Other places on this site

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Cyclist's Dream

The area reserved for pedal-powered transport measures 6.5ft (2m) wide, leaving just 4.5ft (1.4m) for cars, lorries and buses to squeeze through. Stretching up a steep hill in Dorset, England, the road markings have bemused motorists, who struggle to fit their cars in the space provided. The cycle lane, which appears only on one side of the road, comes to an abrupt stop before the top of the hill and disappears entirely.
It has also raised safety concerns as people are worried it will confuse conscientious drivers and force them into the opposite carriageway in front of oncomming vehicles.
Jonathan Mears, a 39-year-old architect who lives nearby, said: "It's utterly ridiculous. The cycle lane is wide enough to stage the Tour de France. It's astounding that much of the road has been designated for just a few cyclists, when it's relatively narrow anyway.They've given over more room to the cycle lane than they have to the road - there isn't even enough room for an average sized car to drive in the space designated. I haven't seen anyone cycling up there yet, but I hope they appreciate it when they do."
Brian Kerry, another local resident, said: "It's ludicrous. When I first saw it, it didn't occur to me it was a cycle lane because it's just too wide. It just seems stupid. A few people cycle up there but most of the cyclists dismount and walk up the pavement."
But the lane has been defended by Poole Borough Council, which said the lines are for guidance only and drivers were permitted to cross them. Steve Dean, principal engineer, said: "The cycle lane is designed to encourage motorists to give more room to cyclists as they tackle the steepest section of Constitution Hill. Vehicles travelling up Constitution Hill are able to straddle the cycle lane as the markings are advisory and as such are there primarily to act as a reminder to motorists to give space to cyclists. The lane has been marked in accordance with national guidance but further signs and cycle logos are scheduled to be added and we hope this will make the situation clearer for all road users. We are currently monitoring the use of the lane and most drivers seem to be using it appropriately."
But Paul Watters raised safety fears over it. He said: "It seems very confusing and unusual. I suspect it has been put there because of the danger of wobbling cyclists or to allow a faster cyclist to overtake a slower one without going into traffic. But the average width of a car is around 6ft at least.Most drivers are sensible and would be concerned about crossing the line. They may be worried about breaking the law, even though they are allowed to cross it. It seems there is an increased risk that to avoid straddling the lane, cars will be more inclined to cross the centre line and will be in the path of oncoming cars. "


Why don't you try to benifit from this with the wide range of Cycles form Amazon.com.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Which way to the ground ?

A Russian news report says a small plane has crashed when the pilot lost his bearings and decided to ask a tractor driver for directions. No one was hurt. RIA-Novosti news agency quoted a local police spokesman as saying the accident happened Friday in southern Russia's Stavropol region.
It said the pilot lost his way, saw a tractor below and decided to land to get advice from the driver.
Oleg Ugnivenko, a spokesman for the regional branch of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry, said the An-2 agricultural plane grazed the tractor while landing in the field and broke its landing gear. He said no one was hurt but gave no further details.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Dead Rule

A dead man was elected mayor of a small Tennessee town eager to oust a woman who'd been appointed to the job after the previous mayor died. Carl Robin Geary Sr, a local alderman known for "straight-talk", was a candidate for mayor of the town of 1,652 people when he died of a heart attack on March 10. He defeated incumbent Barbara Brock 268 votes to 85 in the town of Tracy City's election on Tuesday, the Chattanooga Times reported. "If he were to run again next week I'd vote for him again," Chris Rogers, owner of the town's Lunch Box restaurant, told the paper. "I knew he was deceased. I know that sounds stupid, but we wanted someone other than her (Brock)." Elections officials said the seat would be declared vacant and the city's four aldermen would select a new mayor. Brock, who was appointed in 2008 after the previous mayor died of a heart attack.
When asked how she felt about losing to a dead man, Brock said "I'll live."

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Cannibalistic Pasta

An Australian publisher is reprinting 7,000 cookbooks over a recipe for pasta with "salt and freshly ground black people."
Penguin Group Australia's head of publishing, Bob Sessions, acknowledged the proofreader for the Pasta Bible should have picked up the error, but called it nothing more than a "silly mistake." The "Pasta Bible" recipe for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto was supposed to call for black pepper.
"We're mortified that this has become an issue of any kind and why anyone would be offended, we don't know," he told The Sydney Morning Herald for a story printed Saturday. "We've said to bookstores that if anyone is small-minded enough to complain about this ... silly mistake, we will happily replace (the book) for them."
The reprint will cost Penguin 20,000 Australian dollars ($18,500), but books already in stores will not be recalled because doing so would be "extremely hard," Sessions said.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Wahsington's Fines

Librarians in New York’s oldest library have discovered that George Washington, the first president of the United States, has an unpaid fine of $300,000. Washington failed to return two books in 1789, which have been accruing overdue fees. He was supposed to return the books after a month, but failed to do so. “We’re not actively pursuing the fines,” said Mark Bartlett, the head librarian of the library. The former president, who died in December 1799, borrowed two books from what was then the only library in Manhattan – “Law of Nations,” a dissertation on international relations, and a volume of debate transcripts from Britain’s House of Commons.