Parking wars, walking and fires,

6 August 2012

Monday morning and we're up and at 'em ready to beat the world ... I tell lies too ;-)))  Actually though we have a number of items on their way to us from various mail order places and one of use has to be in waiting for them to arrive.  We take turns doing that but I'm hoping that we can get out for a couple hours together for a couple of hours later today.  The one major item on today's agenda though is Jan's wheelchair being collected, supposedly at mid-day - yes, they are running 40 minutes late.  There's nothing wrong with the wheelchair s but I can't push Jan in it anymore and Jan can't push herself using her hands on the wheel anymore.  Top and bottom then, it's better of being given to someone else who can use it rather than cluttering up our home which is short of storage space anyway.

The other day while I was out there was a newspaper headline about 'boy racers' holding illegal races on a towns streets.  Well, Dorktown News has decided that it should get involved too.  In this case though it so much that drivers are racing each other around town but drivers using the town centre as a rat run to try to beat the rush hour traffic.  The town centre is a pedestrian are between 10 am and 4pm.  Outside those time only disabled people are supposed to have access.  However, you can take a walk through there at any time after 4pm and the town centre is solid with parked cars.  Very few of them, if any have a blue badge on display. 

There is also a one way traffic flow system too.  Entry on to Queens Road is from the north off the ring road with either a left turn along Stratford Street with a second left along Abbey Street to leave the centre.  The other exit is approached along Queens Road as before, on through to Market Place and then right onto Coventry Street and on out of the town.  There are large no entry signs at the end of the pedestrian zone at this point and it seems that these 'boy racers' are driving against the flow there, turning right in front of the water feature and driving through an area which hasn't been a traffic right of way for many years.  From there they are either turning right and heading for Bond Gate, or left and going the wrong way long Abbey Street. 

But is it really just 'boy racers'?  Actually, no it isn't!  I've seen elderly drivers doing it, taxi drivers, women drivers, delivery trucks, even a few mini-busses doing it.  So what's the answer then?  Well, there are CCTV cameras all over the place.  When a vehicle is seen being driven contrary to permitted routes, then fixed penalty ticks should be sent out.  For those who enter and park and don't show a blue badge, then they should receive two fixed penalty fines, one for entering a profited zone and one for not displaying a blue badge.  The next question is, "Not displaying a blue badge needs to be witnessed, so where are the traffic wardens?"  They are probably in Rugby, the nearby town who is supposed to be sharing them with Dorktown and Bed'th.  At least I can't remember seeing any in Dorktown.

So then, hobby-horse now tucked away safely, time to move on to a photo ... 

This one is of Queens Road looking south towards Market Place - not a car in sight!  Between 10am and 4pm, it's quite pleasant to be out and about in the town centre.  This is how it should be all the time.

I hope you liked yesterday's funny ... here's today's ...

A Jamaican fireman (don't forget the accent)
A Jamaican fireman came home from work one day and said to his
wife:Y'know sumpin, we have a wonderful new system at de fire station.
Bell 1 rings - we put on our jackets.
Bell 2 rings - we slide down de pole.
Bell 3 rings -we jump on de ingine and we's ready to go.
From now on, when I says 'Bell one' I want you to strip naked. When I
says 'Bell two', you jump on de bed. When I says 'Bell tree', we's
gonna mek love all tru de night."
The next night he came home and shouted
'Bell One' and she stripped naked.
'Bell Two' and she jumped on the bed.
'Bell Tree', and they started to make love.
After a few minutes the wife yelled out "Bell Four".
"What de hell is 'Bell Four'?"asked her fireman husband.
She replied : "Roll out more hose, man, you aint nowhere near de fire."