Why have 4x4s?

[Boddie]

I could not agree more Paul.

I have never had a dog before but have recently adopted 2. I feel proud when I pick up after them. May sound strange but I actually feel proud. A simple thing to do but I feel better than those who dont bother, who I have down as scum. I cant think of a better word to describe them. I think regardless of where your dog bobs you have a duty to pick it up. End of

[malantone]

Originally Posted by coasty

I do not consider that been under control means been on a leash. Generally when I am out with the dog. The dog owners who have the dog on a leash do so because they have little or no control over them. Finally the fact that my dog on ocassions leaves the odd bio degradable pongo in the undergrowth is I am afraid a fact of life .

That is the point, keep your dog on a leash OR under control.

[Paul mabbott]

Agree with the last part - I think there should simply be a blanket ban on building in flood planes.

I don't think you can implicitly blame the buyers - they may be ignorant but they're not conniving to detroy the environment or to get their homes flooded on a regular basis.

The problems are (1) that the law doesn't incorporate environmental concerns as a primary consideration and (2) that developers don't give a damn about what they do or what they sell - they just want the money so will exaggerate, lie, cheat and pobaby do worse as long as they can build and sell their properties.

Originally Posted by malantone

Surely the people that buy the properties are the ones to wield the power, if they don`t buy them the builders won`t build them, an advertising campaign showing where the flood plains are in a particular area would make potential buyers aware, it would also deter builders buying the land in the first place.
But really the people in the planning Depts are the ones to blame, they must be aware of local flood plains even if it is 100yrs since they last flooded, every application should be studied befor being granted.
Tony A.

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by Boddie

I think regardless of where your dog bobs you have a duty to pick it up. End of

Absolutely.

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Absolutely.

Besides, I find in the cold weather it warms your hands up

[Xanadu2]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Not sure that I see the logic of that argument - I live on the side of a hill as do most people in Sheffield. Yes, I agree that we shouldn't be building in flood plains - but it's not the government that 'talking about building on floodplains' rather the government which is allowing developers to build in floodplains. They should stop it but would probably have their ruling overturned by the courts ... we need more powers to restrain builders, developers and other exploitative capitalists in order to save the countryside but also for our general environmentral good.

Sorry that you don't have public transport but surely the thing is to campaign for it not to go over to excessive car use as the only option?

Sorry! I typed very fast late one evening and thought I had summed it up in too few words.

Last summer I watched news items that looked like as though they originated in some kind of third world disaster zone. It was hard to realise they were within easy travelling reach of home, especially Tenbury Wells, which I have to visit from time to time. Sitting high and dry on a hillside, I thought how those people would love to change places with me!

I know Sheffield because a long time ago I went house-hunting there. Also, the floods affected some houses close to the river that runs through my home village. So my post wasn’t mean to sound as though rural = dry and urban = flooded. Yet it seems I’m always seeing news items about the shortage of homes. No matter whether it’s the developers or the Government, there seems to be numerous mentions of a national shortage of homes. I ‘ve also seen items about how the average worker in many cities cannot afford a dismal little house or flat, which would become even more expensive if there were even more people after it.

On another forum I am constantly being dictated to that no-one should have a car, ever, for any reason whatsoever! So I saw this idea in the light of the housing shortage and the floods, and thought how many splendid dry houses would have to stand empty while their owners joined the queue for housing on bus routes. This would surely make a bad housing situation worse! How green is all that extra house building?

No cars would mean better bus service to villages on main roads, but a network of buses to every place in the countryside would be impractical and probably add to carbon emissions, instead of reducing them, because buses are bigger than cars. Also buses tend to be huge things when neat little ones are usually better on rural routes with few passengers.

But I see no way that everywhere habitable in my home area can ever be served by buses. Before anyone mentions walking or cycling, you should see the size and steepness of these hills! How do you think we should solve the question of access to the more remote places in the hills?

Since this thread has divided into two issues, I wrote something about the other one as well, but I currently can’t find it!

[Paul mabbott]

Yes, but we get into circular arguments - people need cars because there's no bus service, we don't need buses because everyone drives a car &c &c!

My point would be that a basic bus service (could be quite a small bus for most inter-village communication) which serves the peak commuting times - after all most driving in the country is due to commuters. Indeed I would estimate that half (at least) of the traffic into city centres is people commuting living in the countryside (or Essex if they work in London!). So we need to do several things - ban cars in cities, provide alternative transport, encourage environmentally friendly transport (non-petrol, shared, small vehicles, cycles &c).

It's not easy, as you note, but it must be done.

Happy New Year!

Originally Posted by Xanadu2

Last summer I watched news items that looked like as though they originated in some kind of third world disaster zone. It was hard to realise they were within easy travelling reach of home, especially Tenbury Wells, which I have to visit from time to time. Sitting high and dry on a hillside, I thought how those people would love to change places with me!

I know Sheffield because a long time ago I went house-hunting there. Also, the floods affected some houses close to the river that runs through my home village. So my post wasn’t mean to sound as though rural = dry and urban = flooded. Yet it seems I’m always seeing news items about the shortage of homes. No matter whether it’s the developers or the Government, there seems to be numerous mentions of a national shortage of homes. I ‘ve also seen items about how the average worker in many cities cannot afford a dismal little house or flat, which would become even more expensive if there were even more people after it.

On another forum I am constantly being dictated to that no-one should have a car, ever, for any reason whatsoever! So I saw this idea in the light of the housing shortage and the floods, and thought how many splendid dry houses would have to stand empty while their owners joined the queue for housing on bus routes. This would surely make a bad housing situation worse! How green is all that extra house building?

No cars would mean better bus service to villages on main roads, but a network of buses to every place in the countryside would be impractical and probably add to carbon emissions, instead of reducing them, because buses are bigger than cars. Also buses tend to be huge things when neat little ones are usually better on rural routes with few passengers.

But I see no way that everywhere habitable in my home area can ever be served by buses. Before anyone mentions walking or cycling, you should see the size and steepness of these hills! How do you think we should solve the question of access to the more remote places in the hills?

Since this thread has divided into two issues, I wrote something about the other one as well, but I currently can’t find it!

[Xanadu2]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Yes, but we get into circular arguments - people need cars because there's no bus service, we don't need buses because everyone drives a car &c &c!

Yes, I know what you mean.

My point would be that a basic bus service (could be quite a small bus for most inter-village communication) which serves the peak commuting times - after all most driving in the country is due to commuters. Indeed I would estimate that half (at least) of the traffic into city centres is people commuting living in the countryside (or Essex if they work in London!). So we need to do several things - ban cars in cities, provide alternative transport, encourage environmentally friendly transport (non-petrol, shared, small vehicles, cycles &c).

It's not easy, as you note, but it must be done.

Happy New Year!

I am all for having the very smallest vehicle that will serve your needs. I haven't told you my own answer to this.

I don't think there are many long-distance commuters here, although I believe there are more in the villages close to the county town some distance to the north.

I didn't tell you my own answer. I'm a former Himalayan trekker whose knees have worn out. I can't walk very far at all these days, so I suffered from depression when I live in a town. Not here! My little 85cc motorbike takes me into the most wonderful places in the hills, and life is as good, or even better, than it's ever been!

When I had the chance recently, I had my individual carbon footprint measured. I actually have a lower carbon footprint on the motorbike than I would have if I travelled the same distance on public transport! What bothers me much more is the carbon footprint from central heating. I thought I had it turned down so low that I'd score well on that too. No! It is actually ten times that of my footprint for travel!

So why don't we hear more about this and less about travel? I am very much happier putting on an extra sweater than missing an interesting journey!

Happy Christmas and New Year to you, too.!

[Sherlock]

Must have been mentioned before however -

a few words of comfort

as these 4x4s gets older and cheaper, they will be purchased by the IVE JUST PASSES MY TEST GROUP and then look out for the big bore exhausts and driving displays in town centres

[epops]

Originally Posted by Sherlock

Must have been mentioned before however -

a few words of comfort

as these 4x4s gets older and cheaper, they will be purchased by the IVE JUST PASSES MY TEST GROUP and then look out for the big bore exhausts and driving displays in town centres

hope for my old j reg frontera yet then