admiles

The points I refer to aren't those dished out by the police/courts and put onto a driving license. They're the ones the insurance companies "app" will add using data from the black box. Gain too many and your insurance gets revoked.

Very true but it's the only way now a lot of young people/new drivers can get insurance. For my 17 year daughter it was the difference between driving or not.

There's no requirement to display a P plate after you pass your test. They're purely optional and have no legal standing. What helps curb the "enthusiasm" of young drivers is an insurance "black box" which many people choose to have to keep insurance costs down to merely "obscene". They detect speeding, harsh acceleration and braking etc and deduct points. Lose too many points and to get your insurance cancelled.

I presume you live in a more affluent area than I do then. Here EVs are still very much in the minority.

Absolutely but the percentage of vehicles that are EV's is still relatively small. As that increases the problem also increases.

I think that depends on the level of pothole you're talking about. Some in the UK now are getting so bad driving through them at any speed will damage cars. As a motorcyclist too hitting a pothole, even at low speeds, is like being punched in the chest. Hit one on a corner while leaning over or in the dark where you have very little notice could quite easily be fatal. Having cars suffering blown tyres, cracked wheels, damaged suspension etc isn't conducive to safe motoring. There have been lots of cases of this locally in the last few years.

Banning the school run opens up a whole other can of worms though. Lots of parents have to drive their kids to school (I do). In my case a 6 year old is too young to go on the bus on their own. Walking to school "like you used to" only works if your kids are at a local school. Lots of children now aren't due to lack of school places. Lot's also now go to before and after school clubs as both parents have to work to keep a roof over their heads!

In the absence of your Merlin I offer you the loan of my Merlin.... Nothing gets in the way of snoozing time!

Ok, remove the HGVs from the roads.....bit of a problem there. There's no getting away from the fact that EVs are heavier currently (better battery technology one day should change this) than the equivalent ICE powered car. More weight does more damage to the roads.

A dredger according to Marine Traffic.

"They" have ruined many a good shipping line sadly as witnessed by the Safmarine and Hamburg Sud boxes also on there.

Had a female brown tabby (Ki-ke) that would turn down tuna for peas. In fact pretty much anything would be left if peas were available. Stunning looking girl but I've always thought since brown tabbies aren't wired up quite right! (My current brown tabby boy Merlin is just as nuts but slightly more conventional in his food likes)

I suspect the Cortina driver is feeling a bit "outgunned" surrounded by a GTi, GTE and SRi..... Incidentally I'm just abusing this. It's also Heljan's factory weathered 26025. Now with a bit less weathering (and slightly less "all or nothing") with a few added details....

Who are "National Rail" the Beeb refer to?

No, there was still traffic traveling across the bridge plus some maintenance staff/vehicles working on the bridge at the time. Luckily very little traffic due to the time. Not to make light of it in any way but it could have been much, much worse!