The Austin Maxi That Didn’t Get Into The Film
The Sunday Times yesterday told the true story of Argo yesterday and like so many other American films, the role of Brits, Canadians and New Zealanders have been cut out. It would appear from the paper that the British Ambassador in Iran at the time; John Graham, is not amused. It would appear that one of the heroes was the orange Austin Maxi, used to ferry the American diplomats about.
It may not be very sexy, but it’s true.
So I can cut Argo off my list of films to see, as I don’t watch films where the truth is bent for American self-gratification.
A Korean Police Car
There was a time, when the Police always had British made vehicles.
A Korean Police Car
Not any more! But then a trip to Seoul is much more interesting than one to Ellesmere Port to see them being made.
A Pedestrian Crossing From Hell
I could have labelled this crossing between Bordesley station and Birmingham City’s ground of St. Andrews, the worst I’d seen, but the pictures didn’t do it justice.
A Pedestrian Crossing From Hell
They don’t show how there was no signs, lights or a policeman on a road, where cars took the junction at well over the legal limit. Two cars actually touched as I waited to cross.
But nothing will be done, as a proper solution would slow the cars. And cars are of course kings in Birmingham, with only losers using public transport.
One day, there’ll be a serious accident.
The Daily Telegraph Says Start Sharing
This article in the Daily Telegraph should be read by everyone.
It outlines various Internet-based sharing schemes for cars, money and even land.
It says this about Zopa and its ilk.
When your budget is tight, lending money to strangers might seem crazy, but a rising number of savers and borrowers are going online to cut out the high street banks.
Better still, while interest rates stand at a historic low, DIY bankers who advance loans online at “peer-to-peer” lending websites such asZopa.co.uk can earn an average return of 5.4pc a year.
We live in interesting times.
A More Than Standard 8
It’s funny how names or phrases trigger things in your memory. The name on this picture for a start.
Sandilands Tram Stop
Sandilands was the driver of a Standard 8, that used to race in the 1960s or 1970s against the best racing saloon cars of his day. The car was referred to a couple of times as a More Than Standard 8. I can’t find any reference to it on the Internet.
And Some Think London’s Got Traffic Problems!
I just read this piece on the BBC web site about a legal challenge to a new bus lane in Delhi.
I think it is interesting to look at how well London survived the Olympics. A lot of the road network was closed down and people found better ways to work or get to work. I started referring to buses as Big Red Taxis.
Since the end of the Olympics, you’d think road traffic would have got back to previous levels. I’m not sure, but when I walk up the Balls Pond Road at rush hour, it may be busy, but not as bad as I remember before the Olympics. The only really bad times are when Arsenal are at home, as a large number of people still drive to one of the easiest stadia in the country to get to by public transport.
I would love to see some properly collected figures on traffic in Central London. Do they publish the amount of money raised by the Congestion Charge? I can’t seem to find any recent results. They should publish the takings on a regular basis. Probably daily!
The Car Can Wait, I’ve Got Something Better To Do
According to news reports, like this one in the Standard, shares of Haynes popular car manuals have slumped.
And supposedly it’s all because of Fifty Shades of Grey!
So are men reading the book, attempting to write better ones or doing important research in the garage?
Or have women found better ways of distracting men, from adjusting their big-ends?
The truth will come out when a student publishes their doctorate on the effect of the book! It will probably a lot more interesting than the novel.
Flash Cars Drive Me Crazy
This is the title of a piece by Nick Curtis in today’s Standard. Here’s an extract.
Why do people who own the most expensive cars not know how to drive? On the way to the Standard’s Kensington offices
I run the gauntlet of bankers’ wives in Chelsea tractors who make the morning commute feel like a video game as they mow down pedestrians, street furniture and small buildings.
This week I was on a bus that was held up three times by executive saloons performing kerb-crunching, bumper-nudging three-point turns.
I know the feeling. My bus today nearly had a serious altercation with a Mercedes 4×4 with the registration number, WF08 ATY. Let’s hope that when the driver wants to sell it, possible buyers see this and feel they don’t want to buy a car that’s been driven and possibly looked after badly.
Nick’s suggestion was a new wealth tax, whereby anybody seen driving badly in a big expensive car should have to buy a Smart or a Skoda and give the price difference to the Exchequer.
it might be a deterrent to bad driving though, if when you got say six points on your licence, you had to drive round in a car say yellow with purple stripes, so that other drivers would know the twats to avoid. You’d certainly see them when crossing the road.
It’s Grim Up North
The Campaign for Better Transport has just published their report on car dependency in England.
Wigan is the worst, with London and Brighton at the top.
I don’t agree with all their findings, but read the report and make your own.
My argument with their report, is that they don’t talk much about the information systems in the various cities.
To me, this is very important.
Parking Sensors And Phone Apps
The BBC is reporting that Westminster Council is installing sensors in the road, so that drivers can use a smartphone app to go to the nearest free space.
How do you use the smartphone, whilst you are driving?
The Anonymous Widower 