Speed restrictions, for the most part, face an increasing resistance from car owners in their ability to stick to them; constantly I am driving down the M40 doing a steady 70MPH (as registered by a GPS synced speedometer) and I get overtaken by other cars travelling at around 90 to a 100MPH on what can be considered at parts a very windy stretch of road with cross winds that can and have pushed lorries across whole lanes in the past. Now consider the traditional yellow boxed speed camera, we all see them from a mile off, most of us have GPS systems which contain a database of their known locations and in contradiction to what most people say: they do work, people have to slow down for them or risk getting three points and a nice fine.  The problem with these speed cameras is that as soon as people have slowed down for them they accelerate back to what ever speed they had been doing, which proves they were not doing the speed limit because had they been doing so they would have no reason to slow down in the first place!

Now we are seeing a new breed of speed cameras, the average speed recorder which owns no flash and can measure your speed to an incredible accuracy over a distance of several miles by measuring the time it takes you to travel between two points; French toll roads have had a similar system in place which pressed an on the spot fine for speeding between two toll booths. The BBC have reported on the first average speed cameras in Wales being set up and have included a couple of comments by locals which appear to be less aimed at the speed cameras and more at peoples driving ability – or lack thereof.

The first comment that took my eye is the following which appears slightly contradictory with whom it blames for congestion:

The planned roadworks have not even started but the 50mph limit is in force. It is ridiculous, and now average speed cameras! Just another way of raising easy money from the motorists. The 50mph limit will prove to increase congestion on an already congested part of the motorway network, with drivers hogging the middle lane effectively reducing the network to 2 lanes!

There is the typical attack on local authority by stating its more about money collection than actual safety, lest they know how much these systems cost? What is most interesting is the blaming of a 50MPH restriction on an already congested part of the motorway network because of drivers “hogging the middle lane effectively reducing the network to 2 lanes.” This is the real problem, inconsiderate drivers, driving without due care and attention consuming the middle lane forcing other road users to over take into the third lane further slowing down traffic, occasionally causing other motorists to dare undertake which has in the past caused numerous crashes. Ever wondered why you suddenly hit a traffic jam on the motorway which has no apparent cause? The reason often is someone driving at 60MPH in the middle lane, people overtaking at 70MPH and then someone breaking from 90MHP to avoid hitting those overtaking causing a concertina effect slowing down traffic behind until eventually someone stops.

I believe we shouldn’t be attacking the speed enforcement cameras, rather we should be attacking those whom drive like they paid their test instructor to pass them. People who hog the middle lane should be the police’s next target because they are more dangerous than most other road users. Also for the record I believe the national speed limit on most motorways should be 80MPH for the reason that it is already the average speed traveled on the network and thus officially raising it shouldn’t effect road incidients at all.

Image Credit: SPG Media

It appears we have a new photo submitted to the website alongside a long awaited (I’m sure) new posting for all of you who have fed your watch lists with this sites feed. Although it isn’t at all that interesting I shall give a brief explanation as to my absence from the online scene for the past fortnight in as few words as needed so that this doesn’t become a long and complex thus boring posting.

It is a lot of miles to drive in a fortnight and after having driven the length and breadth of England, visiting places I had never heard of before I have to say I am more than glad it is over for the time being at least. I am extremely tired and still have a lot of work to get done for the film project which is also why both myself and JOEy have taken tomorrow off work to rest and collect ourselves ready for the big push in editing the final leg of the film in time for an end of month release. Thus the reason for my sudden unannounced departure from photogabble is because I haven’t been home long enough, or been awake enough to write a posting – even now I know I should be in bed asleep, a place I shall gladly rest in a few moments once I finish telling you a little about our travels without giving too much away about the film.

The above photo was taken by JOEy earlier today at the beach after driving almost 200 miles north just to get one scene shot for the film, it was a very important scene so I feel it warranted the long car journey and the need to overtake a tractor every fifteen miles. However we weren’t in any rush to get home either so after getting everything shot that needed shooting we wondered about the place taking photos.

Now I know I’m not entirely photogenic (however much both JOEy and Sora tell me I’m pretty ) but I do like how this photo has turned out there are two more which I like from this days shoot and I shall most likely submit them tomorrow once I have had a well deserved good full nights rest. For the time being however, you may bask in my “beauty” while I plan out how I am to finish the portfolio plugin I have written for wordpress.

Photos

This is a picture of a large boat, which by the looks of it was a pretty nice cruse ship of some sort. What is unexplainable about this shot is that the ship is on its side in what appears to be shallow water. The only explanation I can provide is that it must had anchored here at high tide and then become marooned when the tide came back in. However this is probably unlikely to have happened, so my second answer would be a storm of some form or maybe this is a casualty of the great tsunami?

I could be so arrogant as to say this is an easy mystery to solve. It looks like the bus was coming from the left and had to swerve to avoid collision with something (possibly from the junction?) and was driven off the road. Icy road conditions could have been an additional factor, impossible to prove from the photo alone other than it looks like winter. This could however simply be a case of the driver fell asleep!

An easy explanation to this mystery is that the bus driver either fell asleep or was driven off the road trying to avoid a car crash. The angle of the bus is due to the force of collision pushing it up the stairs.

The story behind this photo looks to be an interesting one. Maybe the house is at the bottom of a hill and the trucks brakes failed? Or the driver was driving dangerous on an icy road… falling asleep could be another possibility.

This photo actually has an easy explanation. These holes are known to pop up everywhere on earth… or at least places where ground conditions are right for them to. I think the process is where ground rock is eroded away by rainwater causing subsidence. I remember watching a documentary on them ages ago if anyone could shed some light on the scientific background of this phenomenon then I would be intrigued.

Storm or badly loaded? Can't really think of any other explanation to this one.

I really don't have much in a way of an answer for this one either. Either the plane crashed into the tow truck. Or the truck crashed into the plane.

One could simply answer this one as "it crashed", and it looks like that is a pretty plausible answer… maybe it ran out of runway?

I giggled a bit at the first sight of this photo. It would appear to me that someone forgot what gear they where in?

Sorry I am truly lost to what has happened to cause this. Well not totally lost, one explanation could be the truck was reversing and stupidly hit the moving train. That would account for the hole and the drag mark as those truck mounted cranes do hang over the back a few meters so the truck driver may have simply made a bad calculation while reversing… either that or the handbrake was accidentally left off and the truck slowly rolled into the moving train (which wouldn't have been moving very fast by the looks of it).

Another simple case of wrong gear, over acceleration, my dear Watson. I have seen this happen a few times, this is an entertaining example, they are lucky that boat was there!

This looks to be another storm casualty, I can not believe any ships crew would be so stupid as to drive the ship into shallows.

A case of driving too fast and not paying enough attention to the road. Pretty lucky they had the boat attached or someone might have died (by the looks of it, no one did).

This is a WTF picture. I can only guess the plane crashed into the car on landing.

End of line, someone wasn't paying attention while driving, or got the wrong gear, or quite possibly but highly unlikely the bakes failed. You choose

There is no mystery in this photo, I would with great confidence say that this has been caused due to a signal failure. Fortunately these trains go slow enough that no one should have been hurt in the collision.

Another photo I giggled at for a bit upon seeing for the first time. It is pretty obvious from the ledge on the left that the driver of this tank didn't see the ditch and simply accidentally fell into it. No mystery but a funny picture either way!

Comments and suggestions of better answers are much appreciated, if I can put the effort into writing this, you can summon effort to comment back on it!

The above photo is the aftermath of a faulty gas cooker explosion which happened in a timber-framed shack. The resulting blast caused an inferno that leapt from hut to hut, taking less than ten minutes to devistate the tiny Caribbean island: Soledad Miria. Many of the 1,014 inhabitants dove into the sea to seek refuge while others took to fishing boats to escape the devistation. More than a third – 348- were injured but, amazingly, no one died.

The island itself is only 700 meters long but due to its dense population by the time the fire fighting helicopters put out the flames around 50 huts, a school and a community center had been flattened.

VALUE ADVANCE 1ST SINGLE B from COVENTRY to LONDON is £26.00.

This journey may be cheaper if the ticket is split at WARWICK.

Investigating the journey from COVENTRY to WARWICK then LONDON.

STANDARD DAY SINGLE from COVENTRY to WARWICK is £3.90.

This journey may be cheaper if the ticket is split at LEAMINGTON SPA.

Ticket cost is less than £8.00 so not investigating breaks.

JUST 15 SINGLE from WARWICK to LONDON is £14.90.

Total price is £18.80 (£7.20 cheaper than £26.00)

Summary

STANDARD DAY SINGLE from COVENTRY to WARWICK at £3.90

JUST 15 SINGLE from WARWICK to LONDON at £14.90

The total journey price is £18.80.

This is £7.20 cheaper than a £26.00 ticket for the whole journey.

Although I don't know how long it takes by train, considering it costs £14 for a return from where I live in Kent it cant be more than 2 hours as its only 45 mins by train from my house in Kent.

I did find National express which is coach travel, but they have really good prices, and what really interests me is the fact that they have funfare rates from £1 each way, and I've checked some of the dates I'm planning on going places and funfare seats are available, so I could travel to London for just £2 which is a saving of £24 over the train, and by coach it says it takes about 2 hours which is the same time it would take by car almost but also a lot cheaper. And £18.00 economy return is also good on the coach.

For more info see here 

Well actually this month has been pretty boring until this week the exception being laid off from chef work – but thats a story I shall have to tell in person and all those who were interested have already been told. Natalie came to spend the summer in England, which has been great. We have spent a few days catching up and its got be out of the house and cheered me up, both of which are good thing (Weeble I know you get me out of the house, but this time its proactive).

Films and parks and food, its all been good. So today with nothing to inspire any activity I have just laid in bed till silly hour, oh and got a hair cut. When I did wake up I resumed my usual google maps quest, and as many of you know planning my travels around the world. I have wanted to visit three main places on earth, China, America and Canada. I am going to take a year or more out after uni to travel America and Canada but thats not until 2008. During November of this year I shall be visiting China though my university as a sort of student exchange thing (i think). Which I am very much looking forward to because it is the first step in my travel journey and is on my list of places to visit.

I had been planning on visiting the West coast of America also, starting in Washington State and finishing in San Fransico. But I have decided after carefully looking at maps and with my current driving experience and knowlege of how long I would be driving for on that road trip that Washington state looks fun enough to be able to spend the entire summer there. Seattle seems a good contender because it’s a pretty city and has three national parks within 100km of it (again for those of you know know me, you know any place within 200km is a day trip for me :p). Oh dear, well im going to blame it on my current tipsey status. But ive just noticed that Washington isnt all that huge as I had seen a seccond ago Oregon is there, so yeah a holliday to visit both Washington and Oregon… and yes im too lazy right this seccond to edit this, so ha!

So why travel, ive been asked this a hundered times and im sure it got old a long time ago. Why not is my usual answer, the world is out there for us to venture into it. I dont want to be one of those people stuck in a place they dont feel they belong. I have been all about England and mostly all over Europe. I want to see the world, and find somewhere I belong, with someone I love. Not exactly too much to ask, however i just dont feel at home in England so much as for the past four years I have planned on traveling the world (ok a few selected destinations) to scout out somewhere to set up sticks.

I have always made plans and then somthing more important has come up and I have spent all my money on that. Now im saving, I have uni to pay for but with good budgeting my student loan shall pay for that, while every penny from the jobs I do shall be poured into my ISA savings account where it shall sit. I have a little in there already, enough for a small holliday. But I dont want a small holliday.

I have always dreamed of traveling. But dreams dont just come true on their own. You have to work at them, and I plan on working damn hard to get what I want, and thats the way it should be. So when I land on another continent I can feel proud at actually achieving somthing.

Bed time, I may actually write a coherent spell checked follow up tomorrow with pictures and everything. It depends though. I have to go shopping…