1. Caught a train at Eindhoven in the direction of Maastricht (currently ~60km away).
2. Alighted in Sittard 45 minutes later, due to trackworks between Sittard and Maastricht (~40km away, so some progress made).
3. Got on a bus for the rest of the trip to Maastricht. This added about 10-15 minutes to my trip (now ~25km away). By the time I asked information where the Hasselt bus left from and found the stop, I was 40 minutes early for the bus. Sat for a while.
4. Hopped on a bus towards Genk (the bus doesn't run all the way to Hasselt on the weekend). This took the scenic route through Flanders -- we passed a sign pointing to Genk and actually turned the other way. Arrived in Genk 50 minutes later (~12km away -- how on earth does it take 50 minutes to cover 12kms?!??!?).
5. I then had to be collected and taken by car to Hasselt. We detoured to the uni in Diepenbeek on the way, so that wasn't a direct route either.

So after a good 3.5 hours, I was finally at my destination. It's times like this one really needs a car and a licence. Public transport across the border is not easy to find. Oh, and after all that, Hasselt was good: good chocolate, lots and lots of space (unlike this side of the border), and good food.

"Yes! I also missed a lot of trains. But in those days I was a man. In fact, I'm still a man. But you are a girl. A girl alone is like an open locker."

As I was watching the recent film Jab We Met on an international flight, the above dialogue resonated with me profoundly. There I was, 'an open locker,' crossing continents on my own, and hopping from one major city to the next. Over the course of my long travels, I would reflect time and again on how much I appreciated being able to venture unaccompanied from destination to destination.

Sure, it was tough to manage all the stuff that I was lugging around with me; I had to rely on the kindness of strangers to watch my bags while I when to the loo, or to explain the system of fares for the public transportation, or to redirect me when I'd lost my way. Obviously I had some help from other people, but by and large I held the responsibility for myself, that I would get to my train or bus on time and eventually reach my destination. No one else to escort, protect or even ward off evil.

But in India, I rarely venture out of my house on my own, let alone travel across the country. On my first trip here, I had some hope that I could do so. Yet I quickly came to feel that this would not be possible -- there were too many risks involved. My confidence in solo voyages, regardless of whether they're long or short, has steadily dwindled. Sure, I'll manage the odd auto rickshaw ride, even sometimes late at night -- forget Cinderella, I'm talking about 10:30 pm! Otherwise, I'm ashamed to admit, I've bought into the fear factor and simply stay put most of the time.

I have toyed with the idea of getting a bicycle. In Jaipur I have seen just one woman riding a bicycle, and that too only a few days back. I realise that in other parts of India, women do ride bicycles and I'd love to hear some stories from you about that. In Tamil Nadu, a development initiative in Pudukkottai has been working to give women access to bicycles, which in turn promotes their empowerment. As quoted from a World Bank study:

...the author states that the primary impact of learning to cycle on women's lives is their perception of independence in terms of their roles in the household and community; productive, reproductive and community managing roles. The second and related impact has been in terms of improvement in both their self confidence and self-esteem.

The International Bike Fund also writes:

These days Pudukottai women sing "we have learnt to cycle, brother/ and with it, we have turned the wheel of our lives, brother".

Clearly, bicycle riding has implications, physical and emotional. More than just serving as a means to an end, the bicycle itself is a symbol of power -- which is why I imagine that most women simply do not have access to them.

Unfortunately, I'm not gutsy enough to ride a scooter, though it seems the vehicle of choice for the majority of middle class young women. Happily, some women have even taken up riding motorbikes. My husband's cousin, who has been riding since a young age, got second place in a race in Chennai. Perhaps she's inspired by the story of Chennai's Alisha Abdullah, who according to NDTV is India's only female bike racer.

While cases of female bikers may now be the exception rather than the rule, it seems the wheel of change is turning. At least among the middle class, Indian women are increasingly getting access to their own set of wheels, and with it a sense of empowerment. Who knows, maybe one day we'll take over the roads!

In fact, trains left 19th Century technology behind in the 19th Century. In those long ago days, trains were slow and hauled by snorting, filthy steam engines. In the 21st Century, trains in many countries are electric-powered, high-speed streamlined wonders that, for example, take passengers between the centres of London and Paris or New York and Washington faster than can be managed by jet aircraft. 21st Century trains often travel faster than 200 kmh, with the maglev train that runs between Shanghai airport and the CBD achieving 400 kmh.

It is cars which are the 19th Century technology. Back then, when cars were invented, they were powered by internal combustion engines that needed petrol or diesel. They emitted polluting fumes more noxious than the steam trains of the day. With cars, nothing has changed. Trains have gone from steam to diesel to electricity and magnetic levitation, while cars have remained with internal combustion engines that still emit polluting, noxious fumes. Modern electric trains are clean, fast and emit no fumes at all. The fastest car cannot travel at anywhere near the speed of a 21st Century train. The biggest truck cannot carry anywhere near the volume of goods as the humblest train.

A bit of perspective is needed before trotting out shallow propaganda about train sets and old technology.

Berita terkait: Gulfnews dan TheNational

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Some of these are reasons which would force the motorist to walk to work if they were forced to give up their vehicle. Such incidents may well be the cause of plain bad manners, others may be operational issues. All of these could well make up the ultimate bus journey from Hell.

Prepare to meet thy bus... of doom.

1. The abuse of mobile phones (for playing loud music);
2. Passengers unwilling to give up their seats for elderly or pregnant passengers;
3. Rowdy schoolchildren;
4. Inadequate vehicles;
5. Using near empty bus stations on evening journeys;
6. Annoying advisory announcements;
7. Drunken passengers;
8. Bus breakdowns with long waits for the replacement vehicle or next service;
9. Being ignored at the bus stop by the driver though the bus is empty and on time;
10. Long boarding times through the purchase of weekly/monthly on bus season tickets;

With the tedium of some bus services, it is no surprise as to why some passengers carry a digital music player of their choosing. More often than not, the background noise is barely audible. Being able to listen to Supertramp on the 343 is now a most enjoyable experience thanks to such players - especially with a decent set of head/earphones - at an reasonable enough volume for your ears and fellow passengers.

For some, their choice of digital music player is a mobile phone. A mobile phone does not offer the same sound resolution as a properly encoded MP3 file, or enough memory to store a decent selection of albums. Some prefer to listen without earphones - at the chagrin of other passengers - and the music is (several times over) always some Hip-Hop artiste or some Happy Hardcore/sub-Scooter type outfit. Turn them off please, charge them performing rights - the PRS could land a windfall.

Worse still, the passenger playing 'That's What I Call Hardcore' may be unwilling to leave his/her seat for someone who needs it more. For example, pregnant passengers, the elderly and less able passengers. In the last 60 years, the front seat has been clearly marked for the use of such persons. The arrival of low floor buses have also made the front seats a preserve of persons carrying buggies, with ample space available for 2 pushchairs on average.

To those of the low floor bus loathing kind, you are insulting tomorrow's potential bus users. For those of you unable to give up a seat, they have paid for their bus fares already. Oh, and think yourself lucky that the likelihood of you getting any seat on a bus is more likelier than finding one on a rush hour train.

They say worse things can happen at sea. Oh no, I think otherwise. Being on a bus with rowdy schoolchildren is an equally bad proposition. I have had the misfortune of boarding such services, through unfortunate coincidence. However, the type of schoolchildren you may get on a normal service bus is pot luck. My semi usual route has a well behaved set of passengers, which is a contrast to my past experiences.

Some time in November 2002, I was aboard a service which would normally take 22 minutes. Due to the amount of schoolchildren which boarded, it took 40 minutes for the 3 mile journey (I would have been better off walking). With the rowdiness, it seemed like an hour long journey. Just to make matters worse, it was a minibus packed to the gunwales.

The vehicle was more suited to a lightly used route. This leads me to another pet hate, in terms of inadequate vehicles. For example, this means: buses designed for short-medium local routes used on longer cross-town services (minibuses instead of single/double deckers); poor legroom on more modern vehicles; and inadequate luggage accommodation.

Fulfilling all three counts was a journey made on an 8 metre version of the Dennis Dart single decker bus from Newton Abbot to Brixham (some 15 miles). For the 70 minute journey, there was no luggage space (me and my Dad had to occupy a double seat each, to keep the suitcases away from the gangway) and awful legroom. Despite that, it was quicker than waiting 50 minutes for a train to Paignton, then walking to the bus station on the opposite side of the road, only to board the very same bus.

In my honest opinion, one of the main things which puts people off from using local bus services is the state of bus termini. From previous observation, I have found bus stations operated by Passenger Transport Executives/Authorities slightly more hospitable than those owned by companies or local councils. Despite this, the bus station is still the last place where any lone traveller would like to be seen in the evenings (me included). Services are fewer, thus meaning little or no staff, far fewer passengers and obviously longer waiting times. If the waiting time is less than 5 minutes, then I would stand in the bus station - albeit with a heavy heart. Even with CCTV, my nearest main bus station is still inhospitable. A pub nearby or the taxi rank is a better option.

Besides fearing for one's safety, an equally annoying trend I have found in my area [Greater Manchester] is the use of bus station P.A. systems for transmitting annoying messages telling its customers not to smoke, use the wrong stands, or to keep an eye out for suspicious activities. In Ashton, I was 'treated' to four different announcements in a space of 15 minutes between leaving the 409 bus and boarding a 41 bus for home. The 'Nanny State' is alive and well outside The Prince of Orange.

It could be worse, I could have been waiting with a drunken passenger in no fit state to board the vehicle. According to the 1962 Road Traffic Act, the driver/conductor/guard can turn away any passenger deemed unfit to board the bus. Consumption of alcohol is also prohibited on any road transport.

Worse still, I could have been aboard with a Scooter listening front seat hogging schoolchild on a packed Optare Solo minibus (on a 5 miles plus journey) who boarded from a dingy bus station at 2230 hours driven to drink by a no smoking announcement in the midst of a long wait for another one because the vehicle had broken down 3 miles from home, who has been ignored by a passing driver selling weekly season tickets.

My earliest memory of being on a broken down bus was sometime in 1986, in the latter days of the Greater Manchester Transport era. I was aboard the 343 to Mossley, and the vehicle broke down near the Royal Oak. Luckily, a spare vehicle came within 10 minutes, outside the Friendship pub and a small betting shop. Me, my late Nana and 20 others walked to the other bus, no trouble at all.

My more recent recollections have been far from smooth. Last July, again on the 343, along with my Dad, I was on the way back from Brighouse, and the vehicle broke down at the half way point of the journey. A drive shaft fell out of the bus at Stanley Square, Stalybridge. Within five minutes, the driver asked my Dad if he had any idea what it was and knew straight away. Though we ended up walking the rest of the journey (the next bus was another hour away), the driver must have counted himself lucky to have an ex-mechanic as one of the passengers.

Worse than finding your bus missing is finding that your desired bus decided to drive past and ignore you, despite waiting at the bus stop. Though I find this understandable if the bus is full, I consider this most infuriating if the vehicle is empty. Cheers mate for losing the potential revenue of two full fare paying adults and inconveniencing their leisure time without resorting to a taxi!

My final peeve is a more recent phenomenon, though one which could be both peevish and gratifying. That is the number of people buying single operator tickets on the bus.

Greater Manchester Transport was right to restrict weekly/monthly/annual passes to post offices and their Saver Sales outlets, as this reduced boarding times. However, it is worth noting that one man operation has done more to lengthen boarding times on busy routes, a factor exacerbated by on bus ticket sales.

On busy routes, passengers lose out with slow journeys in the peaks (mainly on Mondays and Tuesdays) due to persons renewing their weekly or monthly tickets. On some days and times, loading times can be quicker than say several years back when passengers fumbled for change to pay for single fares.

In a gratifying sense, it has made the purchase of weekly tickets even easier for regular passengers.

A great idea (at least in my honest opinion) should be the return of conductors on busy routes such as those on the Wilmslow Road, Ashton New Road and Ashton Old Road, and Stockport Road corridors. Imagine the difference this would have on the journey times.

You never know; if we still had conductors (or brought them back) our 50 Cent blaring mobile phone holding 20/20 drinking bus breakdown complainer, hacked off with mithering automatons, oft ignored at bus stops schoolchild with a weekly on-bus purchased season ticket on the front seat of a packed Dennis Dart from a dingy bus station in midnight may not exist.

S.V., 01 July 2008.

Blogged with Flock

Finance Minister Chidambaram quickly trotted out the line of a price band to Saudi Arabia and the rest of OPEC, without having much to show for insulation of the economically weak within India, when it comes to education, health and shelter.

Although our political greats, puffed up by their own vision of India's place in the world, would like to think that Indians are not part of the oil problem, many in the rest of the world think we are. That is evident from the Environmental Capital blog on the Wall Street Journal and the several responses to the post.

It cannot be anyone's case that Indians should not try to achieve economic and social development, but there is no argument to support the energy profligacy of one per cent of Indians, at the cost of the rest. Many more aspirants to the middle class dream would like to swell the ranks of the energy guzzlers, but it is time the Government of India took a firm stand, and reined in these tendencies when it comes to energy.

We would like to have a walking, cycling, bus and train riding middle class, having access to the best facilities for these activities. We don't want yuppies in Hummers and other SUVs.

NOTE: With the exception of the above shot, where the original is of poor quality, clicking on any picture in this article will bring you to a full-size version.

The above is included despite the poor quality because it illustrated my very first encounter with the AV class, when the first couple of buses had just arrived at Phibsboro Garage in July/August 2000.

AV1 is seen over the pits at Phibsboro, beside one of the remaining fleet of Bombardier KDs which would shortly be replaced by the new buses. Over the next couple of days AV3 could be seen out on the streets driver training, but it was not until September 1st 2000 that the first AV entered service - AV6 at Ringsend, the first trip being on the 65.

AV1-5 were "additional" buses for fleet expansion, allocated to Broadstone, and so stayed off the road pending the introduction of service improvements later in the year.

Above: AV1 has been a bit of a wanderer, and following a spell on euro duties at Broadstone it was moved across to Clontarf, where it mingled with other AVs on most of that depot's routes.

This photo, taken on April 21st 2002 shows it in Abbey Street about to depart for Malahide. If you look closely in the picture, you can see that AV1 has a small digital display unit at the front of the upper deck, visible through the front windows. AV1 later moved to Ringsend, to tidy up the numbers, and give Ringsend a complete run of AV1-21.

Above: Phibsboro's AV50 loading up on festival shuttle duty, in the days when the shuttles used to leave from O'Connell Street. The picture is taken in summer 2001, and the festival was Witnness (these days known as Oxegen).

Above: AV108 was an out of sequence allocation to Donnybrook, seen here in 2001 in Dun Laoghaire. It left Donnybrook after a fairly short stay, and is now based at Harristown.

Above: anyone remember The Christmas Bus? Few AVs have been in allover advert colours, and this one only lasted a month, as a "Happy Christmas" greeting from Dublin Bus to its customers. AV136 is seen in December 2003 at Ranelagh.

AV173 was another odd allocation, later tidied up. Seen here at the old 46A terminus in Fleet Street, being overtaken by RA222, also in City Swift livery.

Above: this more modern shot is included to illustrate AV178, the first of the type to be lost by fire. This picture in O'Connell Street was taken just 3 months before its unfortunate demise.

AV185 brings us to the end of the 2000 order, and is seen here brand new at Broadstone, in storage pending the introduction of extra service on the Blanchardstown corridor.

Above: I guess you could call this the arse-end of O'Connell Street (!).

The 2001 batch of AVs was very small compared to the 2000 order, comprising AV186-229 - a mere 44 buses (there was an additional 12 WVs also). A slightly revised body style was introduced, with slanted window and overhang, introduced at the request of drivers, who found the large vertical window on the original AVs too prone to internal reflections at night, particularly when driving in less well-lit areas.

As a workaround on the first 185 AVs, they were sometimes driven at night with nearside interior lighting switched off.

The picture shows AV193, new into service in the tail end of 2001.

Above: new AV222, close to Christmas 2001, entered service without a Dublin Bus logo on the front, and looked slightly odd as a result. In the background, one of the VanHool D tourbuses can be seen - these survived in service until spring 2002.

Above: not an oddity, but a first day in service, and so worthy of inclusion. Clontarf received the first of the 2002 batch of AVs in April 2002, mostly for the 27, though they strayed a lot to other routes. AV236 is gleaming and perfect at Talbot Street.

Above: summer 2003 saw an interesting oddity, with route 123 converted to fully double-deck operation for a couple of weeks to release the WV single-decks to act as shuttle buses for the Special Olympics.

The buses used were brand new AVs being delivered at the time, which went to Broadstone and worked the 123 prior to going to their intended depots. AV292 would become a Conyngham Road bus, which was fitting in a way, as Conyngham Road had operated the predecessor route 23 back in its double-deck heyday. This shot is taken on the 22nd of June 2003, at the Bulfin Road junction.

Above: a little while later on the same day, and one of my favourite shots, as brand new AV301 works the 123 at Suir Road. The landscape here with houses and railings had changed little since the days when I used to pass this way regularly in the 1970s, on my way to and from a summer holiday job. In those days blue & cream double-decks on the 23, either D281-288 or often RA class halfcabs, would always be encountered at this stretch of road. Seeing a blue & cream double-deck again at that spot really brought back the memories.

After a couple of weeks, AV301 moved to Phibsboro and the 123 reverted to WV operation.

More from the AV files in the future!

]]> http://jamesbrownontheroad.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/bikes-on-public-transport/ Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:47:29 +0000 James http://jamesbrownontheroad.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/bikes-on-public-transport/

America is perhaps one of worst examples of a developed nation when it comes to public transportation. Intercity trains are slow and offer limited service, and few cities offer anything approaching a reliable and intergated system of buses, trams and trains in line with most major European centres.

However, when summer comes to Chicago (and many many other North American cities) public buses such as this one are fitted with front mounted bicycle racks. These racks fold up against the front of the bus when not in use. When the rack is lowered, two bikes can easily and quickly be loaded and locked into position by passengers. So although the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is painfully underfunded and under constant threat of service cutbacks, Chicagoans can combine bicycle and bus to get around their vast metropolis.

Britain can't even manage to have a consistent approach to letting passengers carry bicycles on trains - how is it we've been outsmarted by America with such a simple addition to public transport? British readers - please feel free to forward this post to your local bus company and let me know their response.

Addendum: in case the picture confuses you, it looks like I pressed the shutter just as the destination board was scrolling. I believe that it reads alternately "56 MILWAUKEE" (the route) and "to Jefferson Blue Line" (the destination).

A few weeks ago, the news carried an item suggesting that changes to the free bus travel scheme and a review would mean less people being eligible for the concession, and Scottish Labour jumped up and down with joy. Even though no details had been published by the Scottish Governement, they hinted that Alex Salmond could go down in history as the first minister who "shoved Scotland's grannies off the bus". That seemed to be important, and was noted here, and was skewed to be critical of the Scottish Governement.

The plans have now been published, and Scottish Labour is claiming a victory.

Duh... Excuse my being thick, but having only one working brain cell, it can't see how anyone can claim victory when an unseen plan is published for the first time and its contents are made public. It might have been able to cope if the plan had been published, and then changed after a review, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. So this posting is unashamedly skewed to be critical of Scottish Labour for making baseless claims.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that pensioners and disabled people will remain entitled to travel for nothing, at any time, on any bus routes, for any number of journeys. The review will assess the scheme introduced in 2006, and will look towards extending eligibility so that injured veterans in Scotland are able to benefit from free bus travel

I don't care one jot about the political flag flown by anyone making announcements about important issues, but I do object to finding that that their deliberations are unfounded, and only aimed at making political capital. I may be reporting and quoting, but still find the inclusion of such baseless claims reflects badly on the site, even if it's not directly responsible for them. The BBC might get away with it, being a national news service, but we don't have that luxury, and operate at a more personal level.

It's not possible to avoid reviewing items with a political content, and it's probably not possible to review them without some sort of personal bias, although it's to be hoped that any review of such items posted here will show that any scorn is poured on the subject, regardless of its political affiliation.

Address the spiralling cost of public transport
Ever before the price of petrol started going up, the bus fares in Sheffield were unreasonably high. In London, you can hop on a bus for 90p using an Oyster card. Sheffield may not be as big as the capital but is the city not of a sufficient size to apply the same economic principals? It is a far cry from the 2p single bus fares I used to pay when I was a child. Obviously we can't return to the heavily subsidised days of the 1980s but if fares are lower in other big cities then there must be something First can learn from these revenue models. The least they can promise a pricing consultation and review.

Further develop Sheffield's gay scene
It was good to see a successful South Yorkshire Pride taking place earlier this month. I'm not an expert on Sheffield's gay scene, but it seems that over the years the city has struggled to maintain momentum when trying to establish decent venues that appeal to a LGBT crowd. Other places like Manchester and London have streets that are home to many gay bars and venues. I'm not sure whether this is the way to go for Sheffield - and perhaps these areas should develop organically - but a start would be for venue owners to realise that working together to establish a cluster of gay-friendly venues (in the city centre, not tucked out in Attercliffe) may benefit their business more than competing against each other until none are left. Or is Sheffield ironically too-friendly a city to support a gay scene?

Build a landmark building that will make the city's skyline distinctive
So we are resigned to losing the cooling towers, but why not be brave and create a high-quality, distinctive and tall building in Sheffield that would sit proudly on the city's horizon and be recognisable the world over? I sometimes think our town planners are overly-cautious with what they allow, perhaps due to mistakes in the past, but imagine if we had our own London Eye, CN Tower or Opera House? It wouldn't have to be on such a grand scale, but a distinctive and tasteful development along these lines that compliments the existing skyline could be spectacular.

Promote more live music at Don Valley Stadium
The organisation that runs Sheffield International Venues recently announced a record annual turnover of £21m, but I would like to see more live music taking place at Don Valley Stadium. My memory, and some internet research, recalls ten stadium gigs at Don Valley since it opened in 1990, which averages at around one every two years. Surely we can do better than that. The Arctic Monkeys played Lancashire CCC ground last summer; would a homecoming gig at Don Valley have been more fitting?

Get both Wednesday and United back in the Premiership
Easier said than done, but this would be worth millions to the city in terms of raising its profile across the world, while making a lot of Sheffield football fans very happy. Obviously we can't wave a magic wand to make this happen but the Blades are a well-run club, perfectly capable of mounting a promotion challenge this coming season and if Wednesday's imminent takeover actually happens then it may not be such a pipe dream after all.

Six giants of the French supermarket and mass retail sector – Auchan, Casino, Carrefour, Conforama, Ikea and Leroy Merlin – have signed a deal to significantly increase river transport along the Rhone-Saone axis. Over the next two years, the six firms will shift around 81,600 tonnes of merchandise from road to river transport. This represents a 50 percent increase in river transport for the six, as well as a cut in CO2 emissions of 1,469 tonnes. Of the six, Auchan and Conforama have been pioneers in the field.

Leandre Boulez, Director General for import-export at Auchan, said: “We have been using river transport since 1995 for imported merchandise arriving at Fos, Le Havre and Anvers. For the past three years, it has accounted for two-thirds of our volume and it is stable. The costs are more or less identical to other modes of transport, and, with good planning, the time taken is scarcely any longer." The initiative is part of a wider push to develop the Rhone river, which will receive 216 million euros in earmarked government funds through state-regional budgets for 2007-2013.

The port of Marseilles has forged strong links with the port of Lyons, which has become the biggest French port in the interior, with 59,000 containers using the rivier in 2007, up exponentially from 2,000 containers in 2000.

via Les Echos

Combined Transport Documents provides a comprehensive guide to combined transport or multi-modal contracts. It examines the main contracts that deal with combined transport logically, from those concerned with the procuring of tonnage through to those that deal with general average and salvage. It also focuses on the complicated chains of indemnity particular to multi-member consortium operations and explains in substantial detail a recommended draft bill of lading contract of carriage which the author himself developed.

The author has had a substantial hand in drafting many of the contracts discussed in this book.

This book provides an accessible, practical guide to a complex area of law.

Essential reading for:

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Contents include:

Procuring Tonnage - Charter Party
Operating Agreements
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Container and Containerspace Hiring Agreements (Consortium Operations)
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Standard Trading Conditions
General Average and Salvage (Guidance Notes for Consortium Operation)
Letters of Indemnity

For more information, please visit :
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The airline put on a taxi to take us over the hotel we have to stop over in-- this was a good hour or so drive away through proper shanty towns.  Tin roof's are "very in" still in Sri Lanka.  The builings all looked like they had come straight out of crysis- seriously- they looked identical!  The vegetation was all tropical plants like coconut,bannana and palm tree's.  Looking down the high street is just a mass of colourful, and often old, torn up, banners.  At ground level these advertise the various random shops, with more commercial banners for stuff like coke appearing higher up, and usually in better condition.  The shops themselves sell everything- there were a several shops which seemed to specialise soley in selling the front end of various cars and trucks which after our short drive, seemed to make quite a lot of sense.

The roads are full of massive pot holes- the traffic that traverses them is also increibly varied- from three wheel motor bike taxies to three legged dogs.  Push bikes with 3 or 4 people balenced across the frame and on the handle bars was also a common site.  The most unbelieveable site we saw was a cart being towed by a cow through the bustling traffic.  People seem to drive where ever they want- and i mean that with no exaduration- people will pull out in front of you, just stop at random- most motor bikes seem to totally drive on the wrong side if needed.  But its not all bad- when ever our taxi drive got a call on his mobile he did generally make a point of just stopping the car (not pulling over or anything- just stopping in the road).

The district we drove through had a heavy military presence, with AK47 toting guards peppered along the sides of the roads giving people evils- Apparently they have lots of problems with terrorism.  There seem to be lots of police checkpoints around which pull over mini busses at random.

We evetually arrived at the hotel which seemed to be in the worst part of town, but looked totally out of place.  It was 4 stars (recently down graded from 5) and sat right on the inidan ocean.  It was immiculate- everything was shiny and clean, but errily empty.  We were quite suprised that this was the free hotel that airport had put on for us.  Having spoken to some of the locals who work in the shops (they had actually worked in this tiny shop, no more than 3 by 5 meters big, since the 70's) it seems that the hotel used to be run by British Airways and used to be absoluty packed, but BA binned it and it is now locally run and almost totally dead, which seemed quite a shame.  I think due to its location though and now, without the promotion of it by BA, it's not likly to be the kind of place people will just stuble upon.

We arrived and they prepared us some chicken sandwiches and chip's which we thoguht would be fine, but they were suprisingly spicy- a theme which continued through everything we ate out there.  We're  used to UK style "This is 3 out of 5 chilli's hot so be careful" kind of thing- but "Daves Hot Sauce" levels of spicyness seemed to be the norm.

After having showered and eaten we thought we would pop down to the beach to put our feet in the Indian ocean- Tash got a picture of me and just as she did one of the locals came over to speak to us- it turns out that taking pictures there is strictly forbidden due to the navy base just behind us across the water- and even being on that beach past 18:30 can get you arrested!  A minor detail which you would have thought we may have been warned about on check in perhaps??  Anyway this same local guy took us around the gardens of the hotel to show us all the local plants which grow around such as

• cinnamen
• bannanas
• coconuts
• saffron
• marijuana (!)
• plus loads of other common spices which i cannot remember the name of

It was a bit dodgy though as with each plant he showed us we seemed to be being led deeper and deeper into this small kind of jungly area--  years of watching horror films like hostel have led us to always think the worst of situations like that.

That was pretty much it - we went back to our room and managed to get an hours sleep- then had a tiny dinner, as we were so hot and tired then got the connecting flight to Japan!

Minister for Food & Horticulture Trevor Sargent, and local T.D. for Dublin North, has written to Dublin Bus regarding ongoing difficulties with the 41 X bus service. 

He is delighted that the morning service is operational once again and gets people in to the city in 35 minutes using the Port Tunnel. However a problem has arisen on its return journey, as the bus does not use the tunnel. 

He has received a reply from Paddy Doherty of Dublin Bus explaining why this is so. He stated that the bus can use the tunnel inbound but must operate outbound through Whitehall as they are waiting for the Department of Transport to grant approval.

They stated that Dublin Bus would continue to liaise with the Department of Transport to remedy the situation.

Minister Sargent has encouraged both Dublin Bus and the Department of Transport in their efforts and will continue to monitor developments closely.

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ROXAS City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod’s (SP) Committee on Public Utilities will hold a public hearing on the proposed P2 tricycle fare hike tomorrow, July 5, at the Dinggoy Roxas Civic Center.

Chaired by SP member Herbert Chu, the public hearing will start at 9 a.m.

The current minimum tricycle fare is P6.

The Alliance of Roxas City Tricycle Operators and Drivers’ Association (ARCTODA) cited the continuing increase in fuel prices and basic commodities in seeking a fare increase.

In September 22, 2005, the City Council fixed the minimum fare at P6 for regular commuters and P4 for students and senior citizens for the first two kilometers, with an additional P.50 for every succeeding kilometer.

ARCTODA President Joel Perion said premium gasoline was then at P33.45 per liter.
Today, prices of petroleum products are much higher. Period said there has been a 53.66 percent increase.

“This we ask so we may be able to continue providing food for our families and send our children to school,” Perion said.

There are about 3,500 tricycles with approved franchises in this city. The colorum or franchise-less ones number about 500, Perion said./PN

I did know that the subsidisation of truck transport was bad, but didn't realise quite how much so.

[It was] empirically determined that the effective damage done to the road is roughly proportional to the 4th power of axle weight .[37] A typical tractor-trailer weighing 80,000 pounds (36.287 t) with 8,000 pounds (3.6287 t) on the steer axle and 36,000 pounds (16.329 t) on both of the tandem axle groups is expected to do 7,800 times more damage than a passenger vehicle with 2,000 pounds (0.907 t) on each axle.

Let me repeat that for emphasis. A 36 t truck does "7,800 times more damage [to the road] than a passenger vehicle" of 1.8t.

While the RUC does increase at greater than a linear rate per axle and takes into account the number of wheels per axle (which relates to road footprint) , it certainly isn't an exponential function (PDF). If this was the case, I suspect heavy trucks wouldn't be economic. And they'd be marching on Parliament with guns, rather than just driving slowly. The Road Transport Forum, who organised this protest, have for years been trying to get the weight limit for trucks moved up from 40 tonnes to 60 tonnes. That increase would have dramatically more impact (although I don't have the exact figures)

Now, we might have reasons to subsidise truck transport over other forms, but lets be clear and realistic here. We're subsidising trucks by a huge amount. Roads are built by central and local Government, and paid for out of taxes and rates, and the RUC. The income collected from the RUC falls well short of the cost to society by truck caused road damage alone.

And all of this is before we include the externalities, which are quite substantial. If we lookat; road safety, health (vehicle fumes contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals, and living near a road harms the growth and development of children, and traffic polution kills around 400 per year in Auckland alone (pdf)), climate change, noise, stress, and simply the physchological effects that large numbers of large vehicles cause on pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users, then it is quite clear that trucks are not an unmitigated good. The obvious alternatives, rail and coastal shipping stack up far better on almost all measures.

Idiot/Savant summed things up very simply,

• Heavy trucks are responsible for a third of the damage done to our roads. They don't pay a third of the costs of maintaining them.
• A 2005 Ministry of Transport study into surface transport costs and charges showed that truck drivers receive enormous subsidies, paying only 56% of the social cost of their activities, compared with 64% for cars, and 82% for trains.
• The increase for an average truck is around $500 a year.

As Russel Brown said, why can't the ninth floor put out an argument as well and as simply as this? Perhaps if they actually fought their enemies properly they wouldn't be on such a losing streak.

"Wir freuen uns sehr, wenn Sie uns auf Literatur, Bilder, Filme, Veranstaltungen usw. hinweisen oder vielleicht sogar etwas zur Verfügung stellen können."

Adam especially liked this last comment in that piece extracted from Espiner's post:-

"Labour has had a good laugh at National’s expense recently over its use of strategists. But judging by recent events, maybe Labour should be spending a bit more on external strategy too. Perhaps Labour ought to give Crosby Textor a call."

The emphasis in bold is by Inventory2.

What makes this all so much worse is that Labour did this all by themselves through appalling political mis-management, which increasingly Adam puts down to hubris and arrogance in the inner circle.

Well what follows is almost a song of forgiveness that John Denver so fluidly renders and what made him immortal cause he died in an aircrash. This post is however not about that. This post is about traveling. 

I've gone over the Atlantic many a time but this is the first time over the Pacific. I dunno what it is about going around the world. But then again aren't we humans suckers for milestones. Maybe it won't be any different - how does it matter if I am flying over Atlantic or Pacific or perhaps the Dead Sea.

Still...it's going to be around the world, it's about circling the globe so to say - that's more important.

The Powascooter PS168, a bike which aims to become the Vespa of the 21st century, is an electric scooter. Fed up with high petrol/gas prices, traffic jams, high car taxes and parking charges then this transport option maybe for you.

The concept is simple. Charge the bike for four hours on a standard mains point, via its portable adapter, and you’ve put 20-25 miles ‘in the tank’. Each 30 miles will add just 9p to your electricity bill. This equates to 1,000 miles of emissions-free motoring for just £3. With no internal combustion engine, you can bank on fewer pit stops and running repairs.

Chances are you’ve never noticed one. Because this is an almost silent bike. Turn the ignition key, twist the throttle and you’re away. There’s no clunking kick-start, no throaty misfiring on chilly mornings. If the 1500w motor emits anything, it’s the slight whoosh of a milk float. Out on the road, this can make for an almost eerie experience. Pull away from a junction and watch the heads on the pavement turn. No noise, they’re thinking.

The PS is as easy on the eye as it is on the environment. The slightly dropped handlebars and deep-drum speedo and rev counter crown a smart front end, while the chrome fittings and yellow dials add a handsome gloss to the metallic bodywork.

A new Powascooter ps168 will cost you £1,850. To purchase and for more technical info see Powabyke.com. There are many of these on the road already so second hand could be an option.

There are also an increasing range of other makes and models to choose from. For some ideas check this site.