A few weeks ago I drove to Park Street Bristol in order to part exchange my camera and lenses. The plan was to drop off the existing kit park up nearby then spend time in the shop buying the new kit. Unfortunately my phone's sat nav directed me to Bristol Bridge, or what it's called nowadays only to find it was closed for extensive repairs and I got directed into a newly created bus gate. With no easy way of doing a U-turn I had to ride it out and get out of the gate as quickly as possible. I waited for the inevitable and Bristol City council pounced on Monday with a £70 fine. I was not the only one as thousands of similar fines have been issued.
Like most I paid up, at a reduced rate of £35 for being a good little citizen, because it wasn't worth the hassle of claiming unfairness even if it was unfair.
If you drive, avoid Bristol City Centre.
Whinge about bus gates
Whinge about bus gates
In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.
(Terry Pratchett 1948-2015)
(Terry Pratchett 1948-2015)
Whinge about bus gates
Oh noooo!
That's AWFUL, Eccles! I'd be really upset about that! the injustice of it.. and the not inconsiderable fee, too!
That's AWFUL, Eccles! I'd be really upset about that! the injustice of it.. and the not inconsiderable fee, too!
"I used to be a picture in a storybook. Then I escaped." - Hades, The Burnt City
Whinge about bus gates
I rarely drive to the centre so I was unprepared for the total disarray. It is an absolute mess, and only regular commuters would know what to expect.There was no easy way of avoiding the trip as a big 500mm lens that I was trading in weighed 3kg alone plus several other weighty bits of glass. The actual fine is immaterial but the signage is appallingly bad even after it has supposedly been clarified.
I have one more lens to pick up next week. Fortunately it is of a weight that can easily managed on a park and ride bus trip. Which incidentally will be free with my diamond travel card so I'll be getting a bit back from the local authority.
As for the new camera gear, I'm knocked out by the improvements made in the five years since owning the previous kit. AI has found its way into digital photography.
I'll be posting a few more shortly. Bug haters, I can't resist just one more but I'll post some birdies as well.
I have one more lens to pick up next week. Fortunately it is of a weight that can easily managed on a park and ride bus trip. Which incidentally will be free with my diamond travel card so I'll be getting a bit back from the local authority.
As for the new camera gear, I'm knocked out by the improvements made in the five years since owning the previous kit. AI has found its way into digital photography.
I'll be posting a few more shortly. Bug haters, I can't resist just one more but I'll post some birdies as well.
In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.
(Terry Pratchett 1948-2015)
(Terry Pratchett 1948-2015)
Whinge about bus gates
Bus gates don't really do their original stated job of keeping people in smelly cars away do they if Eccles needs a camera he needs a camera and went anyway and didn't notice the bus lanes. So it's failed there but the real purpose of raising money is working well.
Most of the climate saving measures work this way and just cause trouble for struggling people without really doing much useful. E.g. light bulbs save a bit of electric but pollute landfill with deadly mercury and stop people seeing to read and sew. Meanwhile massive money making plan selling new bulbs which now have to be replaced over again by the new less mercury ones . I want the air clean as most people do really but it's gone silly now and isn't helping get clean air anyway.
Most of the climate saving measures work this way and just cause trouble for struggling people without really doing much useful. E.g. light bulbs save a bit of electric but pollute landfill with deadly mercury and stop people seeing to read and sew. Meanwhile massive money making plan selling new bulbs which now have to be replaced over again by the new less mercury ones . I want the air clean as most people do really but it's gone silly now and isn't helping get clean air anyway.
Whinge about bus gates
I knew I was in a bus gate once I got there but there were no clear directions how to get around it. Usually you see diversion signs that direct you around road works if a road is closed but this bridge has been relied upon as part of the city's road system so much that removing it for repairs has screwed up half the centre's road system. And the Centre itself has seemingly continuous road works as city planners devise their latest scheme to frustrate anyone trying to get through it.
Regarding lights, I'm all for LEDs. The squiggly fluorescent ones were dreadful, didn't last as long as tungsten ones, and as Furby points out had toxic mercury in them. But all my home lighting is LED and I think they are great. I bought a couple of spares when I switched several years ago and have never used them.
Regarding lights, I'm all for LEDs. The squiggly fluorescent ones were dreadful, didn't last as long as tungsten ones, and as Furby points out had toxic mercury in them. But all my home lighting is LED and I think they are great. I bought a couple of spares when I switched several years ago and have never used them.
In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.
(Terry Pratchett 1948-2015)
(Terry Pratchett 1948-2015)