Greater Manchester Police Warning After 660 Parties Shut Down
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Greater Manchester Police has warned people not to breach lockdown rules over Easter after it had to break up 660 parties last weekend.
This was also reported.
- There were 1,132 coronavirus-related breaches reported between Saturday and Tuesday.
- Some of the 494 house parties had DJs, fireworks and bouncy castles.
- There were also 166 street parties.
- One woman in Bury was arrested.
The force also had to deal with 122 different groups gathering to play sports, 173 more gatherings in parks and 112 incidents of anti-social behaviour and public disorder.
There have been some similar reports in London, but not on this scale.
So why is it, that Manchester disobeyed the rules so much?
Is it because the BBC is in Manchester and it’s easy to report?
A Bus For The Twenty-First Century
What puzzles me, is why bus drivers in London, seem to be suffering more from COVID-19 infection, than drivers elsewhere!
In London, all buses have two or three doors and contactless ticketing, whereas in many parts of the UK, there is often only one door and no contactless ticketing.
This must mean, that there is generally less interaction between the driver and passengers in the capital. So logic would say, that outside of London, there should be more passing of infections between everybody on the bus.
An Observation In Manchester
Ten years ago, I observed behaviour on a single-door Manchester bus going to Oldham, with a union rep for bus drivers, who by chance happened to be sitting beside me.
The scrum as passengers entered and left the bus by the same door was horrific and the rep told me, that the local riff-raff were always trying to nick the driver’s money.
He told me, that a London system based on contactless ticketing was union policy and would cut attacks on staff, which he said had virtually stopped in London.
A Bus For The Twenty-First Century
The government has said that millions will be available for new zero-carbon buses, powered by hydrogen. I doubt that batteries will be able to provide enough power for many years.
It is my belief that given the new circumstances, that the bus should also have the following features.
- It should be as infection-unfriendly as possible, as COVID-19 won’t be the last deadly infection.
- Contactless ticketing by credit card or pass.
- Full CCTV to identify non-payers or those with stolen cards.
- Two doors with one in the middle for entry and one at the back for exit.
- It would be possible on some routes for both doors to be used for entry and exit.
- Wheelchairs would enter and leave by the middle door, where the ramp would be fitted.
I would put the stairs to the top deck on the left hand side of the bus, with the foot of the stairs leading directly into the lobby by the middle door.
The Van Hool ExquiCity
The Van Hool ExquiCity is an alternative solution, that is already running in Belfast, where it is named Glider.
It is probably best described as a double-ended articulated bus, that runs on rubber tyres, that thinks it’s a tram.
This press release from Ballard is entitled Ballard-Powered Fuel Cell Tram-Buses From Van Hool Now in Revenue Service in France, describes the latest hydrogen-powered version of the Exquicity, which is now in service in Pau in France.
- Each bus appears to be powered by a 100 kW hydrogen fuel cell.
- The buses are over eighteen metres long.
- Twenty-four metre double-articulated tram-buses are available.
- The buses seat 125 passengers
- The buses have a range of 300 kilometres between refuelling.
I like the concept, as it brings all the advantages of a tram at a lower cost.
Here’s a video.
It certainly seems a quiet bus.
I desperately need to get to Pau to see these vehicles.
Conclusion
We could design a new bus for the twenty-first century, that tackles the problems facing the bus industry.
- Climate change and global warming.
- Control of deadly infections like COVID-19.
- Efficient, fast ticketing.
- Attacks on staff.
- Petty crime.
- Access to public transport for the disabled, the elderly and those with reduced mobility.
We certainly have the skills to design and manufacture a suitable bus.
A New Slide From Today’s COVID-19 Press Conference!
A new slide was shown in today’s COVID-19 press conference at Downing Street today.
It showed the total number of ICU beds available by region.
Would the Government have showed this slide, if they didn’t have enough ICU beds to cater for all possible scenarios?
Manchester Metrolink Opens Trafford Park Line
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The 5·5 km Manchester Metrolink light rail extension to the Trafford Centre shopping complex was opened for revenue service on March 22, around seven months ahead of the original target date.
I had hoped to go up to Manchester on the day it opened to take a few pictures, but COVID-19 kyboshed that!
Short-Notice Spaghetti Trains Organised To get Pasta Across The Alps
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
DB Schenker has organised the transport of several hundred tonnes of pasta by rail from Italy to Germany, enabling 650 Aldi supermarkets to replenish supplies which had been depleted by customers stocking up during the coronavirus pandemic.
I can’t help feeling that this story pays homage to Richard Dimbleby‘s classic April Fool story about the spaghetti harvest in Switzerland.
An Interview With Sir Paul Nurse
The Times Saturday Interview is with Sir Paul Nurse and is entitled ‘Boris knows he’s out of his depth. Suddenly experts are useful again’.
It is a must-read and you may be able to read it on-line by registering with The Times, as that gives you a number of free articles.
It is people like Sir Paul, who will finally defeat COVID-19!
Zopa And COVID-19
As regular readers of this blog will know, I invest my spare savings in the peer-to-peer lender Zopa.
I have a feeling, from my experience of reading the statistics of my lending on the site, that money is slow to be lent out!
But there are people out there, even in these insecure times, who have a guaranteed cash-flow and a good credit rating.
And some of these may need a loan to perhaps replace a car, that has expired and they need to get to their essential job or to furnish a spare room as a home office or schoolroom.
If I needed a sensible loan, which I don’t, I’d check out Zopa.
Lockdown And INR Testing
I am on Warfarin and have to be tested regularly for my INR.
I have been doing it for at least seven years now and know that if I test twice a week and take four milligrams of the drug my INR stays well within limits.
This is a testing regime, which fits well with the COVID-19 lockdown, that I’m currently enforcing on myself!
This Is My Second Lockdown
I can’t be the only person, but in the 1970s, I has locked myself away for nearly a year before. I did it to write the first version of the Project Management software; Artemis.
There are some differences between my situation then and my situation now.
- My wife was alive then and we saw each other for perhaps two days a week.
- I could drive and I occasionally went down the Clopton Crown for the odd pint and meal!
- I hadn’t been diagnosed as a coeliac, as that happened in 1997.
- There was no Internet or social media.
- There was no Radio 5 Live.
- I am a better cook now, than I was then.
- I am within walking distance of a Marks and Spencer Simply Food store.
I think the rules for surviving are as follows.
- Eat and drink enough.
- Have entertaining radio or television on.
- Break the day up with a bit of exercise.
- Get a good night’s sleep.
- Arrange good weather.
Let’s hope this lockdown turns out as well as the last.
Our Social Distancing Is Working, Says Sir Patrick Vallance
This is a headline on the front of today’s Times.
Sir Patrick is the government’s chief scientific adviser and I doubt he would use words like that lightly.
He noted these points.
- Hospital admissions are increasing by a stable amount each day.
- The NHS is coping as numbers have stopped accelerating.
- He felt that reductions in travel were working.
- Public transport usage has severely reduced.
He indicated that more of the same was needed.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see that by the end of this week, we’ll be able to make much better predictions on the progress of the COVID-19 virus through the UK population.
Here in the UK, we could be approaching the End of the Beginning!
The Anonymous Widower 