What made you 'Shake your Head' today?

[C8RKH]

You need to start a campaign @Bibs. Maybe something like Black Plastic Matters would work.

I'd also think about a support group to aid those Coke bottles to deal with their mental health issues and anxiety brought about by their exclusion from the recycling movement. At some point our Councils will need to wise up to diversity issues and create more inclusive policies.

[exeterjeep]

And you can accidentally get the cap in the way when pouring into a glass - for those who don't drink out of the bottle.

Also find they are a bit more difficult to get back on - seem to want to get cross threaded a bit.

[Chillidoggy]

Our local council can only recycle plastic trays if they’re clear. Anything coloured, and it gets put in the domestic waste.

I was once employed as the technical manager at a thermoplastics company, and we regularly used to add a percentage of reground coloured plastic with virgin material. The products were more translucent, but they still sold, albeit with a shorter shelf-life. Throwing away stuff I know can be recycled is heartbreaking.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I used to work for a well-known British DIY fixings and tool manufacturer in the mid 1990s. We spent a lot of time and energy on the packaging. Really good artwork and crucially market leading in recyclability. The Purchasing Departments of the big DIY Chains loved it, but it took decades for our competitors to follow suit. How many times do you still see small products hanging on a shop shelf peg in 100% plastic bubble packaging? It’s so unnecessary.

[C8RKH]

I can think @LotusLeftLotusRight of quite a few people I'd happily see hanging around in a  100% plastic, air tight, bubble package!

[NAC63]

Our local council sent out a list of what can and what can't be recycled, you need a degree to understand it and greatest memory ever to remember it . They will not empty the bin unless everything is correct you just get a sticker on top.I believe people are just getting pissed of with this so just dont bother recycling any more.

And now some councils are charging an extra £50 if you want a green bin but no reduction in rates. I just think they are asking for flytipping which will cost them more in the long run.

[C8RKH]

Is this the end of cars for the drivers?

I'm struggling to see the attraction of buying a new sports car after July, and in an era where 2.5 ton 700bhp+ SUVs seem to be all the rage one has to ask why would you want one?

This relentless assault on "drivers" is hugely disappointing, to the point where I am seriously considering getting rid of my Evora and going "old school" for fun with something like a Fezza 308/328.

The only upside is for cars bought pre-July 24 that don't have this tech. I suspect all Emiras could be retrofitted through software, thankfully not Elise, Exige, Evora, the last of the analog Lotus cars.

https://www.evo.co.uk/news/22326/mandatory-speed-limiters-to-be-fitted-to-all-new-uk-cars-in-2024

So sad.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

To be fair, you don’t really need a speed limiter in an old V8 Ferrari. I rarely break the speed limit in mine. It’s just not that fast!

[C8RKH]

When you look at human rights abuses like this, it really pisses me off that people in the UK, and from outside the UK, slam our Human Rights performance here. 

We live in one of the safest democracies in the world, and yet we are constantly under attack re our so called abuse of Human Rights. It's pathetic.

And yet a lot of people who come here from that region then seem to want to insist we adopt the values, laws, etc of that region. Bonkers.

Imagine how long I'd last there, before I was beaten and put in jail, for demanding UK level human rights protections, free housing, free money, free food, and the right to follow a Christian religion and use whatever door I wanted to go into McDonalds.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68945445

 

Footnote: This is not meant to tar all the same, as ever, there will always be a minority that spoil it for the majority.

[ChrisJ]

My Mazda 6 has speed recognition cameras and Intelligent speed assist - which is set manually. I can click a button to match what the car thinks is the limit, which is correct most of the time.

Driving up the M1 last Saturday in the 14 miles of road works from Luton northwards. Speed limit is 50 mph, detected this fine, set the cruise control or speed limiter to 50, and off I trundle. The road works are on the central reservation, and have speed limit signs of 10 mph, and yes, every so often my car would see these, flash up that the speed limit was 10 mph and furiously bong at me. If it automatically slowed me down it potentially would have been carnage. So Dangerous and short sighted.

I do find the ISA very useful in unfamiliar areas, and I will set it to 3-5 mph over the speed limit, as it saves me having to keep looking at the speedo all the time, and I can be more aware of the surrounding traffic, road conditions etc. 

 

 

[Bibs]

Had the same driving up to Millbrook a couple of weeks ago in the exact same roadworks! The BMW will usually set the speed to the current signage but it asked on this occassion. It would have been carnage if it hadn't as you say, who drives up a motorway at 10mph! 

[Kevin Wheeler]

Sticker over the camera?

My dad used to do that over the fog lamp indicator light because he did not understand what the light was for. He used to turn it on with his knee every time he got in the car.

[C8RKH]

I have a stretch of dual carriageway that is 70, the satnav constantly tells me it's 50. What happens when the "geofencing" is incorrect? Carnage as you mentioned.

This stuff is well intended but it has consequences.

The A9 is a long and dangerous road in Scotland consisting of single and dual carriageway sections. It is for the majority of it governed by average speed cameras. The issue here is that everyone is usually held at 50mph for most of it, as the lorries are restricted to 50mph (so of course as soon as the dual section comes lorry B wants to travel at 52mph to overtake lorry B at 50mph and by the time the overtake happens you are back on single carriageway. The net result is you end up with huge long convoys of traffic which causes carnage when people try to join at junctions.

All of these systems sound great on paper, but the law of unintended consequences hits and you end up with carnage, accidents, frustrations and road rage leading to dodgy driving that causes accidents that are then blamed on speed!  Bonkers. The world is slowly going mad.

[Kevin Wheeler]

My analogue Esprit is getting more valuable........

[Dan E]

19 hours ago, C8RKH said:

Is this the end of cars for the drivers?

I'm struggling to see the attraction of buying a new sports car after July, and in an era where 2.5 ton 700bhp+ SUVs seem to be all the rage one has to ask why would you want one?

This relentless assault on "drivers" is hugely disappointing, to the point where I am seriously considering getting rid of my Evora and going "old school" for fun with something like a Fezza 308/328.

The only upside is for cars bought pre-July 24 that don't have this tech. I suspect all Emiras could be retrofitted through software, thankfully not Elise, Exige, Evora, the last of the analog Lotus cars.

https://www.evo.co.uk/news/22326/mandatory-speed-limiters-to-be-fitted-to-all-new-uk-cars-in-2024

So sad.

Yep brilliant idea, I was coming back from work yesterday on the M20 and as i am completely anal about lane discipline I always pull into the middle lane if someone is entering off the slip road (I am one of them weirdos who actually uses lane one) , well twunt-ox number 1 coming off the slip road clearly didn't see me and i had a car in the outside lane next to me so she started to pull straight across lane one to get into lane two, where no doubt she would stay until her turn off, so i booted it and no harm done. That's what people do not understand there are two ways of getting out of trouble and it doesn't always involve braking 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Yes it’s incredible how many drivers think lane 1 is a second hard shoulder that must never be used apart from entering and exiting a motorway.

[Dan E]

@LotusLeftLotusRight drives me, if you will excuse the pun, absolutely mad i drive 64 miles pretty much every day and most of that is on the motorway and I would say 75% of drivers sit in the middle lane, my question is why? Surely that is the most dangerous lane to be in and it is totally a British thing I have never come across it anywhere else. America maybe but at least you can undertake there 

[C8RKH]

My observations, based on thousands of miles ploughing up and down the M6 and M74 between Scotland and Cheshire.

 

Observation 1 - Convoy syndrome

Tootling along in Lane 1, cruise control on at 70mph, actual GPS speed 68 mph. Car comes bounding up in Lane 2, doing 75-80 mph. Get's about 100m from a car in Lane 2 (hogging it) that is stuck at 70 mph and slows down and sits on its bumper. Hey, Rubber Ducky, we have us hear a C_O-N-V-O-Y.

Next car comes up in middle lane, same thing happens. The Convoy just got bigger. And so it goes until you end up with 5, 6, 7, sometimes more, vehicles all in a close line, all in the middle lane.

 

Observation 2 - The tortoise and the hare

Car comes barrelling up at 80mph in the middle lane. Stamps on brakes as car in front is hogging the middle lane and "only" doing 70mph. Lane 3 is clear. Eventually, middle lane hogger pulls over to Lane 1 after a couple of miles of being tailgated and the the tailgating car then zooms back up to 80mph+ and disappears, in the middle lane into the distance, until, they again brake harshly as they encounter the next hedgehog in the middle lane.

 

Observation 3 - The oodi

Smashes the peddle to the metal down the slip road and roars across three lanes of traffic to take up position in Lane 3, having cut up at least one car and then having to brake hard in Lane 3 to adjust to the "speed" of the lane. Sits exactly 40cm from the bumper of the car in front and gently swerves from right to left in the lane as they attempt to warm their tyres for the next high speed section. Disappears into the distance only for several drivers brake lights to flash alarmingly as the oodi swerves at the last minute from lane 3, at warp factor 7, over to the slip road exit narrowly missing the sloping verge which would have sent them James Bond like pirouetting over, and over. Oodi driver then disappears into a cloud of white smoke as he tests his ABS out trying to stop before reaching the end of the slip road.

 

Observation 4 - System Reset

Pootling along at 70mph with cruise on in Lane 1. See in the distance a truck, so start to think about moving to Lane 2 to overtake. Middle lane hogger barrelling up so decide to let them pass then pull out after they go past. Bad decision. Just as the middle lane hogger comes alongside, they decide to slow down, for no logical reason whatsoever and block your exit to the middle lane to overtake. You put your indicator on, but as they are along side, they don't see it. Your blood boils. Eventually they start to speed up again, and you can pull out too. It's as though they had a momentary brain fart and their system re-booted after someone hit the power on and off switch. No situational awareness at all.

 

Observation 5 - Brain Dead

Pootling along at 70mph with cruise on in Lane 1. See in the distance a truck, so start to think about moving to Lane 2 to over take. Middle land hogger barrelling up, but you can see that Lane 3 is clear alongside, in front and behind them (i.e. nothing trying to over take). So you indicate to pull out and wait for them to move over to lane 3. They don't. So I just slowly pull out anyway and then wait for the expectant hard stare (which I meet with an equally hard stare and sometimes the bird!), or the look of shock on their faces as they realise I am coming out regardless and due to their total brain death, they have no situational awareness of their surroundings (i.e. that lane 3 is totally empty) and slam on their brakes and beep their horn. To which I usually respond with hand signals asking if they want one coffee (you know, the middle finger for one, followed by the hand shaking the coffee beans).

 

Would love to know which of the observations above you see over the next couple of days, and, to learn about your own observations.

"hey, let's be careful out there".  (c) Hill Street Blues.

[Dan E]

41 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

My observations, based on thousands of miles ploughing up and down the M6 and M74 between Scotland and Cheshire.

 

Observation 1 - Convoy syndrome

Tootling along in Lane 1, cruise control on at 70mph, actual GPS speed 68 mph. Car comes bounding up in Lane 2, doing 75-80 mph. Get's about 100m from a car in Lane 2 (hogging it) that is stuck at 70 mph and slows down and sits on its bumper. Hey, Rubber Ducky, we have us hear a C_O-N-V-O-Y.

Next car comes up in middle lane, same thing happens. The Convoy just got bigger. And so it goes until you end up with 5, 6, 7, sometimes more, vehicles all in a close line, all in the middle lane.

 

Observation 2 - The tortoise and the hare

Car comes barrelling up at 80mph in the middle lane. Stamps on brakes as car in front is hogging the middle lane and "only" doing 70mph. Lane 3 is clear. Eventually, middle lane hogger pulls over to Lane 1 after a couple of miles of being tailgated and the the tailgating car then zooms back up to 80mph+ and disappears, in the middle lane into the distance, until, they again brake harshly as they encounter the next hedgehog in the middle lane.

 

Observation 3 - The oodi

Smashes the peddle to the metal down the slip road and roars across three lanes of traffic to take up position in Lane 3, having cut up at least one car and then having to brake hard in Lane 3 to adjust to the "speed" of the lane. Sits exactly 40cm from the bumper of the car in front and gently swerves from right to left in the lane as they attempt to warm their tyres for the next high speed section. Disappears into the distance only for several drivers brake lights to flash alarmingly as the oodi swerves at the last minute from lane 3, at warp factor 7, over to the slip road exit narrowly missing the sloping verge which would have sent them James Bond like pirouetting over, and over. Oodi driver then disappears into a cloud of white smoke as he tests his ABS out trying to stop before reaching the end of the slip road.

 

Observation 4 - System Reset

Pootling along at 70mph with cruise on in Lane 1. See in the distance a truck, so start to think about moving to Lane 2 to overtake. Middle lane hogger barrelling up so decide to let them pass then pull out after they go past. Bad decision. Just as the middle lane hogger comes alongside, they decide to slow down, for no logical reason whatsoever and block your exit to the middle lane to overtake. You put your indicator on, but as they are along side, they don't see it. Your blood boils. Eventually they start to speed up again, and you can pull out too. It's as though they had a momentary brain fart and their system re-booted after someone hit the power on and off switch. No situational awareness at all.

 

Observation 5 - Brain Dead

Pootling along at 70mph with cruise on in Lane 1. See in the distance a truck, so start to think about moving to Lane 2 to over take. Middle land hogger barrelling up, but you can see that Lane 3 is clear alongside, in front and behind them (i.e. nothing trying to over take). So you indicate to pull out and wait for them to move over to lane 3. They don't. So I just slowly pull out anyway and then wait for the expectant hard stare (which I meet with an equally hard stare and sometimes the bird!), or the look of shock on their faces as they realise I am coming out regardless and due to their total brain death, they have no situational awareness of their surroundings (i.e. that lane 3 is totally empty) and slam on their brakes and beep their horn. To which I usually respond with hand signals asking if they want one coffee (you know, the middle finger for one, followed by the hand shaking the coffee beans).

 

Would love to know which of the observations above you see over the next couple of days, and, to learn about your own observations.

"hey, let's be careful out there".  (c) Hill Street Blues.

Best post so far🤩, @pete would have said, "i don't like motorways" 

[Dan E]

I still don't understand why people just sit in the middle lane with nothing on either side and even weirder is when you pull out to overtake and who you are trying to overtake speeds up!! To be fair this seems to happen a lot more in the Evora than my daily. I rarely rise to the challenge because i don't often pass cars that can do 190mph 

[Escape]

1 hour ago, Dan E said:

@LotusLeftLotusRight drives me, if you will excuse the pun, absolutely mad i drive 64 miles pretty much every day and most of that is on the motorway and I would say 75% of drivers sit in the middle lane, my question is why? Surely that is the most dangerous lane to be in and it is totally a British thing I have never come across it anywhere else. America maybe but at least you can undertake there 

You have been to Europe much, have you? 😁 It's terrible over here as well, with many people seeming to think the middle lane is the default place to be. Anti-social and dangerous.

[Bibs]

I was stuck behind this for 20 miles on Tuesday, bloody lane hog!! 

[Dan E]

All over, French and Germans are excellent, Italians are mad but i kind of like that, Spanish also pretty good , no one beats the brits at being shite at lane discipline 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Use of the rear view mirror seems to be a thing of the past like crank starting your engine. I sometimes watch the rear view mirror reflection of the driver of the car ahead to see how many times they glance in their mirror. Many just don’t, ever.

Long gone are the days when the driver ahead would pull over if a faster travelling sports car came up behind them. Nowadays I get the same non reaction from the driver ahead whether I am in my Evora, Ferrari, Passat or Polo. They just don’t look any more.

[C8RKH]

I don't care how old they are. Lock them up. Throw away the key. With Hold their state pensions. The Government, nor pensioners, are above the law.

https://news.sky.com/story/just-stop-oil-protesters-in-their-80s-target-magna-carta-13132732