obvious choice, surely?