Rapid Construction

Posted: Fri 30 November, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Change, Domestic, Driving, Thoughts | Leave a comment »

(I was going to call this “Swift Erection”, but thought better of it)

Over the last couple of months, a new warehouse has been being built on the Gazeley G-Park on the run in to Milton Keynes. It’s actually a new bottling plant for Barr’s (Irn Bru, Tizer etc.) which will come online in February 2013.

What’s been really surprising and interesting is the sheer speed that this building has gone up. Three months ago, there was nothing there. Then the scaffolding framework went up in a couple of weeks, and the cladding is now complete. All told, I think it’s been about six weeks from start to finish – and that’s impressive by anyone’s standards.

It’s one of those things that’s made me wish I could have set up a time-lapse camera to see it done properly.  Ah well.

Little Things

Posted: Tue 27 November, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Commuting, Driving, Thoughts | 1 Comment »

Yesterday morning, the 20-mile commute to work took nearly two hours. The M1 was absolutely rigid, the residue of earlier accidents – and the other side was stuffed as well due to shitbag idiots rubbernecking at the accidents.

About the only high point was that for the entire time, I was right behind a Mclaren MP4-12C (one of the ugliest car names in Christendom) which is a thing of beauty. It’s the little things that make a day easier.

But it was another example of something that’s always left me a bit bemused – in the UK (and probably most other countries too) just what is the point of a supercar / hypercar like the Mclaren? By the time you get to the UK’s legal limit, you’re lucky if you’re in third gear, and the top speed (205mph) is nearly 3 times the legal limit.

I can see the point of owning things of beauty – but to me, it’s also about using that thing, letting it fulfil its potential.

I guess I understand the concept, I just don’t really get the point.

Driving in the Fog

Posted: Thu 15 November, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: 1BEM, BMW Drivers, Commuting, Driving, Fog, Work-related | 1 Comment »

This morning, as with several others recently, there was a really thick fog during my morning commute.

Personally, I don’t mind driving in fog – it’s not something that worries me. What does worry me, though, are the other drivers. I’ve driven on empty roads in fog which is fine, and I’ve done night drives in fog which are also fine.

But a rush-hour drive in fog is something else – it’s like people just activate the “fuckwit” button in their heads, and away we go.  Even worse, those fuckwits partake in polar opposites.  You either see people with foglights on when they don’t need to be (for instance, if you’re sat in a jam of slow-moving traffic, you don’t need your sodding fog-lights on) or with no lights on whatsoever. (That’s one that utterly boggles my mind – particularly the drivers of silver cars with no lights)  You either see people driving at 20mph or 80mph.

I don’t know why fog affects people this way – or maybe it just accentuates normal stupidity – but it makes the roads an interesting experience.

A Thousand Miles

Posted: Fri 9 November, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Domestic, Driving, Work-related | Leave a comment »

And that’s my big-mileage-week over and done.

It’s been a good and productive week, but Dear Lord, I’m knackered right now.

More Mileage

Posted: Tue 6 November, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Domestic, Driving, Travel, Work-related | Leave a comment »

It’s another of my weeks with some heavy mileage again.

Over the weekend I was up near Manchester, seeing friends. 400 mile round trip.

Later this week, I’m down in the Devon office – another 430 mile round trip.

And then I’ve still got three days of normal commute, which is a 40-mile round trip. So 120 miles there.

All told, 950 miles – and that’s not including whatever I decide to do next weekend.

I must be barmy.

Odd Name Choice

Posted: Sun 14 October, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: 1BEM, Advertising, Business, Commuting, Cynicism, Driving, Thoughts | Leave a comment »

Travelling on the M1 today, I saw a truck for a company called “Fly By Nite” (a courier company)

Now in my mind, “Fly by Night” (regardless of the spelling) is synonymous with something really dodgy – usually smuggling, and the like.

So it seems like an odd choice for a name, but maybe I’m wrong.

Would you use a company where the name was (in your perception) dodgy?

Mass Transit

Posted: Sat 22 September, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: 1BEM, Driving, Public Transport, Thoughts, Travel | Leave a comment »

While I’m no hater of public transport in general (with the exception of Virgin Trains, but that’s a different matter) I find that at the moment I’m a bit bemused by the apparent craze in cities for “Guided Busways” at the moment.

When I was in Norfolk/Suffolk and working around Cambridge, they had the Cambridge Guided Busway (also known as “The Busway“) being constructed, and now I’m working near Luton, I see the same construction going on for the Luton-Dunstable Busway.

I do understand the thoughts of getting buses out of the main roadways, freeing them up to run punctually and not affect (or be affected by) other traffic. That makes sense. But as far as I understand it, the perceived negatives far outweigh those positives.

As I see it currently…

  • Guided busways reduce the number of available stops, and easy-on/easy-off of ‘normal’ bus routes
  • The investment required is massive
  • The construction takes a long time, and so
  • The disruption involved is equally massive
  • In short, it appears to be a total pain in the arse.

I wonder what the real motivations for these things are – I assume there are a whole load of incentives, grants and funding whatevers for this kind of boondoggle.

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