Cycling UK Forum

PH wrote: ↑16 Apr 2024, 11:38amI've attended several manual handling courses, for various employment roles, and this is a lift that you wouldn't be permitted to do at work.

Well indeed. A test legal action by someone who's injured doing this might raise the issue above a few moany cyclists. Whoever was responsible for the commissioning, design and approval of these cubicles needs prosecuting.

Where were the CTC/CUK when this was going through?!

Maybe Al was confusing exports with imports. UK is actually 4th for imports but as 853 says outside the top 10 for exports.

https://uk.worldoptions.com/news/worlds ... -importers

Jdsk wrote: ↑11 Apr 2024, 2:15pm

toontra wrote: ↑11 Apr 2024, 2:03pm ..,
Fortunately for her, though, her new constituency of Melksham is likely to be a Tory hold.
...

Melksham and Devizes predicted as Liberal Democrat by Electoral Calculus, although the numbers are strange:
https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcg ... nd+Devizes

Jonathan

Close - but this is the prediction for her current seat: https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcg ... e=sn13+9az

As I mentioned upthread she's fighting a different seat at the next election, partly down to boundary changes but quite probably because she would have been out on her ear if she'd stayed where she was. It looks as though if she'd re-stood for Chippenham she would have lost - Tories are predicted to be swamped my the LD's. Fortunately for her, though, her new constituency of Melksham is likely to be a Tory hold.

She clearly has friends in the right places.

As you say, symptomatic of a mindset which puts the public interest a distant second to the political (and often financial) interests of the Tory party.

Has there even been such an incompetent and corrupt government in the UK?

Taxation, pension and financial regulations are changing constantly. Doing a check 5 or 10 years ago and hoping things have remained the same in the intervening years is pretty silly.

Ignorance of the regulations (provided the information is in the public domain) is no more a defence than ignorance of the law. Laws also change frequently and people are expected to keep up to date to stay on the right side of them.

I do have sympathy for those affected by this, but the time for outcry was many years ago when the policy was first announced.

rjb wrote: ↑2 Apr 2024, 5:13pm The short notice was the issue with the way it was foisted on the public.

The time for public outcry was in 2013.

This has echoes of the fiscal drag mentioned upthread. It was startlingly obvious when the policy was announced 2 years ago that it would have hugely detrimental impact on many, including pensioners. I still don't know why there wasn't an outcry then.

On my commute this morning I don't think I saw a singe human-powered bike, but there were literally hundreds of electric hire-bikes and delivery riders. This is central London just past rush hour (during rush hour you still have hardened season-round cyclists).

The tide has turned. The future is electric.

al_yrpal wrote: ↑2 Apr 2024, 3:45pm With the forthcoming election in mind what beneficial and fairer policies do folk expect from the incoming labour government?

Al

Sadly - not much. Their inheritance from the last 14 years will be dire, and Starmer/Reeves seem extremely reluctant to do anything radical. Having said that, they couldn't possibly do worse than the Tories.

simonineaston wrote: ↑26 Mar 2024, 10:41am This all makes for a high risk working environment one way and another.

So think of that next time you’re tempted to order a burger on deliveroo.

In London there have been many cases of delivery riders being mugged and stabbed (sometimes fatally) for their bike/phone/cash. A tough life indeed.

Good news from Scotland. Newtyle has started a "cycle bus" for kids to get to and from school. Let's hope the idea catches on.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/an ... s-success/

I had a similar experience while touring in France. The cassette had come loose. A Decathlon mechanic took off the back wheel, tightened up the cassette & checked everything else was OK. No charge.

Decathlon staff in every branch I've been to are superb - knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. I'm lucky to live within cycling distance of a store so I usually click and collect.

pete75 wrote: ↑21 Mar 2024, 10:47am It's not benefitting wealthier people, it's not affecting them.

It's increasing the disparity between the wealthy and the poorest - in effect benefiting them comparatively.

pete75 wrote: ↑21 Mar 2024, 9:40am Do you really think they have any deluded thoughts they may win the next election?

That's not the point. The point is they've brought in tax policies that will benefit themselves and their funders/influencers at the expense of the least well off. It's not a vote-winning exercise - it's a final pay-off to themselves. An incoming government would have to reverse these policies.

Whether the electorate will punish them for it is another question.

reohn2 wrote: ↑19 Mar 2024, 6:31pm Baroness Jones on the state of the nation and what's caused it in a 4.53minute nutshell:- https://youtu.be/AQx-jWkmWsU?si=tzypsQeMGNjZ7mtM
Sorry for the YT link, but she's spot on!

Very hard to argue with any of that. Succinctly sums up the last 45 years of UK politics - and I include the Blair years in that. Nothing I've heard from Starmer/Reeves gives me any hope that things will improve under a future Labout government - just toying at the edges for fear of antagonising the fat cats - the people actually in charge (of stuffing their own pockets).