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Classic disembodied car reporting from the BBC, they mention the brand and model of the car that drove itself into the school before they mention that the driver exists. 

Patrick9-32 wrote:

Classic disembodied car reporting from the BBC, they mention the brand and model of the car that drove itself into the school before they mention that the driver exists. 

"I don't know what happened - I was just a passenger"???

That sounds like the excuse we will get for people travelling in self-driving cars.

Unlike our "means nothing" advisory lanes in the UK I think most people actually follow the rules in NL

Just like our 'means nothing' warning letters and Highway Code 'advisory 1.5m clearance':

https://upride.cc/incident/md72dfu_alanhowardtrafic_closepass/

Good upride, can't decide if it's just good old MGIF (ignoring "slow" and the blind corner up ahead) or a particularly dozy "follow my leader" of the van in front.

Everyone's a winner - they didn't hit you (nothing to see here say polis), Alan Howard "the partner of choice for people whose staf don't drive 'professionally' " have got some advertising and you have a "story".

Alan Howard "the partner of choice for people whose staff don't drive 'professionally'"

In the first series of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there was a condemnation of people and things the Earth could well do without, such as a profusion of shoe shops all controlled by the same company- hair and beauty professionals belong on the list

Essential service, innit?  It's a wonder they didn't just stick a blue light on top...

Presumably got several hundred kilos of conditioner and nail varnish in the back of that van.

Snark aside in this day and age it's a wonder people with livery vehicles don't give their staff (or themselves) the talk about not driving so badly.  Or is it we all know that our culture doesn't actually care about this...?

 it's a wonder people with livery vehicles don't give their staff (or themselves) the talk about not driving so badly

It's not a wonder in Lancashire! There are no consequences to any offences against cyclists here. You'll remember this one, where I'm still battling against the unholy alliance of Lancashire Constabulary and the Information Commissioner

https://upride.cc/incident/4148vz_travellerschoicecoach_closepass/

We could make a start by reducing the national maximum limit to 50mph and enforcing it properly with a much more general use of average speed cameras.
A reduction for less than motorway standard duel carriageways to 60mph is also in order.

On hols we were on 2,  2 or 3 lane dual carriageways with a 40 limit due to the barrier upgrades. We compared this to drving the last couple miles home, 60, single carriageway, no barriers.

I do think 60 is too high for single carriageway given the power and weight of modern vehicles.

Won't you think of the drivers (and their passengers)?  We should look at stopping any overtaking - ideally via physical barriers - to keep people safe.

There will be new cars bought as 92% are bought on a finance deal. At the end of the deal or a breakpoint, you buy it or get a new one and continue paying.
Judging by the replacement of vehicles round my way (every 2 or 3 years) people are just continuing the finance deals to get a new vehicle.

Rising interest rates presumably are having severe consequences in the lease market.

No doubt only a very small %, but some people are in car poverty as they are locked in.

You can give it back after 50% is paid but as anyone with a repayment mortage will know, it takes a very long time to get to that point (last 5 or 6 years out of 25 ?)

Hirsute wrote:

some people are in car poverty as they are locked in.

'Poverty' really is not the appropriate word for idiots on a reasonable wage(s) who choose to sign up to a lease agreement without thinking about the consequences because having a shiny 72-plate car on the driveway/pavement matters so much to them. We're not talking about 20 year-olds with an old Corsa who is on mimum wage and struggling to find the money for insurance, repairs etc so they can get to work.

It's the same as the people who love spending money they don't have, they put their lifestyle-created debt on a 0% credit card transfer then moan when the card company starts nagging them to start paying off the interest. What did they expect?

It's been obvious that the car lease market has been a ticking time-bomb for years. I think it's extraordinarily stupid that people choose to get a brand new car every 3 years when they know they don't have the cash to buy it outright/pay it off.

I think it is just the term used.
But agree with your comments.

Of course, some might have bought bikes in order to reduce their carbon footprint and do something, however small, to avert climate disaster. The Torygraph, of course, are more worried that cyclists are not consuming enough. 

Either way, they were probably purchased at the beginning of the pandemic.

I will admit I have more than one bike (one winter/commuter, one summer/racer, one MTB and one track bike) but not everyone wants or needs that. But I have not bought a new bike (to me at least, all mine are secondhand) in 3 years. Not going to get a new one until one breaks. But I still do nearly 5000 miles a year.

Absolutely, I consider my bike, bought in 2018 as a very new bike, my other one, a mountain bike somewhat townified was bought in 1998 and still functions very adequately.

New bikes are more likely to be stolen because the Police do not do anything about people that steal bikes, so there is an incentive to use a bike that isn't or doesn't look brand new.   If the Telegraph wants cyclists to buy new bikes it should call out the lack of Police attention to bike theft.

HoldingOn wrote:

A much needed mass-cycling-video to combat my already stressful day - thank you.

Although I didn't see Steve K waving - did they miss you again?!

Yes, they bloody did.  I think I just go through too early.

or too fast - you've slipped through between camera frames....

Exactly - it's that moto-centric view where the press seems obsessed with reporting new car sales figures.