Well done Andy, who passed first time today with just 3 driver faults.
He got the hardest route in the worst weather possible (short of a monsoon). Now he can take the option on that car he had reserved with the garage.
He’s been one of the good ones to teach – a quick learner and eager to improve.
That’s now 9 passes out of 13 for the year, with six of them doing it on their first attempts. One of them passed third time, with all three attempts being in the total for the year.
It’s not a new game, but it is getting more common these days.
“Beat the Learner” is where the driver of a car which has no right of way under any normal circumstances has such a tiny brain that they work on the principle that if the other car has L plates on it then they can just do whatever they feel like.
I had one tonight – it was a yucky grey SAAB (reg. no. X436 XAL). I approached traffic lights w
hich had just changed to green, intending to turn left. This dickhead saw me coming, processed the information in his (or her) tiny mind at half speed, and when they arrived at the condition “it’s got L plates”, they decided that meant they could go – and turned right across my path.
It’s worth pointing out that once they turned they then proceeded to drive at well in excess of 30mph all the way through Ruddington, forcing their way past parked cars in the face of oncoming traffic. They turned towards Clifton and that was the last I saw of them.
It’s also worth pointing out that there was a child in the passenger seat – a young girl aged 10 at most. So as well as being a rubbish and dangerous driver, they are also extremely unfit parents. It’s always the ones who are most unfit for being parents who breed like flies, of course, but the girl in that passenger seat is to be pitied for the life she is destined for, by having such an appalling role model as a mother or father.
It’s worth bumping this one to the top of the pile, as it seems that the new-model Fords have speedometers that aren’t completely visible from the passenger seat (the previous model wasn’t much better).
Note: As of April 2013, this app doesn’t work under Android Jellybean.
Note: It appears that it was updated shortly after I wrote the above note, and it works under Jellybean as of October 2013.
The speedometer in my Focus isn’t always completely visible from the passenger seat when I’m on a lesson. The pupil’s hand might be in the way, for example, and this – combined with the cowling over the speedometer – can sometimes be a problem.
Instructors usually get a feel for the speed their car is doing, and can tell by the sound of the engine and just the general momentum whether a pupil is going too fast or not in relation to the speed limit. But sometimes you just need to be able to see what speed they are doing.
To be honest, when we come over the brow of a hill and there is a mobile speed camera sitting there, the last thing I want is to be leaning over saying “what’s the speed limit here?” and miss the damned thing. It hasn’t happened before, and I don’t want it to in future, either!
I’m sure certain pedants out there will be outraged at this admission, Stuff them! Any decent instructor will know that pupils DO go over the speed limit sometimes, and having a full-on Client-centred Discussion (with yoga thrown in) about it isn’t really appropriate right in front of a Gatso!
So, I found this brilliant little app for my HTC Sensation XE. It’s called SpeedView, and there is a free version as well as a pro edition.
It uses the phone’s GPS to give a real-time readout of your speed.
It has a compass, altimeter, accelerometer, and various stats and recording functions. You can export the records as GPX files if you want to.
It works in the car or on foot/on bike. And it is very accurate.
I tried a couple of other speedo apps that came up when I searched the Android Market, but they were absolute rubbish (the primary function of one of them was to crash when you tried to run it). But this one was way down the list – but it is easily the best one I have seen. I tried the free version (with ads on the main screen), but I liked it so much having trialled it all today that I have upgraded to the pro version (it only costs £1.50).
Highly recommended.
I don’t use it quite so much as I used to. When I first decided to upgrade my old Focus it was a little unnerving not being able to see the dials. But you get used to it – although some pupils make it worth switching SpeedView on from time to time.
I forgot to post this one up. The April edition of Despatch is now available.
Topics this month include a bit about how more driving test candidates are to benefit from better local services, ADI renewals, some information about changes to the driving licence rules, and a few general snippets.
Another timely reminder from the DSA:
Rule 243
DO NOT stop or park
- near a school entrance
- anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services
- at or near a bus or tram stop or taxi rank
- on the approach to a level crossing or tramway crossing
- opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
- near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
- opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle
- where you would force other traffic to enter a tram lane
- where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles
- in front of an entrance to a property
- on a bend
- where you would obstruct cyclists’ use of cycle facilities
except when forced to do so by stationary traffic.
Read all the rules about waiting and parking (238-252)
Again, it’s a good idea to circulate this information – far too many people (especially the mummies during school runs and 99.9% of taxi drivers) ignore the rules completely.
Two stories which complement each other beautifully in the news today.
Firstly, there is this one about a 74-year old woman who has passed her test after 58 years. To be fair, it seems that when she began learning back in 1954 she never actually took the test and only started learning again over the last year or so. She passed on her third attempt (which is not bad for a lot of people – whatever their age).
Then there is this story about a woman who was knocked down in a car park by an 87-year old man, who was subsequently found guilty of driving without due care and attention, given 6 points, and fined £550 with £700 costs. He was not banned or ordered to take a re-test. It seems that the old man accelerated into the woman he hit.
It seems that in court, the driver admitted he didn’t see the woman.
A spokeswoman for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said insurance premiums start climbing once drivers reach 75 because of the increasing risk from deteriorating eyesight, using the car less and slower reactions.
Now, there is nothing to say the lady in the first story is a poor driver, but you have to wonder how long that can last for when you keep seeing stories like the second one – and ones like this one (Cassie’s Law still needs signatures, so make sure you sign it).
I’ve not been to a gig since just before Christmas, but I’ve had these tickets booked for almost that long.
Thick As A Brick (TAAB), by Jethro Tull, was released in 1972, and this tour is the first time it has been played in its entirety since then. Recently, Thick As A Brick 2 (TAAB2) has also been released. Both albums were played tonight.
To anyone who doesn’t know, the original TAAB – on vinyl, so two sides – consisted of just two tracks (which were actually one single song!). It was a deliberate send up of rock pretentiousness and everything that surrounded it. The album claimed to have been written by an 8-year old – more sending up of some of prog rock’s allegedly pretentious lyrics, and possibly an explanation as to why Ian Anderson now has a Sunday evening show on Planet Rock specifically looking at lyrics, both good and bad.
Taking all that aside, TAAB has some brilliant and memorable riffs. All of those were there tonight, with some modern additions. Apparently, some of TAAB was recorded as single improvisational takes (more information on the Jethro Tull website).
Anyway, the current presentation is a cleverly constructed play – almost an opera – involving all the musicians. Obviously, Ian Anderson’s flute playing is a major highlight, but the rest of the band were absolutely superb. It was a fantastic show
The sections were broken by short comedy skits, showing Anderson’s clever sense of humour. There was a 20 minute intermission between the two albums, allowing me to ascertain that the Assembly Rooms really was charging £4 for a lager – and I won’t call it a pint, because I don’t think it was. And on top of that, it seems that they also don’t allow any sort of photography (some guy was told to stop it when he took a picture on his mobile phone – I’ll blame the Assembly Rooms, as I would have thought Ian Anderson wouldn’t have cared). That was a bugger, because I’d got tickets for the second row, so we were right up close and any photos would have been brilliant. So I’ll just have to do with mid-20th century memories instead of 21st century memorabilia.
We also discovered that Tuesday night is probably the worse night of the week to try and get a curry (everywhere was shut). We eventually found that the Everest Tandoori in Ruddington was about to close, but they stayed open for us and did us a really nice meal.
A great night, with a great show and a great meal to round it off.
Oh, and it really is worth getting hold of the two albums and giving them a listen.
A very interesting article in The Times. It reports on a cab firm owner in London, John Griffin, who has really upset the greenies down his way.
Before I pass my own opinion, I think we can safely assume that the guy is being taken out of context as far as is humanly possible without actually accusing him of saying things he didn’t actually say.
You can read his original article in “add lib” (the magazine it’s from) here, but this is the exact text:
Green party candidates and others are up in arms about what they see as the murder of Cyclists on London Roads.
There has, as we all know, been a tremendous upsurge in cycling and cycling shops. This summer the roads will be thick with bicycles. These cyclists are throwing themselves onto some of the most congested spaces in the world. They leap onto a vehicle which offers them no protection except a padded plastic hat.
Should a motorist fail to observe a granny wobbling to avoid a pothole or a rain drain, then he is guilty of failing to anticipate that this was somebody on her maiden voyage into the abyss. The fact is he just didn’t see her and however cautious, caring or alert he is, the influx of beginner cyclists is going to lead to an overall increase in accidents involving cyclists.
The rest of us occupying this roadspace have had to undergo extensive training. We are sitting inside a protected space with impact bars and air bags and paying extortionate amounts of taxes on our vehicle purchase, parking, servicing, insurance and road tax.
It is time for us to say to cyclists, ‘You want to join our gang, get trained and pay up’.
It isn’t a very long article, really. So let’s look at what he says.
Yes, the Green Brigade HAS been up in arms. Yes, there HAS been a huge increase in cycling participation and yes, the roads ARE thick with them. Yes, London DOES have some of the busiest roads in the world and yes, people who buy bikes DO go straight out without a thought either for themselves or anyone else.
Yes, if a motorist is hit effectively hit by one of these idiots – and the idiot subsequently injured or killed – the motorist is almost certainly going to find himself with points or a ban. And that’s only if he’s lucky.
Yes, drivers DO have to undergo training and yes, we DO have to pay for that training, road and other taxes, insurance, parking, repairs, and so on.
And yes, a cyclist has to do none of these things. Yes, they ought to have to.
So Mr Griffin hasn’t really said anything that’s particularly controversial. It only becomes controversial when you convince yourself he’s somehow said it’s all right to “murder cyclists” when, in actual fact, it seems that it was the Green Party who brought up that pathetic phrase in the first place to try and force its own doctrine on the majority.
I would also add that cyclists can freely choose to ignore cycle lanes in favour of the busy road, and they usually do (it’s always either the fat, middle-aged ones who think they’re athletes, or the horrid, spindly Spandex Brigade who almost invariably have personality problems).
There is not one single word in John Griffin’s article which is incorrect. He is totally, utterly right in every way.
Cyclists – in general – are an absolute menace. Not because they’re cyclists, but because they haven’t got a clue about road safety as it relates to them. I’ve mentioned them several times in the last few years because it is always this time of year they come out en masse (they can’t be THAT serious if they wait until it’s sunny).
It is the en masse crowd who are often the main problem. There are too many of them, they always use the most dangerous roads, and they simply haven’t got a clue.
Yes, they have every right. But they also have every right to expect a higher risk of accident if they insist on riding two abreast on single track roads with zigzag bends, not giving way to anyone or anything (that seemed to disappear from their Highway Code donkey’s years ago), riding on to pedestrian crossings and the pavement to avoid traffic lights, ignoring traffic lights, not using purpose-built paths, and so on and on.
And if they’re going to use the roads, they should be taxed and insured like everyone else.
Obviously, my own experiences don’t relate specifically to London. But as we know, there are those for whom London is a magical place, full of pixies, gnomes, and other things that make them regard it as The Centre Of The Universe. In fact, London is a dangerous city full of ridiculously congested roads. And if it’s got a load of cyclists as well, then it’s a hundred times worse still!
If you want to see the view from a parallel universe (i.e. the one cyclists live in) take a look here.
The new Rush single, Headlong Flight, was played on Planet Rock today. This is the official lyric video – play it fullscreen: it’s in HD.
They also announced a North American tour which starts in September and runs until December. Fingers crossed that this will be extended to Europe come the new year – that’s often how Rush does these things.
The new single is very old-style Rush – guitar-driven and heavy. It runs for more than seven minutes. The imagery is in keeping with BU2B and Caravan, which have both been out for some time now. The mix is also very clean, giving a sharp sound.
Having heard it several times now, I have to say it is brilliant – I’m trying hard not to be biased, but really: it is!
The single artwork is also impressive – again, keeping the motifs that started with the Time Machine Tour and which characterised the rear-screen projections for Caravan on that tour, and the singles when they were released.
I can’t wait for Clockwork Angels to be released in June.
Footnote: Although I mentioned my thoughts about them coming to the UK to tour Clockwork Angels in 2013, it occurred to me that 2014 will be R40, and they did only come here last year…
The DSA has sent out an email alert with a reminder about how to use box junctions.
Highway Code rule 174
Box junctions. These have criss-cross yellow lines painted on the road (see ‘Road markings’ (PDF, 715KB)).
You MUST NOT enter the box until your exit road or lane is clear. However, you may enter the box and wait when you want to turn right, and are only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles waiting to turn right.
At signalled roundabouts you MUST NOT enter the box unless you can cross over it completely without stopping.
I think the DSA has started doing this as a way of trying to keep drivers’ knowledge up to date – which is a good thing, since most appear to have great difficulty doing it themselves, and have have had for many years (poor knowledge of the HC has always been a problem).
During rush hour, many people have difficulty in dealing with box junctions. Lorry drivers are one of the worst culprits. However, I honestly think most people simply don’t know they’re there – or only realise once they’re stopped in them (judging from the sheepish looks you get when they’re blocking you).