Safety On Zebra Crossings
Every morning, when I go to get my newspaper, I have to cross a zebra crossing twice, that has a very busy and sometimes dangerous mix of cyclists and pedestrians. Sometimes, if a van, bus or other obscuring vehicle is waiting for a pedestrian to cross, cyclists will undertake the vehicle and then find a pedestrian is on the crossing.
Perhaps a convex mirror placed at the correct angle under the beacon, might make it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to avoid each other. The cyclist could see across the crossing and the pedestrian could see behind the obscuring vehicle.
Zebra Crossing Beacons
There’s plenty of space on this pole.
Nationwide Login Problems
I like to login to my account at Nationwide each morning to see if there are any payments or credits, and that what are there are what I expect.
However, since Sunday, I have been unable to login. Each day, I got a message saying that the system would by back by 06:00.
Due to essential maintenance work some services will be unavailable on Tuesday 20/03/2012 between approximately 00:01 and 06:00 – we apologise for any inconvenience this will cause.
It’s now well past that time.
This is just not good enough.
Update on 21st March 2012
I have since found out what the problem was. I use Google Chrome as my default browser and have done for a couple of months, when I had problems in internet Explorer, whilst using WordPress. This behaviour only showed up in this browser and when I used Internet Explorer everything was fine.
This morning Google Chrome is working fine.
I may have found the solution, but how many customers of Nationwide use Google Chrome and don’t have the computer knowledge I do. In fact because of the WordPress problem, I’m a bit suspicious that all browsers don’t sing to the same hymn-sheet. It does mean that web designers must do a lot more testing, so they don’t get bad publicity because of unforseen changes to the design of browsers.
From both the web designers and the customers points of view it’s a nightmare.
The only way to spot this sort of problem early is to test sites continuously and analyse the web logs every day. The Nationwide problem might have been picked up from the latter, by indicating that there were a lot of login failures with Google Chrome.
A Government Income and Expenditure Statement
I proposed one of these years ago. It has been reported that they might bring in an Expenditure statement for taxpayers.
You’d be surprised about how much and how little some taxes raise.
An Expenditure statement is useless without an Income one.
We Have Ways of Stopping You Smoking Outside Our Building
I took this picture at Canary Wharf
There is No Smoking at Canary Wharf
It seemed to be working!
Lessons From the Patrice Muamba Incident
Note that I’m calling it an incident, as hopefully after today’s hopefully promising news, things may get a lot better.
One of the reasons, I can call it an incident, may turn out to be the fact, that according to the Evening Standard a cardiologist was in the East Stand at White Hart Lane and he knew what was happening to poor Patrice, so he just told the Stewards, that he was going onto the pitch and did it! He also persuaded the paramedics to take Patrice to the London Chest Hospital, where they had the facilities to deal with such a serious heart attack. He even accompanied the footballer in the ambulance. Isn’t that what we think, we should expect from a doctor?
Someone, who was a friend of a friend, wasn’t so lucky. He had a heart attack in the stand at a football match and the paramedics were unable to revive him. Perhaps, with help from a cardiologist, they might have succeeded. But my friend did say that he was well into his seventies and had already had one major heart attack and would have probably preferred to go out, watching his team.
So what are the chances of the right doctor being at the ground.
About ten years ago, I was in the circle of the theatre at Cambridge with C, when a rather worried usher asked if there was a doctor in the house. Whether there was a conference on, but out of about a hundred or so, she got at least ten doctors to come forward. I don’t know what happened afterwards, but hopefully they managed between them.
But White Hart Lane has a capacity of 50,000 or so and that greatly increases the odds of the right doctor being available. And as the incident happened in front of him that helped too.
I am not saying Patrice was lucky, as to go through what he has is terrible, but can we increase the chances of getting the right sort of assistance in public events and even spaces.
For instance, the cardiologist was a season ticket holder and because of modern electronic ticketing, they could have found out he was at the game. So you can envisage systems, where doctors with particular specialities are texted, if something serious happens. I can remember the day when Luc Nillis broke his leg at Portman Road, as it was in front of me. Would his treatment have been better, if they’d managed to find an orthopaedic consultant or two in the crowd of 20,000? They may have done, but I don’t know!
It does strike me that this could be an application for a smart phone!
What Do You Think Of It Boys?
The picture shows three High Speed Diesel Trains this morning in platforms seven, six and five at Kings Cross station this morning. Note that platform seven is to left.
Three High Speed Diesel Trains at Kings Cross
For those of you, who know Kings Cross station, they started running to the station at the end of the 1970s, which is just about the time, that the disgusting dark green extension was erected.
The irony is that they’ll actually outlive the extension, by several years.
So good old British Rail did get some things right. But not stations! Where should Network Rail’s refurbishment experts strike next in London? After all, they’ve now done or have nearly finished St. Pancras, Stratford, Clapham Junction, Blackfriars, Kings Cross and Paddington. I think London Bridge and Waterloo are being planned. But what about the others!
Vote now and vote often.
Effect Of Freight on Rail
A few years ago there were only three freight trains a day out of Felixstowe. Now because of new infrastructure in the docks, there are over thirty.
One side effect of this, has been a very large reduction of trucks on the A14.
Before we build large numbers of new roads, we should make sure that the rail freight network is as efficient as possible.
One trouble with rail freight is that it needs terminals for local distribution near major conurbations and these developments tend to bring out the nimbys in large numbers.
But you can’t have truck-free main roads, without interfaces between long-distance freight trains and local deliveries.
Dame Edna Retires
It is being reported that Dame Edna Everage is being retired by Barry Humphries.
Some will think it sad, but then we have a lot of audio and video records to keep us rolling in the aisles.
in fact, these days great acts, never really retire because of this.
Horse Racing Leaves the BBC
A sad day!
I enjoy my horse-racing, especially as my late wife and I bred and owned race-horses for nearly thirty years.
I shall still go occasionally, but I doubt I’ll watch it on the television any more. The reason is adverts. I find them so annoying.
That’s why I must be one of the few people, who has never seen any of Downton Abbey.
I did enjoy the Cheltenham Festival though on Radio 5.
Millions of us are paying for the very silly move to Salford.
Commenting on Television and Radio Programs
I like to comment on BBC programs. But increasingly programs are expecting you to comment via Facebook. Which I won’t join!
What’s wrong with e-mail?
The Anonymous Widower 