I’ve learned today that Aldi has finally submitted plans for a new store on the site of the used car dealers on Hoylake Road, near Fender Lane.  When I first raised this, the owner of the dealers suggested he would seek legal action against me.  Needless to say, I never heard any more from him.

Bye bye 3 Counties!

The company has circulated details of the store to around 500 local residents and this follows doortspe visits and a public drop in earlier this year, atttended by myself, Leah Fraser, Steve Smith and Chris Blakeley.

The top concern among residents when we surveyed them was the traffic issues at this accident hot spot.  The company has since worked with the Council’s highways officers to come up with a scheme, which Aldi will pay for, which they believe will tackle the issue.

I’ll report back when I have a date for the application going to the planning committee.  In the meantime, please feel free to comment on this issue now.   The company also has an information line – 0800 298 7040 for any resident who wishes to discuss this in more detail.

I’ve spent most of today delivering Christmas cards from Leah Fraser, Steve Smith and myself to residents across the community.  It’s been a bad couple of days weather-wise and many roads were icy. 

I’ve checked with the Streetscene Department this afternoon to confirm which roads in our area are scheduled for gritting.  While the cul-de-sacs and smaller roads are not included, the main roads taken by the gritter are below (the road name eg Gardenside, then the point ‘from’ eg Leasowe Road’ and the point ‘to’ eg Twickenham Drive):

The Council has since issued this statement: “Unfortunately, Wirral has been affected by an intense spell of wintry showers and freezing rain this afternoon which had negated the impact of some of the gritting which had been carried out overnight. However, the gritting teams are back out on the roads again now, this afternoon, to try to address the problems caused by this freezing rain.”

The drivers do a really important job in freezing weather and I think deserve our thanks for working in such difficult decisions.

Christmas time is coming up, and for some families that means travel time! Enjoy your holiday, and give these tips a thought while planning your trips.

*Make sure your vehicle will be able to get you to and from your destination safely. Service your car with whatever servicing it may need. Check all fluids, make sure your lights (headlights, brakes, blinkers) are working correctly and that your heater/AC is also functioning properly. You may want to consider carrying a spare tire in the trunk of your car as well.

*Plan ahead. To ensure that you know exactly where you are going, collect your maps, hook up your GPS, have your passenger give you directions. Make sure that you know which roads you should be on and which roads you need to get off on. Watch for signs above that tell you which exits are coming up. Unexpected lane changing can cause major accidents.

*Keep your eyes on the road. You should concentrate on driving, not talking or texting on the cell phone, eating, not even the person in the passenger seat or back seat (unless they are giving you directions!). Taking your eye off the road for just two seconds can double the chances of getting into an accident.

*Be alert and aware. If you are traveling to a different state, chances are the climate and environment may be different. Be aware of whether or not the place you are heading to may have mountains or hills, windy roads, sleet or snow, or rain. Stay alert (not distracted) so you know what is going on around you. Remember that large trucks or semis may not be able to see you as well as you can see them. If you can’t see the truck driver in his side mirrors, he can’t see you.

*Be safe! Keep your speed at the speed limit, buckle your seat belt, and make careful driving decisions. Holidays are busy times on the roads. Consider leaving early  to avoid some of the traffic congestion and delays. Pay attention to road changes and changes in traffic patterns.

Warmest wishes to you and your family this holiday season,
Amber N. Johnson

Hi everybody and welcome to our new blog. We hope it will stimulate some lively discussion.

We will be publishing material, some with controversial opinions and we look forward to your responses.

For an example of upcoming events, we genuinely want to make a difference in the field of Road Safety and to that end, we will shortly be launching a new “not for profit” company Stilwell Road Safety [SRS] Ltd..

Enjoy!

Kind regards

Nick

This blog will soon get rolling with some stimulating discussion on the key areas of the business – including Drainage, Highways and, of course, Road Safety.

One last tidbit from Occupational Health & Safety

The number of Americans dying in alcohol-related fatalities is staggeringly high, despite a 7 percent improvement from 2007 to 2008 and stepped-up law enforcement patrols, especially during the holiday season.

Law enforcement agencies across the country begin the annual holiday crackdown of extra drunk driving patrols and sobriety checkpoints on Dec. 16. Backed by more than $7 million in radio and TV advertising by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s distribution of more than 2.5 million red ribbons and window decals, the 19-day campaign wraps up Jan. 3.

Read the article: 2009 Holiday DUI Crackdown Begins

Stay safe this holiday season!

Donville Inniss: Dead Wrong

UPDATED: December 22, 2009

Minister of Health Inniss comments on Barbados Free Press?

Video added should be required viewing for Minister Inniss & his fellow MPs

As our readers can see, a person claiming to be Minister of Health Donville Inniss commented upon this article. BFP’s editors changed the name on the comment from “Donville Inniss” to “Is this Donville Inniss?” until we are sure of the author.

BFP has asked for confirmation via an email sent from the Minister’s official office. Although we have yet to receive a confirming email, there are other indications that the comment might indeed be from Minister Inniss.

If and when we receive confirmation, we’ll let our readers know. Until then, please take the comment with a grain of salt.

Cliverton

Original Article…

I know Marcus just said we’d be happy and ignore government er, people, for Christmas time but for me that promise lasted about 5 minutes after picking up today’s Barbados Advocate. See page 14.

We’ll get into the details after Christmas, but the short story is that Barbados Minister of Health Donville Inniss says this about drinking and driving…

“I think that at the end of the day, we do not need additional legislation – there are a lot of laws on the statute books already. What we need is for persons to exercise caution and to be very respectful of other road users.”

Mr. Inniss: you are dead wrong.

Robert

This Australian anti-drunk driving video should be required watching for Minister Inniss and his fellow government members…

(A big thanks to one of our longtime readers who recommended the video to us!)

Further Reading

Trinidad & Tobago implements Breathalyzer law – Barbados government fails to protect citizens from drunken driving

Here is the Barbados Advocate article that the quote from Minister of Health Donville Inniss was taken from, so readers can view everything the Minister said in context as reported by the journalist “JRT” whose initials are at the bottom of the article…

(click to read full size)

This year, winter break means two trips. The second I’ll be describing shortly, but the first (the one I’m on at the moment, actually, is about family, and friends (or fronds, as my phone would prefer me to type) and holidays. From start to finish, we’ll be in six states but I bet that our first day drive from Phoenix, AZ to Elk City, OK will be a tough record to beat.

A few short notes from the road:
On a roadtrip long, long ago, my mother mentioned that those blue shipping trucks with the yellow Werner logos remind her of her cousin. Now, whenever I see them I think of family, and they’re everywhere.

Here are the lights of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was our first goal – we wanted to get at least this far. While it wasn’t that late when we passed through – maybe around 7pm – it had been this dark for at least an hour. Stopping was really, really tempting! But we pushed on…

When on a roadtrip one of the most important things is keeping your car in top gear. In our case we’ve been considering new tires for a little while now, so we’ve Steven’s been keeping a close eye on them. We started day 2 by topping off the air pressure in Elk City after a major breakfast lunch.

And finally, don’t forget to enjoy the stops along the way. While the goal is technically to end up where we began – a full circuit – we wouldn’t be making the trip in the first place if it wasn’t for the people we’ll be seeing along the way. At my aunt and uncle’s house, we frosted a large tray of tiny cookies before my cousins and their kids arrived for dinner. We had a really lovely stay (thank you!) and it was great to see everyone. For our route, see the Google map below, which may need to be zoomed out a bit.

Now we’re in Lawrence, where it was nearly snowing when we pulled in through a wintry haze, and after the dentist on Tuesday afternoon – the 6th state and holidays at Steven’s family. So… until the next entry, I’ll be focused on staying warm – and collecting road trip stories from you! Please hit the comments button and tell me about a road trip you’ve taken – it can be your last one, favorite one, or worst one, as long as you share!

View Larger Map

Today I got up early to drive West for my sister, on route I passed an over turned car with a young guy trying to open the door. A trucker had parked across the road and was walking to help, but I didn’t stop I have no first aid and the road was covered in ice and snow. I stopped at the first safe place to call 999, just in case no one else had. It turned out no one had called it in so I described what I saw, gave location and then headed on to my sisters.

About ten minutes later I got a call from the ambulance driver to say there was no one in the car. I explained again what I had witnessed and he decided that either the passers by had taken the injured driver to hospital or it had happened a while before. I don’t know the ending but I am hoping the driver was just bruised and walked away unhurt.

The roads were very icy today and covered in snow but drivers just don’t slow down enough. Who wants to loose a loved one, especially at this time of year?

On the smile note I took my sister shopping and we got her a whole new wardrobe! There is something brilliant about spending other peoples money, we had loads of bags, she was really happy, and I got a stocking to hang up, something I’ve never had before!

RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) has launched a winter driving factsheet which can be found at www.rospa.com/drivertraining/winter which covers subjects such as weather issues that drivers need to think about and planning for longer trips.

The RoSPA head of road safety, Kevin Clinton, said that safer winter driving is about being well prepared, ensuring that you are in a good state to drive, that you have planned your journey well and that your vehicle is ready for the journey.

Some of RoSPA’s advice includes:

• To check that your lights are working and clean
• Make sure your windscreen and windows are clean and that the water bottle is filled up with screenwash to the correct concentration
• Carry a working torch in your car, as well as de-icing equipment and a first aid kit
• Think about the possibility of being stuck in snow.  It is a good idea to carry a blanket, pair of boots, high-visibility jacket, boots and a mobile phone for emergency use

Kevin Clinton advises not to travel if you are aware that the conditions are especially bad.  If you must travel in ice or snow then do everything extra smoothly like braking, changing gears and steering.  Give extra distance to other drivers behind and in front of you.

Someone’s littering the streets of Minneapolis with rubbers.

So let’s talk about that. It’s something, that at first, doesn’t seem like a great topic of conversation. It’s just something you chuckle about then move on. I mean, that is if you’re not fuggin’ me.

Allow me to give you the details that brought me to this assumption in the first place. A few weeks ago, before snow came and covered everything, I went for a walk. Seems innocent enough. I can’t possibly come across condoms on a walk, can I? Unless I took a walk through a pharmacy. Which I did not. I was just walking down the street. And this wasn’t even in the city, this was out in the outskirts of the city where I live.

And there it was. Right at the bus stop. A condom. Not a USED condom, mind you. No one was running around having Fuck-Fest 2009. It was a condom in a wrapper, unopened. And somehow, that’s even more disturbing to me.

And, just to ease your curiosity, it was indeed a Magnum condom. Magnum, for those of you who aren’t sexperts, is a condom made for a guy who needs “A little more”. Which is fantastic, I guess. I understand that. Safety is important, even for those packing 12 inches of man-sausage. But these things are ridiculous. If you’ve ever seen one, it’s a lot more than “a little more”. Seriously, I can understand a few extra inches, but this thing’s like three feet long. I could fit my whole lower body in one and use it as a wet suit. Not that I’ve TRIED to fit my whole lower body in it. Although now that I mention it…

Anyway, I didn’t pay it too much mind. Mainly because if I did focus on it for too long, I’d probably have had a brain hemorrhage. And bleeding from my brain isn’t something I actively seek on a day to day basis. I try to avoid the things that’ll do that kind of thing to me. Like random condoms in the streets. And Vin Diesel movies.

I kept walking. Cutting off the main street and into a residential area. Walking down the street, a few blocks later, a ways away from my cock-sheet discovery, guess what I found? That’s right: Another condom. In it’s wrapper. Lying on the ground, as if someone was leaving a trail. Perhaps to find their way back home? Like Hansel And Gretel, only without being eaten by a witch.

…On second thought, perhaps that’s exactly what this was…

I was thinking about it. Did someone spring a leak in a bag or something and start dropping random condoms on their way home? It’s a possibility I guess. But wait, this one was a totally different condom. It wasn’t a magnum, wasn’t even the same brand. Different condom entirely.

Now something’s wrong. Two totally different condoms within ten minutes, several blocks away from each other? I’m beginning to wonder. Is there some kind of prophylactic fairy running around, tossing condoms around like pixie dust (with spermicide)?

Or maybe there was a parade! Yes! A penis parade! Oh joy! Men dressed as the Trojan Man riding giant paper-mache penis floats around the streets of Minneapolis, tossing condoms and candy off to the onlookers. Boys and… more boys lining the streets, scooping the free stuff off the ground. A fun, festive celebration of NOT getting people pregnant. Sounds like a blast to me!

But now my mind is in over-drive. The Antimony-Laced Toy Hamster is on his wheel, and kickin’ everything into high gear. My brain is now completely devoted to thinking about condoms in the streets. Things are about to get ugly.

Why the fuck is it only condoms? Why aren’t other forms of sexual protection being left lying around? It’s always rubbers you find. Never do you find a female condom, diaphragm or IUD lying around in the gutters. Just once I’d like to see a vasectomy on the sidewalk.

On second thought, we can go ahead and skip that last one. That’d just be awkward.

Are people leaving them on the streets on purpose? As part of some “Safety First” pro-birth control initiative. Are they expecting people to start picking these up and USING them?! Surely that’s not a wise decision. I mean, condoms are plenty safe, but not after being run over by SUVs all day.

Is someone MISSING these condoms!? Maybe they fell out of people’s wallets while they were reaching for something else. Maybe some guy is about to get his rocks off, and as he reaches into his pocket to get Ol’ Trusty out, he finds it gone! What a pity! Maybe these two condoms are about to result in two unsafe sexual encounters. STDs. AIDs. Or even worse: CHILDREN! OH THE HORROR! What if two people just got pregnant because these condoms are lying around on the ground!

Perhaps they’ll go looking for their lil’ lost buddies? Sure, why not. Put up signs:

Missing: One Condom.

Goes by “Ribbed For Her Pleasure”. Strawberry flavored, lubricated. Very friendly, likes children. If found, please call 555-1084 as soon as possible. Foreplay is almost over…

What happened if I tried to return one of the condoms to their owner, and they had to say: “Sorry, this one isn’t mine. Look at me, do you really think I need a Magnum? Mine was the one with the reservoir tip… OH SLIPPY! WHERE ARE YOU?!”

Reservoir tip. You know what those are for? Apparently, they ease the “pressure” of the climax so that the condom doesn’t burst. Reservoir is a bit of a weird word to use for “lil’ bubble on the end”, don’t you think? Reservoir makes me think of farming. As if they don’t want the condom to burst and have semen contaminate the ground water. This, of course, leads me to picture Half-Corn, Half-Fetus stalks growing in fields across Minnesota. Which, of course, leads me to wondering if that’d make Popcorn considered a form of abortion. This, of course, leads me to think I need to be institutionalized for my own safety.

Anyway, back to my original train of thought. What if there was an accident?! What if a condom truck was on it’s way to deliver condoms to the store, and it crashed! They collected most of the cargo, and delievered it to stores. But it was all damaged. Can we trust that?! Oh shit! What if HUNDREDS of ruined condoms are being sold all across my great state. Resulting in HUNDREDS of unwanted children?! OH DEAR GOD! We have ourselves a full-blown (heehee “Blown”) epidemic on our hands (…er, penis’…).

That’s it. Time to call in the National Guard. We need to round up all the condoms purchased on that day from stores within a twenty-block radius. Call in the army on this one. We need to start knocking on every door and investigating the condition of everyone’s protection!

“Sir, we have a reason to believe YOUR condoms may have been involved in an accident. And if we don’t double check, they may be involved in another one…”

Or what if this is some kind of sign from above? Maybe I’m wrong! Maybe there is a Heaven. And a God. And he’s looking down at all the humans and thinking: “Well, I certainly can’t have anymore of these fuckheads walking about, I need to take action!” And action he did take. Condoms, raining down from the Heavens. Divine Intervention. Since you can’t keep it in your pants, and no one wants you to reproduce, the holy father had it blizzard happys during the night.

All of this went through my melon as I continued my walk. Then my brain went in a different direction. It began to get happy. The worry went away, as I began to picture a condom-snow from above. I was half expecting to see huge piles of flavored, lubricated, extra-strength condoms lying along the streets. Plowed up by emergency road crews. Kids, in the frontyards of houses, making Condom-Men. Or Condom-Angels. Or having Condom-Ball fights. I’m dreaming of a rubber Christmas!

On my way back home, I began wondering if I should do the whole state a favor and pick these things up. Just so no one else stumbles upon them and goes into a spiral of different emotions like I had just gone through. Granted, I don’t think anyone else would have thought about the stuff I had thought about. Because, well, I’m a fuckin’ weird, sick nutcase. And most people are sane enough to go “Hmm, a condom… and another condom… anyway…”. But not I. Not I at all.

But if I stopped to pick them up, someone might see. And now I look like some weird pervert. As if I was on a Easter-Condom hunt, and was finding the last few that were hidden.

In retrospect, I kinda wish I would have just stayed in the fucking house.

Following the talk at our recent Public Meeting from Friends Of the Earth regarding their campaign to reduce speed limits to 20 mph on Birmingham’s residential roads,  you may have seen the subject in the news in recent days.  Britain has some of the safest roads in Europe but there are government targets to reduce road accidents further.  FOE will be pleased with the adoption of  the new limits in some of the London Councils as reported in the Evening Standard:

“Eight London Councils have revealed they are introducing 20 mph limits on residential roads. Islington has already confirmed it will be the first borough in the country to introduce a blanket limit next month.  Hackney plans to follow suit by 2012.  Merton said research strengthened the case for blanket limits.

Researchers found 20mph zones were associated with 40% reduction in casualties and collisions.  The greatest reduction in accidents was amongst children and seriously injured. Pedestrian injuries were reduced by nearly a third and cycling casualties by 17%.  Reductions were greatest in children aged under 11.

There was no evidence of “casualty migration” to areas bordering the 20mph zones.  The effect of the 20mph zones was that of a steep reduction in casualties and collisions by an amount that has taken over 20years to achieve on roads without 20mph zones.  The evidence supports the rationale for 20mph zones not just in major cities but also in similar metropolitan areas elsewhere”

This information was extracted from The London Evening Standard published on Friday 11th December 2009, who in there editorial welcomed the reduction of accidents from 20mph zones. However, there was a need to find balance in the needs of all road users- including drivers, and the risk from increasing congestion and delays.

On a further interesting point; the option of using 20mph zones were discussed in council at Birmingham, back in mid 2009, were it was stated that there is a need for greater consultation around the involvement of 20mph zones, having been identified.  Although there was a target to introduce 20mph zones outside every Primary School in the City and the possibility of different coloured street furniture around schools to alert drivers was being considered.

What do you think about a 20 mph speed limit on residential roads in Acocks Green?  Let us know by adding your comments.

Winter sun is low and combined with a dry windscreen can be extremely hazardous.  Peter Rodger who is the Chief Examiner for the Institute of Advanced Motorists pointed out that we have this low sun in the mornings and later afternoon.  UK winter weather can mean wet and dirty roads which means even more dirt on the other side of windscreens.

On top of this you could have your heater on demist, and the combination of blowing traffic fumes, suspended smoke and oil on the inside of the screen can quickly build up to a film of grime, a major cause of glare.  He advises a minimum of a weekly clean but weather dependent more may be better.

Use glass cleaner or water to clean it thoroughly inside and out and dry with paper or leather.  Apart from this change the windscreen wipers once a year.  Make sure your washer bottles are topped up with a good quality screen wash.  Always keep a good pair of sun glasses with you in the car it is a great help.

The benefits of riding a scooter in the urban environs cannot be overstated. I’ll list the reasons I ride a scooter.

Firstly, I get where I want to go as fast as anyone could without breaking the speed limit. Sure, I lane split, use bike lanes where safe, sometimes even the footpath, but in general stay pretty much on the side of the law that is safe and reasonably respectful.

Secondly, I park anywhere. If I have an appointment in the city, I can usually park right outside the front door. I cannot tell you how cool this is. It saves heaps of money, time and headaches – and parking tickets.

Thirdly, they’re cheap to run, cheap to register, cheap to insure. So on the pros side, you’d probably agree they are the solution to living in the city and getting around.

Except for today. Today is one of those days here in Melbourne that we like to call an apricot boiler. It’s 39 degrees C outside, windy, and as hot a buggery.

I have just returned from a couple of appointments, my toilet area is sweaty, I am desperately uncomfortable in most of my other areas and I feel like a nap.

I have helmet hair, baked on, and smell slightly unnatural. So what’s the solution? Go nude. That’s what I say. Nude scootering is the new black.

Think about it. No more steamed Dim Sims down there, a great all over tan, and you’ll be guaranteed to part traffic. Sure, if you happen to hit anything hard it’s going to sting, and clients may have second thoughts about using your services, but in an overall sense, there are far more upsides than downsides.

In fact, like nude beaches, we could introduce nude roads. Only people on scooters who have tackle out can use ‘em. It’s bound to catch on.

The only issue I see to my grand new plan is if the temperature drops. It’s not that you’d get cold, it’s that your man-ness will shrink. And when you ride a scooter, you need all the help you can get.

So I have recently been trialing the new ’scooter sausage’ accessory. It’s guaranteed to give a constant and reliable profile, regardless of the ambient temperature. So look out for me on those hot days.

And all you chicks out there, don’t get angry if you think it’s false advertising. You’ve been doing it with push up bras for years – it’s now our turn. Or at least those of us who ride a scooter in 38+ degree days, have no shame and no idea. Rock on!

The last 4 weeks saw

1. the deaths of two men on their motorbike when it was hit by a car
2. a cyclist died after being hit by a lorry
3. on the same day, another cyclist died – also after being hit by a lorry
4. the death of a pillion rider

It’s presumptuous at this stage to blame the drivers of these vehicles. But whatver the causes of the fatal accidents, the onus is on drivers to be alert and be on the lookout for those more vulnerable in the event of an accident.

How many more deaths should there be before the authorities like LTA and Traffic Police decide that enough is enough, and take drastic and concerted action to curb the carnage on our roads?

Perhaps, the accident statistics are within the norm and they don’t know what the fuss is all about. BUT ONE DEATH IS ONE TOO MANY!

Do we need a spectacular accident to bring home the severity of the problem eg a car mowing down a class of kids at a pedestrian crossing, a car crashing into a school just as the students are leaving?

You could accuse me of having an over active imagination. But can you recall the car that ploughed into a bus stop? Or how about the driver who lost control of his car and landed on the MRT track?

Instead of promising tough action, Traffic Police, in light of recent fatal accidents, once again repeats its mantra of urging road users to be alert and considerate. Sigh…

Athlone Town Councillor Mick O’Connell from the 2009 local elections. A fantastic take off of a certain brand of Stout. Also gets in the drink driving message and the local cab companies on the back.
(thanks to Liam Byrne for sending me this)

Check out the RSA Shuttle by the Kane Building today, tomorrow and Thursday!

Reading this blog may make you think my life revolved around food, and in a way it does but it’s mainly feeding other people. I have a kind of munchausen syndrome by proxy with food.

19 Sleeps

I’ve been very busy the last couple of days, work and family just keep me from being bored  so here’s a quick countdown of each days smile maker.

Friday

In the afternoon I invited a group of teenagers to the city Chambers so that we could get their views on road safety. I haven’t had a chance to read through their comments but I was really impressed by all of them. Young people get a raw deal so often, they only make the news when they get stabbed or rob someone but this mix were aged from thirteen to seventeen and all took their task very seriously. I had a few adult helpers including a police officer and a fireman who were both enthused by the young people’s ideas and comments. I think we should mix age groups more, adults and kids, old folks and middle aged I don’t know how but the only different age group most folk mix with out of work are family.

Saurday

We took all our pictures down and rehung them in an organised random arrangement, sad but satisfying.

Sunday

Today we had roast beef dinner. This is one of my feel good meals, as a kid I would eat it on as Sunday in front of University Challenge with Bamber Gascoigne, I always think of the show when I eat cabbage now, bet you no one else has that association.

I think today’s beef was perfect. I leave it out the fridge for about forty minutes so it warms to room temp, then stick it in a really hot oven for the first ten minutes to seal the meat. Only salt after the meat is browned on the outside to save the salt drawing the moisture. Cook for the right time for the size at 200c then let rest.  Take the fat out the cooking juices. I deglazed the tray with hot water and port and added it to the juices and made gravy with good old bisto to thicken.

All gone, must have been good. Now time to wrap.