08-01-2019, 06:39 PM
(08-01-2019, 12:50 PM)Duncan Grimmond Wrote: While the stupidity is obvious and easy to denigrate, the idea is to engender awareness of our serious problems of pollution and waste. If we don't move quickly our grandchildren will be paying the price of our profligacy.We have a couple of buses a day going into the nearest town (Stratford) There are rarely more than a couple of people on them and they are heavily subsidised by the ratepayers (who also "give" free bus passes to retirees -of which I am one). Sorry , but too many rose tinted spectacles about the good old rail days pre Beeching. Our station is about half a mile away, but the trains don't really go where people need to go now - it dates back 120+ years & things have changed a bit!)
I'd happily go back to driving a 2CV but that would be retrograde. I bought a new diesel Kangoo having been encouraged to do so for green reasons, only to find that 10 years later I am now almost a pariah when it comes to micro-particulate emissions.
I don't have an answer that doesn't ban personal transport other than on the vehicle of the future, the bicycle.
If only they had left the metal in place when the Beeching cuts were made (by a Tory transport minister with strong road-building connections) we might have a better public transport infrastructure.
The local station is still there with the buildings and platform but no metal or sleepers left, the track having buildings on it.
The village has one bus per day and is 1.3 miles from the nearest bus service on the main road.
No car, no job? It's a 2.6 mile walk and a £7.00 return to the job centre. Now that's what I call planning...
Back to the bike then!
Back to the comment about the diesel Merc....hang on long enough & it will qualify as an "Old-Timer" rather than a "New Timer" in Germany & you may be able to get an exemption docket. My ZA Magnette can do this according to a German friend in Osnabruck, but it may vary from Land to Land or even City to City.