Railways and Preservation - Swanage An Environmental Disaster?

[Steamport Southport]

4 hours ago, 009 micro modeller said:

 

Although they are at least taking up less space than a car doing the same job.

 

Cars aren't driving on pavements in city centres though.

 

I also thought it was illegal to use a scooter/moped for work purposes if you only have a provisional licence and L plates. Most of these are either on push bikes or dodgy mopeds.

 

 

[Zomboid]

1 hour ago, pheaton said:

ironically though what the letter on the original post fails to realise...is that the swanage railway, serves quite heavily as a park and ride....

Quite. I'm not familiar with every preserved line, but the Swanage Railway actually performs a public transport function. If it's not unique, then there can't be many others that could claim that.

[brianusa]

6 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

There's a special place in Hell for Uber, Just Eat, Deliveroo, Dominos, etc. cyclists.....

 

Some would have you believe caravans as well.

     Brian.

[009 micro modeller]

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

Cars aren't driving on pavements in city centres though.

 

 

No - or at least you’d hope they’re not. I was referring to when they’re using the road.

 

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

I also thought it was illegal to use a scooter/moped for work purposes if you only have a provisional licence and L plates.

 

I think it must be - I’m not sure what this would mean for those using push bikes though as there aren’t licences for those.

[009 micro modeller]

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

Quite. I'm not familiar with every preserved line, but the Swanage Railway actually performs a public transport function. If it's not unique, then there can't be many others that could claim that.

 

Exactly. And if they become able to run more services to Wareham (not sure where they’re at with that currently as I haven’t really been following it much recently) then people will be able to visit via the National Rail network and may not need to use their car for the trip at all. 

[AMJ]

I know of one person who would sit and calculate the carbon footprint for each mode of transport.  Strangely she also likes to drive steam and diesel trains at preserved railways so perhaps classes these are rather small footprint.

 

There were some stats produced by FBHV about how many historic vehicles run on roads and think that it was lass than 1% so they might be ones that pollute the most individually (like our steam and diesel locos) but overall it's a small figure.

 

The last time I travelled on the South Tynedale they started using a battery electric loco so as to be seen to be more friendly to the environment.  Unless you have a wind or water turbine no one considers how electricity is generated.

[caradoc]

18 hours ago, pheaton said:

ironically though what the letter on the original post fails to realise...is that the swanage railway, serves quite heavily as a park and ride.

 

Indeed; On the one and so far only occasion I have been to Swanage we parked at Norden and took the train to the town, therefore avoiding causing pollution and congestion in Swanage itself.

 

 

[caradoc]

17 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Cars aren't driving on pavements in city centres though.

 

Maybe not in city centres, but where I live half the motorists think the pavement is for parking their cars on, even on quiet dead-end roads.

 

 

[Reorte]

8 minutes ago, caradoc said:

 

Maybe not in city centres, but where I live half the motorists think the pavement is for parking their cars on, even on quiet dead-end roads.

 

Strictly speaking the pavement is, since the pavement is really any surfaced part, both the bits for cars and for pedestrians.

(runs for cover for fear of reprisals for being an annoying pedant )

Edited December 9, 2020 by Reorte

[ikcdab]

2 minutes ago, Reorte said:

 

Strictly speaking the pavement is, since the pavement is really any surfaced part, both the bits for cars and for pedestrians.

(runs for cover for fear of reprisals for being an annoying pedant )

In that case,  let's call them "sidewalks".

(Runs away even faster)

[pheaton]

1 hour ago, AMJ said:

I know of one person who would sit and calculate the carbon footprint for each mode of transport.  Strangely she also likes to drive steam and diesel trains at preserved railways so perhaps classes these are rather small footprint.

 

There were some stats produced by FBHV about how many historic vehicles run on roads and think that it was lass than 1% so they might be ones that pollute the most individually (like our steam and diesel locos) but overall it's a small figure.

 

The last time I travelled on the South Tynedale they started using a battery electric loco so as to be seen to be more friendly to the environment.  Unless you have a wind or water turbine no one considers how electricity is generated.

you can go one better  diesel electric locomotives are technically hybrids

[AMJ]

Hybrids are locos that use battery or in the case of 73, 88 electric feed and diesel where no electric is available

[Steamport Southport]

18 hours ago, 009 micro modeller said:

 

No - or at least you’d hope they’re not. I was referring to when they’re using the road.

 

 

I think it must be - I’m not sure what this would mean for those using push bikes though as there aren’t licences for those.

 

However I was refering to cyclists which is what the thread is about. I didn't mention cars.

 

The thread is about turning heritage railways into cycle paths. If they were turning them into roads then it would be at least partially sensible. Even though it's wrong.

 

Anyone who lives in or has visited a large town or city would know exactly what I mean. Those delivery cyclists that suddenly appear out of take aways. No lights, no helmet and with a large box on their bike. Speeding and with no concern for pedestrians or other road users when they go on the road.

 

This one is on a road. That's rare.

 

 

 

Jason

[Northmoor]

24 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

This one is on a road. That's rare.

 

It's also not in Britain (check the road signs).

[D826]

Lord above, season of goodwill to all men and women.  There isn't half some sweeping generalisation on here about cyclists.   All the former railway lines converted to joint cycle footpaths in Devon are excellent- suggesting they would be better as roads doesn't stand scrutiny.

 

Chill people.  I cycle and I drive.  They're not mutually exclusive.

 

Best regards

 

Matt

 

 

[009 micro modeller]

2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

If they were turning them into roads then it would be at least partially sensible.

 

Why? Given the environmental context it would perhaps be even less sensible.

[EmporiaSub]

Wonder what he says about the quarrying nearby at Langton Matravers and the large lorries that use that road....

[pete_mcfarlane]

6 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Anyone who lives in or has visited a large town or city would know exactly what I mean. Those delivery cyclists that suddenly appear out of take aways. No lights, no helmet and with a large box on their bike. Speeding and with no concern for pedestrians or other road users when they go on the road.

They also have a tendency to dress in dark coloured clothing, just to make themselves even harder to spot. 

 

The problem with those types is that the casual work model encourages them to take risks, as shaving a few minutes off each delivery adds up, and they can get paid for an extra delivery or two each evening.

 

Plus a lot of them are, to be polite, towards the lower end of the IQ range. I've had arguments with ones who've turned up at my door with deliveries for a house with the same number in a different postcode, and then told me that they are at the right place and I've got the name of my road wrong. That's a bit Dunning-Kruger. 

[DK123GWR]

On 07/12/2020 at 19:46, Northmoor said:

He's not even consistent in whether he dislikes railway enthusiasts or not!

 

Don't assume the local paper in printing this, agrees with a word of it.  Sometimes editors see a letter like this as a space filler that might generate further stories and even, give a safe outlet for lunatics to rant often about weird and wonderful conspiracy theories.  The Hartlepool Mail used to frequently print letters from someone who would rant about things like coffee being an American imperialist introduction to Britain and that therefore all Britons should drink tea. They gave their address as "The People's Republic of Hartlepool".

When I was given training on campaigning effectively on local issues last year, and the section on local newpapers can be summarised as:

- If you send them a press release, there is a 90% chance that it will be printed without editing.

- It is entirely possible that they won't even read it in full

 

I have no idea how the editorial practise of this paper compares to the ones our trainer had experience with, but I thought at the time that it must be possible for all sorts of crackpots to use the local press to get their points across.

[Hal Nail]

On 07/12/2020 at 09:59, rab said:

Open to everyone in theory at least.

Being shouted at to get out of the way

or running the risk of being mown down

doesn't exactly sound like being open to all

 

A common misconception is that cyclists are all hellbent on being catapulted over the handlebars into the tarmac.

 

I assume this is why most people react to hearing a bike by randomly launching themselves sideways straight into its path.

 

 

 

 

[Tim V]

2 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

 

A common misconception is that cyclists are all hellbent on being catapulted over the handlebars into the tarmac.

 

I assume this is why most people react to hearing a bike by randomly launching themselves sideways straight into its path.

 

 

 

 

"its path" does NOT include the pavement, where I see cyclists. I expect to be able to walk on the pavement without having to look out for/be mown down by cyclists.

 

There was a pregnant woman at work was mown down by such a cyclist while she was on the pavement, lucky for that cyclist she and the baby (when it arrived)were OK. I'm not sure if the cyclist could be done for manslaughter of an unborn infant?

 

[Northmoor]

55 minutes ago, Tim V said:

"its path" does NOT include the pavement, where I see cyclists. I expect to be able to walk on the pavement without having to look out for/be mown down by cyclists.

 

There was a pregnant woman at work was mown down by such a cyclist while she was on the pavement, lucky for that cyclist she and the baby (when it arrived)were OK. I'm not sure if the cyclist could be done for manslaughter of an unborn infant?

 

The answer to that is No.  I agree it is an appalling incident but in some cases, what pedestrians don't seem to notice is that they are walking on a shared path.  There's a lot of them around here; when I'm cycling I always treat the pedestrians as having priority and acknowledge them for stepping aside. It's not difficult.  The rider who barrels down footpaths at 20mph and expects everyone to leap out of the way, does not behave like that because they are a cyclist, it is because they are a complete and utter 

<connection terminated>

[rab]

2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

The answer to that is No.  I agree it is an appalling incident but in some cases, what pedestrians don't seem to notice is that they are walking on a shared path.  There's a lot of them around here; when I'm cycling I always treat the pedestrians as having priority and acknowledge them for stepping aside. It's not difficult.  The rider who barrels down footpaths at 20mph and expects everyone to leap out of the way, does not behave like that because they are a cyclist, it is because they are a complete and utter 

<connection terminated>

I think this is the problem. As with so many things,

the few are giving the rest a bad  name. The majority

of cyclists are sensible, but it is the few idiots

who everyone remembers.

[Hal Nail]

1 hour ago, rab said:

it is the few idiots

who everyone remembers.

Same applies to forum posters

[D826]

Ultimately in the Darwin/anti social behaviour Award stakes, an idiot cyclist will probably* be a less dangerous weapon than an idiot in a car/SUV....

 

*other interpretations are available.  Fact is I see far more instances of bad/dangerous motoring than cycling.  Cycling my friends, is good.  E bikes are going to increase the range of people who can access it literally and in terms of journeys it can work for.

 

Best regards

 

Matt W