Motorbike stolen from outside my motorhome - Hinds Head in Stockport

[SpeedyDux]

I think this is now the long term plan.
Hence the validity of a driving licence is now 10 years.
(Although my old paper one, issued in 1977 is still valid for 50 years!)

The main issue is many urban kids never learn to drive.
(It's 30% of adults without a licence across the UK, but much higher in the cities, as there is no need to drive)

The automated car can not be far off, even if that is still 10-20 years.
Which means the automated Uber/Taxi will be at the forefront.

For todays urban kids at school, many will simply 'call an Uber' to get from place to place.
It's a lot easier and also cheaper in the long term than owning and insuring their own vehicle.

I help run a youth project 14-18 year olds in London.
No kid has a car or motorbike any more (they did between the 70's to 90's)
Passing your Driving test is no longer a right of passage, part of growing up.
Every kid has an Uber account., Public transport runs 24x7.
The days of the 'Parent Pick Up' are slowly diminishing.
It's easier and cheaper to simply tell them to get an Uber home if they are late or have kit to carry.

The long term plan is to reduce private car journeys by 85%. because ... climate change. TFL has said so.

That is code for reducing private car ownership by 85%. Whether your car is ICE or BEV is irrelevant.

The goal is that the @33 million cars in the UK shall be reduced to under 5 million. Only for the elites and technocrats. To enjoy the freedom the rest of us now take for granted, along roads that would become congestion-free. No way is Uber genuine freedom for the masses. You aren't going to take a 200+ mile round trip by Uber unless you are either insane or very rich. Expensive trains for you plebs to visit your granny.

The current newfangled idea, that keeps being pushed by the MSM, is that all over-70 drivers should be forced by law to have:

- mandatory eye tests and mandatory cognitive ability tests; and regular driving re-tests to a high standard.

Difficult to disagree, yes? Very clever stuff.

Again, code for taking away driving licences from a very large number of oldies, who currently have exemplary no-claims and no convictions. Just in case they might become dangerous drivers. Over-60s had better watch out. You will be next.

You will own nothing and be happy

 

[Brains]

The long term plan is to reduce private car journeys by 85%. because ... climate change. TFL has said so.

That is code for reducing private car ownership by 85%. Whether your car is ICE or BEV is irrelevant.

The goal is that the @33 million cars in the UK shall be reduced to under 5 million. Only for the elites and technocrats. To enjoy the freedom the rest of us now take for granted, along roads that would become congestion-free. No way is Uber genuine freedom for the masses. You aren't going to take a 200+ mile round trip by Uber unless you are either insane or very rich. Expensive trains for you plebs to visit your granny.

The current newfangled idea, that keeps being pushed by the MSM, is that all over-70 drivers should be forced by law to have:

- mandatory eye tests and mandatory cognitive ability tests; and regular driving re-tests to a high standard.

Difficult to disagree, yes? Very clever stuff.

Again, code for taking away driving licences from a very large number of oldies, who currently have exemplary no-claims and no convictions. Just in case they might become dangerous drivers. Over-60s had better watch out. You will be next.

You will own nothing and be happy

The aim to reduce private car journeys in London by 85%
(with a corresponding massive increase in public (driverless??) taxis) may well be a TFL target, but it's going to take decades.

All would agree there needs to be at least a halving of the current traffic levels, just as a start.
London, like many European cities was built for pedestrians, cyclists and the horse and cart.

But it would only apply to London
(And later on to other large conurbations such as Birmingham/Coventry, Manchester/Liverpool, Leeds etc)

In this day and age it's crazy that a 200 mile private car journey for a couple of people is cheaper than public transport, even when deprecation, tyre wear etc are included in the cost.
(It's even crazier that a flight is cheaper than the train!)

In the long term to travel 200 miles, I see you getting a driverless taxi the 'first mile' to the station, the high speed train taking you the 200 miles and then another driverless taxi taking the the 'last mile' to the final destination.

A number of countries having been working in this direction for decades, Germany, France, Spain and above all China.
The UK is very late to the party, we will be forced to play catch-up in the next few decades to massively modernise the UK travel infrastructure. Possibly by getting in Chinese expertise.
(HS1 was built by the French, we have proven we are unable to do it ourselves with HS2)

 

[Carpmart]

This has to win first place for the best thread drift this year!

 

[The Wino]

The long term plan is to reduce private car journeys by 85%. because ... climate change. TFL has said so.

That is code for reducing private car ownership by 85%. Whether your car is ICE or BEV is irrelevant.

The goal is that the @33 million cars in the UK shall be reduced to under 5 million. Only for the elites and technocrats. To enjoy the freedom the rest of us now take for granted, along roads that would become congestion-free. No way is Uber genuine freedom for the masses. You aren't going to take a 200+ mile round trip by Uber unless you are either insane or very rich. Expensive trains for you plebs to visit your granny.

The current newfangled idea, that keeps being pushed by the MSM, is that all over-70 drivers should be forced by law to have:

- mandatory eye tests and mandatory cognitive ability tests; and regular driving re-tests to a high standard.

Difficult to disagree, yes? Very clever stuff.

Again, code for taking away driving licences from a very large number of oldies, who currently have exemplary no-claims and no convictions. Just in case they might become dangerous drivers. Over-60s had better watch out. You will be next.

You will own nothing and be happy

Sounds to me like the tinfoil hat view of planning more environmentally friendly transport for the future.

 

[Brains]

Sounds to me like the tinfoil hat view of planning more environmentally friendly transport for the future.

..... except it's already in place in large parts of China, and large parts of Western Europe are beginning to catch up.

In western Europe, the only major economy not yet on board is southern England

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[The Wino]

..... except it's already in place in large parts of China, and large parts of Western Europe are beginning to catch up.

In western Europe, the only major economy not yet on board is southern England

I meant the views in the post I was replying to.

It sounds like some believe we should all carry on driving old diesel engined vehicles into the middle of cities with cheap diesel to encourage their use. Older drivers should be allowed to drive unimpeded despite any medical issues or lack of awareness and if their driving becomes dangerous do nothing until they kill someone . All in the name of " freedom" aka I'm alright Jack everyone else can suck my pollution up. You would have to be bonkers to be in favour of any of that ( or a bonkers US president).

Yes we are years behind most civilised countries on public transport and need to catch up. I don't see trying to get more people to use public transport as some controlling state just one that cares about the health of its citizens and the rest of humanity.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I spoke with one of the staff who is my neighbour on Saturday.

He tells me the pub owners are looking at getting CCTV for the corner of the car park.

There is currently CCTV just behind the kitchen. But even with that, there was a caravan stolen recently .

What difference CCTV will make I have no idea. When we were broken into, The Police were not even Interested in viewing it.

As mentioned, so many people just don’t bother to report things these days, seeing it as a waste of time.