The passing of the pristine country lane

[awavey]

Here in Kent we are plagued by huge artics using single track lanes. I once phoned a company to ask why their lorry was on such a lane and was told because it was delivering to a farm that had morphed into a cold storage depot.

There are lots of farms who are diversifying in many ways, a lot of which have converted outbuildings into small business units.

That generally requires planning permission. You could check with the county council if the traffic was considered in the planning application.

and what happens if it wasnt ? its just last time I noticed on one of my country lane routes a big increase in the number of trucks that were clearly going to some farm converted storage depot area, to the point it made me think twice about using that route again as they werent driving their trucks with any concern for my safety, and I thought at the time how would the council even know this was going on when they cant even identify which potholes to fix.

I did notice though last time I followed a tractor on one of these roads, who wasnt remotely interested in pulling into a gap to let traffic by, that they basically lined up so they didnt break the center line, which meant their rear left wheel was mullering the verge

[squeaker]

In today's Sunday Telegraph

Free waste disposal for DIYers and force fly-tippers to pick up litter, ministers demand

If central government stopped cutting back on grants to local authorities in the face of rising demand, then perhaps said local authorities would not need to raise money in such 'creative' ways...

[thirdcrank]

I was walking past Gildersome Co-op this morning when a woman with two toddlers was putting them into a car. She warned them to be careful of the (disposable) nappy on the pavement and they were both screaming because it was "full of poo." Somebody had dumped it without even bothering to fold it into a self-contained bundle. A few minutes later, I was returning the same way and it was still there, being ignored on a busy footway. I put it in a litter bin only yards from where it had been dumped. Keep Britain Tidy.

[squeaker]

I put it in a litter bin only yards from where it had been dumped. Keep Britain Tidy.

Well done - don't forget to wash your hands
Is this the urban equivalent of the plastic bags with dog sh*t hanging from trees?

[old_windbag]

I put it in a litter bin only yards from where it had been dumped

What have you done man!, that was an art installation sponsored by local businesses in conjunction with the council. That one was created by tracey emin, she's moved on from her bed now.

On the tractor front, last year I encountered one of these on a 12-15ft lane....... needless to say I stopped, dismounted and had to stand as far onto the verge as he past. He was so wide as to be driving fully on one verge and nearly the width of the lane. It's the first one I've seen, more like something from a monster truck festival.

[Psamathe]

In today's Sunday Telegraph

Free waste disposal for DIYers and force fly-tippers to pick up litter, ministers demand

A govt media release which doesn't mention the prime minister. It's from Andrea Leadsom: govt advice to local authorities that they shoudn't be charging householders to dump waste at civic amenities sites and an aspiration to make convicted fly-tippers clear litter.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04 ... ministers/

I see the BBC has belatedly picked up on the same media release

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39548736

I wonder how much difference that will actually make. I've never been charged for taking stuff to my local dump (sorry, "recycling centre"). They have been snotty about quantities, not because of suspecting me of being trade but e.g. had several old rotten window frames previous owner had left on the land so I took them to the dump and was told limit was 1 a week ... meaning several trips separated by a supposed week. I can see that a skip based recycling centre cannot have people swamp them with excessive quantities without demand and more recently they seem to have become a bit more sensible.

But the DIY change made me wonder how much fly-tipped stuff is actually DIYers and how much is trades people who are and will still be charged - it's cheaper for them to dump it in a ditch than pay to take it to a dump. And given the cost of DIY materials, if some places do charge £4 then it's probably irrelevant in the overall costs the DIYer is paying out.

I suspect this is more about the government trying to make it look like they are doing something than actually addressing anything.

Ian

[thirdcrank]

... I suspect this is more about the government trying to make it look like they are doing something than actually addressing anything. ...

Whatever on this Earth gave you that idea?

[PDQ Mobile]

If there is one thing I don't blame the Govt for, it's the tipping of litter.
And believe me I blame them for most things!!

The blame lies entirely with the tipper and the litterer.

The keeping of one's country clean is about social attitude.
I would go further and say it is about a certain sense of patriotism and pride of the place.

Sometimes it is just lazyness. My postman throws his Lucozade bottles out just where he has finished drinking them. (Posting them back into the box he has to enpty helps for a while!)

IMHO there is another factor in the casual litterer's behavior and that is his/her pride in the interior of his vehicle.
Better out than in!!
Strange but true!!

[Vorpal]

On the tractor front, last year I encountered one of these on a 12-15ft lane....... needless to say I stopped, dismounted and had to stand as far onto the verge as he past. He was so wide as to be driving fully on one verge and nearly the width of the lane. It's the first one I've seen, more like something from a monster truck festival.

Those things are built in Fargo, North Dakota. That one looks like it was built in the early to mid 90s. If you haven't seen it in the area before, maybe it's owned by a contractor, or maybe someone bought it recently used (or maybe it's not aa area where you usually cycle?). That's one of the sort I was talking about that has to be approved individually by DVLA or used on the roads only short distances between fields. It doesn't look like it has registration? So probably the latter?

I gather you can see why...

edited to ask: Is that the actual tractor you saw? or just the same type?

[thirdcrank]

That kind of thing is part of the reason for the expression "motor vehicle" being dropped from the Road Traffic Act 1988 and its replacement with "mechanically propelled vehicle." The definition of "motor vehicle" included "intended or adapted for use on the road" so the more unsuitable for road use a vehicle - from Formula ! racing car to massive earth-shifter - the less the driver had to bother about road traffic law.

[old_windbag]

edited to ask: Is that the actual tractor you saw? or just the same type?

Its an example of the type vorpal. I don't normally carry a camera( just a basic mobile ) so had to find an image of the beast.

The young lad driving it even seemed overwhelmed by it, he drove pretty slow passing me( 5-10mph ) as he had little room to spare.

I'd imagine the extra wheels allow for lower overall ground pressure so perhaps you could be run over and just stand up and walk away like a silent movie gag or penn and teller trick . Hover tractors and cars, thats what we need and no animals or people will be flattened any more. Also they'd be good fun to drive like being on the dodgems and able to bounce off others.

The opposite of that tractor are the ones with super narrow single tyres that sit really tall, I think for driving down defined furrows above the crop.

I think there was a french inventor once who proposed we design cars like blood corpuscles that would bump off each other to alleviate congestion, different anyway.

[Vorpal]

I'd imagine the extra wheels allow for lower overall ground pressure so perhaps you could be run over and just stand up and walk away like a silent movie gag or penn and teller trick . Hover tractors and cars, thats what we need and no animals or people will be flattened any more. Also they'd be good fun to drive like being on the dodgems and able to bounce off others.

The opposite of that tractor are the ones with super narrow single tyres that sit really tall, I think for driving down defined furrows above the crop.

Yes, those big double wheel axles are made for no-till farming. That is, they don't plough, but just seed the field with last year's stubble still there. It reduces top soil loss and erosion. Low soil compaction is key. On the other hand, even without extra weights, something like that weighs around 5 tonnes (or tons ), so even with ballon tyres, it would hurt if it ran over you.

And the ones with tall skinny tyres are for row crops, often vegetables or maize.

[old_windbag]

I'm getting the impression Vorpal t!hat you like your tractors!

Actually when you think about it when we talk of the large tractors we have, it's perhaps not disimilar to 125yrs ago. People out riding ordinaries along potholed country lanes and encountering a steam roller/traction engine....... they weren't small by any means.

[Graham]

Regarding the bag of litter . . . .
The response from the company is pretty much as expected and gives a small glimmer of hope within the wider picture.

. . . . . .
Firstly I would like to thank you for making us aware of this situation and secondly, I would like to apologise for this incident, something that is totally unacceptable and goes against the values and behaviour we expect of our employees.

I have contacted the Site Manager at our ########## office who has looked into this for us and we have been able to identify the driver from the route maps and receipt you sent in the post. We have now started disciplinary proceedings with this driver in the form of a written warning and this will remain on his HR file.

Once again, I apologise you came across this rubbish, but hope you are satisfied with the swift action we have taken and the disciplinary proceedings against the individual concerned.

Yours sincerely
. . . .

[pwa]

Regarding the bag of litter . . . .
The response from the company is pretty much as expected and gives a small glimmer of hope within the wider picture.

. . . . . .
Firstly I would like to thank you for making us aware of this situation and secondly, I would like to apologise for this incident, something that is totally unacceptable and goes against the values and behaviour we expect of our employees.

I have contacted the Site Manager at our ########## office who has looked into this for us and we have been able to identify the driver from the route maps and receipt you sent in the post. We have now started disciplinary proceedings with this driver in the form of a written warning and this will remain on his HR file.

Once again, I apologise you came across this rubbish, but hope you are satisfied with the swift action we have taken and the disciplinary proceedings against the individual concerned.

Yours sincerely
. . . .

Very positive and proportionate.