Agree. Coming back from the Netherlands / Germany fully loaded into Harwich is a fair reflection of how far we are behind the near continent.Mike Sales wrote: ↑6 May 2021, 7:10pm It is because I love this country that I expect it to be excellent.
I do not want to live anywhere else, but I am ready to criticise its failings in order to make it better.
It is because some people saw faults in the country that it was improved.
It is worth looking abroad to find out whether other countries do some things better.
For instance, I think we could improve road conditions for cyclists by taking a look at the Netherlands.
'Beating' into a westerly to get out of town then hitting the 'quiet road / B1414 which in fact is like a race track with the school run mums, blind bends and commuter traffic.
Actually cycling on a daily basis here in the UK is so far removed as to be almost laughable. I get the cycling culture thing in the Netherlands but we could look at Germany. The problem is we are (having lived there in the 70's ) forty years behind. The simple ability to build a road and stick a safe route for cyclists next to it was part of the basics back then. That said there was never a press driven anti cyclist sentiment we see in this country. Any proposals for cyclists tend to be met with vitriol in the local rags and on social media.