I spotted this tome in a branch of W H Smith a few weeks ago and spent an enjoyable 5 minutes flicking through it. I wanted to mention it but at the time couldn’t find any mention of it on Amazon. But now I can because now I can.
Pains on Trains is about how other people can turn the travelling experience into, if not a nightmare, then, at least, a severe irritant. As one reviewer put it:
It occurred to me that in fact this is the great flaw in train travel and indeed,
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I said it “occurred”. That was until I started compiling a list of pains on the road, Toads on Roads so to speak:
- The Tailgater
- The Fog light fiend – people who refuse to turn off their rear fog lights
- The Non-indicator – people who seem completely unaware of the function of the stalk behind the steering wheel
- Middle of the road hog – people who insist on driving in the middle lane of a motorway no matter what
- Major Obstruction – he takes his ancient Humber on to the motorway and spends the whole time toddling along at a coma-inducing 40mph – the coma being mostly induced when you smash into the back of him
- Boom box boy – if ever there was an argument for the legalisation of bazookas...
- Non-nosey parker – just why do some people insist on reversing into a parking space? I just don’t get it.
So, maybe bad manners are not exclusive to trains – although it has to be accepted that at least when you are in a car there is some distance between you and the target of your ire.
For my money, as I've said before, manners are desperately important. I do not accept this argument that it is capitalism that has atomised us hence creating a society where people feel little obligation to their fellow citizens and where bad manners (and indeed crime) proliferate. Quite the opposite in fact. Britons exhibited the best manners when they were the most free. The effect is easy to tell when you go abroad. Where do people have the best road manners: in capitalist America or socialist Italy? Freedom doesn't just provide food and frivolities it also provides the glue that creates a functioning civil society though why that might be I really don’t know.
The shops of the future
A thing occurred to me after reading what I'd written over on Transport Blog. What I'd done was see something...
CrozierVision on November 23, 2003
Comments
I think British drivers are amongst the politest I have encountered, actually. British drivers have high technical skills, also, so the worst problem driving in this country is often inadequate roads. Australian drivers have high technical skills, also, but drive much too aggressively with respect to other cars. (For some reason, the worst offenders are small, white, overpowered trucks, or "utes" as Australians call one class of such). I'd much rather drive in England than Australia. Certain other countries manage to combine aggression, poor roads, and poor technical skills simultaneously, but I am not going to name names.
As for things I hate in other drivers, tailgaters are number 1. This practice is extremely dangerous, but you never see a driver booked for it. Catching people doing 5mph more than the speed limit is much easier.
(By the way, Australian drivers are revolting over speed cameras in exactly the same way British drivers are. The feeling is that enough is enough).
Posted by Michael Jennings on November 24, 20035mph over the speed limit takes an extra 21 feet to stop ;) Bad drivers are bad drivers, whether they tailgate or speed. Both are as bad as each other. It's such a common failing of drivers to think 'other' drivers are bad ones!
It's true that it's easier to catch speeding drivers than ones that tailgate but that's just the nature of the crime. The only way to deal with such misdemeanours is bans, fines but most importantly of all automatic re-tests. Hopefully that might even cut congestion too :)
Posted by Gordon on November 25, 20035mph over the speed limit takes an extra 21 feet to stop
But if it's on an empty road, so what?
Posted by Andy Wood on November 25, 2003Well even if it looks that way, children can appear from nowhere! And also the noise and air pollution increase significantly with additional speed.
Posted by Gordon on November 26, 2003Well even if it looks that way, children can appear from nowhere!
On an empty motorway? I don't think so.
Posted by Andy Wood on November 26, 2003...air pollution increase significantly with additional speed.
It's just occurred to me that this isn't necessarily true.
As I understand it, most cars are most fuel efficient when running at about 50-60 mph. Thus, driving at 20 mph over the speed limit in a 30 mph zone will tend to reduce air pollution, not increase it.
Posted by Andy Wood on November 26, 2003Yes I spotted the Pains on trains book a week ago and thought it seemed to be following a lot of the unofficial london underground etiquette that I've had on my main site for many years now.
It is amazing how we do all follow a certain unspoken etiquette on the tube and those who fall outside and break the rules are really seen as commuter rejects and outcasts.
Posted by Annie Mole on November 27, 2003On an empty motorway?
I don't think anyone has a problem with people going 75mph on the motorway. Certainly the cameras would not flash for such an infringement.
As for greater fuel efficiency by going 50mph in a 30mph zone, that's very unlikely. Because in town driving conditions a car is going to have to regularly come to a stop, there's always going to be a great deal of energy wasted speeding up and slowing down. This is only exacerbated by going faster. Average traffic speeds in town are very low, typically about 10-15 mph, so going faster just means more congestion, more sitting at traffic lights, more breaking and more fuel wastage. The old cliché "they wont get there any faster" is actually quite true.
Posted by Gordon on November 27, 2003...just why do some people insist on reversing into a parking space? I just don't get it.
Andy pretty much summed it up - but I would add that the vehicle is more manoueverable when reversing, allowing you to get into a smaller space than driving in. During my driving instructor days, I used to teach the practice - before it became a part of the driving test. I always, always insist on reversing into parking spaces and will continue to do so no matter how annoying to others.... ;-)
Posted by Mark Ellott on December 3, 2003Permalink
...just why do some people insist on reversing into a parking space? I just don't get it.
I insist on reversing into parking spaces.
For one thing, there is the satisfaction of knowing that my skills at controlling my car are up to scratch.
For another, it's actually safer - you have a better view of what's coming when you leave the parking space. I've had a fair number of near misses as a result of people reversing out of driveways into the road. That wouldn't happen if they reversed in and came out forwards.
I'm fairly sure the manual I used when learning to drive said that you should reverse into parking spaces and driveways whenever possible.
Posted by Andy Wood on November 24, 2003