Here's my earlier post which was diverted because I used one of my own email addresses that was not logged with Posterous - Thanks Posterous for sorting this out.
We're on our way home on the ferry, 1 hour out of Portsmouth. Overall, the weather was pretty mediocre, definitely not summery. The wind blew with a vengeance every day. August 30th, 'Bank holiday Sunday' was appalling- cold enough to switch on the central heating. OK, we're English and we know what to expect in that department but as always, there was hope. No joy this time.
Highlight as always was friends and family. Nadir, also as always, was trying to move around in the turgid traffic systems with any degree of certainty.
For some years now it has been impossible to plan a journey in the UK to any sort of reliable timetable. This time was no exception and, as a final example, we caught this ferry by the skin of our teeth.
Rant coming up:...
For those who know the New Forest, that green oasis in central southern England, it was the village of Lyndhurst, the putative pearl in it's bosom, which was the final protagonist in our tragi-comedy of a journey earlier this afternoon. In short, this crossroads of two major road systems nearly caused our downfall. Four miles of jams just because of those damn' traffic lights in the middle of the village. I know this area; it's been like this for 50 years, no exaggeration. Why no relief road? You tell me. I you want to get a country moving, you see to the infrastructure, particularly the road system. You don't bury your head in the sand and simply allow the numbers of road users to continue to increase while doing nothing to accommodate them. Where are the people looking to the future? Who hears them when they say we must have more roads, expand our rail network?
For those who know the New Forest, that green oasis in central southern England, it was the village of Lyndhurst, the putative pearl in it's bosom, which was the final protagonist in our tragi-comedy of a journey earlier this afternoon. In short, this crossroads of two major road systems nearly caused our downfall. Four miles of jams just because of those damn' traffic lights in the middle of the village. I know this area; it's been like this for 50 years, no exaggeration. Why no relief road? You tell me. I you want to get a country moving, you see to the infrastructure, particularly the road system. You don't bury your head in the sand and simply allow the numbers of road users to continue to increase while doing nothing to accommodate them. Where are the people looking to the future? Who hears them when they say we must have more roads, expand our rail network?
As for general maintenance of public ameneties, road signs, state of the road verges, roadside drain clearance, road surface repairs and replacement, rubbish clearance.......... What's (not) happenning, UK?
There was a lot more of this rant but I've cut it down, now I'm back home in France. Don't want to upset my English friends and family but someone should at least say something from time to time to point out that UK "could do better" - as they used to say on our school reports.
Tailnote: Drove into our home town here in France on Wednesday afternoon on the final leg of the journey. Confronted with road signs directing us around the BYPASS as the road through town was being RESURFACED. There was nothing obviously wrong with the old road surface but it was time to carry out the SCHEDULED PERIODIC MAINTENANCE program. Polite signs everywhere apologising for the inconvenience alongside another new sign stating PLAN DE ANTICRISE ('anti-crisis'). This is what the French State, departments (counties) and Regions have devised to pump money into the economy by improving the infrastructure, creating work and helping to secure a future for its citizens.
Michael Durant
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