Strange logic.

jtaylor said the following on 04/08/2006 12:49:

Quoted message said:

All cycle paths that run beside perfectly good roads are a Bad Thing. They
allow motor-car drivers to demand that cyclists use them in preference to
the road, and to carry this position to other situations where cycle-paths
are inferior in any (or all) of the ways that they typically are.

I said "a particular road", and the particular road it runs beside is
not a perfectly good road - the surface is [censored]. In this instance, the
cyclepath is far preferable to the road, and is A Good Thing. Half a
mile away is a cyclepath that runs alongside a road (and up onto a
pavement, across a bus stop, past some traffic lights before dropping
you back onto the road in the middle of a junction.) That type of
cyclepath is A Bad Thing.

So basically, they can't be generalised!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Quoting Paul Boyd <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Paul Boyd said:

I beleive that *anyone* who needs the services of an ambulance gets charged.

Huh?

"Huh?" what? Are you saying that isn't the case, or just that you don't
believe it? I did say "I believe", which means that I'm not sure. I do
know though that when I called out an ambulance for an elderly lady
who'd fallen over and couldn't move, she told me later that she'd had a
bill.

Seems like she was confused. I've had all too many ambulance trips and the
only one I got a bill for was in California.
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Kill the tomato!
Today is Wednesday, July.

Paul Boyd said:

Simon Mason said the following on 03/08/2006 10:23:

Quoted message said:

Letter in yesterday's Daily Mail about a woman who would have
preferred to have been hit by a car rather than a bike.

http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/zmail1.htm

I didn't realize Ken's influence extended to Norwich! Perhaps it should
also be pointed out to her that many cyclists don't want these
"dedicated cycle paths" foisted on them either :-)

She suggests that cyclist pay £10 for use of the highway because cycle
paths are being provided. A fine for using the highway and not using the
cycle paths ? Might as well use my car, I have already payed £196 to use
it on the highway. Daft [censored].

lardyninja said:

Simon Mason said:

Letter in yesterday's Daily Mail about a woman who would have preferredto
have been hit by a car rather than a bike.

AIUI it would have been the injured person who was charged not the
cyclist. There was a £12 fee for RTA's (and it applied even if you
walked to A/E) which was claimed back from the insurance and did not
affect your NCD. They probably abolished it. We charge £25 for a
private blood group but the time we often spend chasing this up costs
more than this in staff time.

MSeries wrote:

I have already payed £196 to use

Quoted message said:

it on the highway. Daft [censored].

£196? is it a Hummer? or does this include the DOT RVRT certificate or
whatever they call the MOT now. Incidentally they can't do free
re-tests anymore as all tests require a computerised thingy

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

£196? is it a Hummer? or does this include the DOT RVRT certificate or
whatever they call the MOT now. Incidentally they can't do free
re-tests anymore as all tests require a computerised thingy

That's not actually true. Some small faults are eligible for a free retest -
in this case, it doesn't need a full inspection again. Others require the
full inspection again. The computerised thingy means you need an emissions
readout and a brake machine printout (I think), and it won't let you finish
an MOT before a certain time has elapsed - this is to enforce the rule which
always existed but many ignored, which is that a retest should be a full
examination. However it's entirely up to the garage whether they charge for
this or not. My last one didn't.

cheers,
clive

there's always been the rule about bulbs tyres etc but the no- free
retest seems a recent thing; my MOT person (who only does MOT's) said
he could no longer put a retest through the books without a printout so
had to charge; although he did it for half price as presumably
otherwise people would just go somewhere else.

while we're firmly off topic, is it also true that you have to pay to
scrap a car even if you drive it to a breaker's yard? (the same car
only just scraped through this time and thinking of next year)

"MartinM" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

there's always been the rule about bulbs tyres etc but the no- free
retest seems a recent thing; my MOT person (who only does MOT's) said
he could no longer put a retest through the books without a printout so
had to charge; although he did it for half price as presumably
otherwise people would just go somewhere else.

Quoted message said:

while we're firmly off topic, is it also true that you have to pay to
scrap a car even if you drive it to a breaker's yard? (the same car
only just scraped through this time and thinking of next year)

Possibly but my Council (Brent) state they will remove 'end of life'
cars free of charge. They prefer this to removing abandoned vehicles.

I have just volunteered as a StreetWatcher.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

there's always been the rule about bulbs tyres etc but the no- free
retest seems a recent thing; my MOT person (who only does MOT's) said
he could no longer put a retest through the books without a printout so
had to charge; although he did it for half price as presumably
otherwise people would just go somewhere else.

Yes, they have to do the emmissions and I think brake tests which have
printouts, and they have to take a certain time about it, so the old
practice of just looking at the bits which failed last time and checking
they're now ok is rather harder. Of course that old practice was wrong -
they always theoretically had to do a full retest, it's just that people
often didn't bother.

Quoted message said:

while we're firmly off topic, is it also true that you have to pay to
scrap a car even if you drive it to a breaker's yard? (the same car
only just scraped through this time and thinking of next year)

Depends on the breakers. The rules on breakers yards have been tightened up
enormously over the years - no tottering piles of cars for you to wander
round with a spanner looking for the bit you want, and fluids need to be
disposed of properly, rather than left to leak out. So they have larger
overheads, and hence are less willing to collect and/or pay. (I do wonder if
there's less market for bits as people do less DIY). However the metal in a
car is now actually worth something, so scrap dealers (people who are
interested in the metal for recycling, rather than second hand bits) often
pay for the car.

If you've got the time, space and inclination, and a suitable car there's a
growing market for spares on eg ebay - break it yourself, sell off the
working/nice bits (mirrors, glass, doors, alternator, starter motor, etc),
then get the remains carted off. This is apparently quite effective for some
cars - but it does depend very much on what sort of car it it.

cheers,
clive

MartinM said:

while we're firmly off topic, is it also true that you have to pay to
scrap a car even if you drive it to a breaker's yard? (the same car
only just scraped through this time and thinking of next year)

Depends on the breakers. Last time I scrapped a car they subtracted 7
quid per tyre from the scrap value so I made about enough to cover the
bus fare home.

TheMgt said:

MartinM said:

while we're firmly off topic, is it also true that you have to pay to
scrap a car even if you drive it to a breaker's yard? (the same car
only just scraped through this time and thinking of next year)

Depends on the breakers. Last time I scrapped a car they subtracted 7
quid per tyre from the scrap value so I made about enough to cover the
bus fare home.

Hmmm; maybe have a word with the pikeys up the road (assuming I can
render it undriveable and it won't end up in a hit and run while
registered to me). Or just park it outside Helen's ;-)

Citroen AX btw Clive, so a very short bus ride

MartinM said:

while we're firmly off topic, is it also true that you have to pay to
scrap a car even if you drive it to a breaker's yard? (the same car
only just scraped through this time and thinking of next year)

Last summer Billy Bridges at Pease Pottage didn't charge if the car
was taken to them (in this case we towed it (1)), but would if they
had to collect it. Give them a ring to see.

(1) Car had been leant to an American exchange teacher and died while
its owner was the other half of the exchange in the USA. American
exchange teacher and I turned up at the breakers with the V10(?) log
book in someone elses name, signed on the line and that was it.

Tim

In article <[email hidden]>, Paul
Boyd <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

POHB said the following on 03/08/2006 13:11:

Quoted message said:

Paul Boyd said:

I beleive that *anyone* who needs the services of an ambulance gets
charged.

Huh?

"Huh?" what? Are you saying that isn't the case, or just that you
don't believe it? I did say "I believe", which means that I'm not
sure. I do know though that when I called out an ambulance for an
elderly lady who'd fallen over and couldn't move, she told me later
that she'd had a bill.

When I fell off my bike a couple of years back a policeman called the
local hospital to send out an ambulance for me, which they duly did. I'm
still waiting for the bill.

And about thirty years ago in Belfast I had an operation and asked for
an ambulance to take me home. Didn't get a bill then either, and I've
moved house since so I'm sure I won't.

--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

On 05/08/2006 17:48, congokid said,

Quoted message said:

When I fell off my bike a couple of years back a policeman called the
local hospital to send out an ambulance for me, which they duly did. I'm
still waiting for the bill.

OK, OK - I think it has already been firmly established that my belief
was incorrect :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Clive George said:

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

there's always been the rule about bulbs tyres etc but the no- free
retest seems a recent thing; my MOT person (who only does MOT's) said
he could no longer put a retest through the books without a printout so
had to charge; although he did it for half price as presumably
otherwise people would just go somewhere else.

Yes, they have to do the emmissions and I think brake tests which have
printouts, and they have to take a certain time about it, so the old
practice of just looking at the bits which failed last time and checking
they're now ok is rather harder. Of course that old practice was wrong -
they always theoretically had to do a full retest, it's just that people
often didn't bother.

You're right that the rules were the same before computerisation,
however I think VOSA/DfT were never particularly bothered about them
being flouted. The problem was that enforcing the rules has caused
more bother than they realised, so they have now effectively changed
the rules to reflect what used to happen:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_612093.hcsp

Basically any item can be retested for 1/2 price up to 10 working days
following a failure, although the free retest items have been
restricted a bit, it looks like only visually testable items are now
in the list.

Gareth

MartinM said:

while we're firmly off topic, is it also true that you have to pay to
scrap a car even if you drive it to a breaker's yard? (the same car
only just scraped through this time and thinking of next year)

A friend's parents recently had to scrap a Metro (why they hadn't done
so six years earlier eludes me!). The local scrapyard told them if
they could drive it in, he'd give them £50 for it - if it went in on
the back of a truck, he'd charge them £50 for it.

Unfortunately, the engine expired in spectacular fashion less than
half-way there!

--
Stevie D
\\\\\ ///// Bringing dating agencies to the
\\\\\\\__X__/////// common hedgehog since 2001 - "HedgeHugs"
___\\\\\\\'/ \'///////_____________________________________________

On 05/08/2006 23:55, Stevie D said,

Quoted message said:

A friend's parents recently had to scrap a Metro (why they hadn't done
so six years earlier eludes me!). The local scrapyard told them if
they could drive it in, he'd give them £50 for it - if it went in on
the back of a truck, he'd charge them £50 for it.

When I scrapped a Maestro a few years back (actually, about eight!) I
drove it to a local scrappy, who offered me a tenner. I did the rounds
of the other scrappies, and they offered me nothing, so I ended up by
going back to the first one and saying "You said you'd give me a
tenner?" I'm sure he rang around all he others!

I guess the price of scrap affects the service you get - the first car I
scrapped, I got paid when they took it away, the second car I had to pay
to have it taken away, and the Maestro was basically "we'll take it as a
favour."

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

In article <[email hidden]>, Ian Smith

Quoted message said:

I was hospitalised by ambulance a couple of years ago due to a
medical condition, my wife got a trip about a year ago, and and
no-one has attempted to make us pay anything.

My friend capsized the dinghy - this resulted in two ambulance
journeys and a flight in a Sea King - with his wife in attendance.
He was not asked to pay.

When our boat hit a rock she was towed to the harbour and the Fire
Service pumped her out until I could get a crane. I was sent a bill
for £300.