Clifton Politicians: the imagination of Goldfishes

Back in March, we noted Clifton's proposals to sneak in some extra double yellow line removal, using "traffic calming" as the excuse. Well, it's been approved. More on that another day.

But before we look at the councillors actions, let's look at the opposing team, which in Clifton means the Conservative Party, leader one R. Murdoch. The losing candidate the May Election says "we need more imaginative thought to solve the problem" of parking. In particular, this ambitious politician is "undertaking a survey of the entire community, finding out where yellow lines are needed and where they can be taken away" and by doing so, he has found 100 metres of double yellow lines that aren't needed.

Well, Clifton certainly needs help if it is not to become like Montpelier, as LY52RKV and  S899ANW are forced to do. Yet these are nice cars, with wingmirrors -and Montpelier parking doesn't suit them.

We asked one of the tax dodgers what they thought of the proposals, and got this reply, which we quote unedited:

Those yellow lines aren't just wasted parking, they probably stop roads being blocked, helping through traffic, and make it easier to pass bicycles. Replace that with unrestricted parking and what do you get? 25 more cars.

That's not imaginative.

That's about as imaginative as a goldfish.

Imagination would be pushing for even one car club car bay in Clifton.

Imagination would be to put in bike parking in the village so that people don't need a car to drive from their house to the shops.

Imagination would be to discourage parents from driving their kids to school by enforcing rules about keep-clear and parking on pavements.

Imagination would be to use a resident permit scheme to limit car ownership, eliminate commuter parking and ensure that "sustainable" housing has an even harder limit on the number of cars per household.

Imagination would be to encourage the residents to use the bus, instead of trying to reduce the number of hours the new bus lane will be running.

This shows no imagination whatsoever and is painful to read. Are you sure the Clifton Conservatives web site isn't some kind of spoof?

Obviously, we don't agree with any of the actions, but we have to agree with their comments about imagination. It is the lack of action from the authorities that are forcing the residents to act for themselves. Such as here, where DV60XJL is forced to park on the yellow lines and pavements outside Tesco Express.

But even that is fiddling around the edges. As the tax-dodger notes, 100m of yellow lines only transfers into 25 spaces for important vehicles. Noise. And more to the point, we are already using a lot of that space already. It's not "unused parking", it's parking areas reserved for important people in a hurry -such as the Mercedes N445CRP.

Even if we don't want people thinking outside the box, we do want our councillors to think of a much bigger box than adding 25 more cars to Clifton. Or maybe thirty if you force the cars in hard enough.

We want much, much more. Here's what we propose

• Making the downs all year round car parking, rather than a pay-to-use luxury on summer weekends
• Removing  zebra crossings, school keep clear zones, and that bit outside the church, as they all take up space. 
• Adding a multi-storey car park somewhere within the area. Yes, it's full of old listed buildings, but that didn't stop a large car park going up on the edge of St Pauls, did it?

Faffing around with 100m of yellow lines isn't going to solve the problems the area has. At least the locals are already imagining more than this so-called-contender has to offer. This is important, as the councillors in charge share the same limited imagination; it is down to us citizens to act.

For the next few days, we're going to cover Clifton!

En Vacance

Apres le petit problem entre le Bristol Traffic reporteur, le Massage Club, le Avon and Somerset Police est the White Van, nous somme maintenant en France pour un vacation. Phew...

Ici, le "Rules de la Road" et different de England. 

Par example...

In Le Havre, un grand town avec plus du people (plus du 180,000) ils are constructing une 'Tramway". Ils also 'ave un unique idea, qui est quite good - 'le lanes de cycling, avec parking parallèle de le kerb, mais un peu further out". Les voitures est stationment dans le centre dans la rue, est le bicycliclests have sont own special lane pres de le kerb. Manifique.

Pas de dooring ici, je thinks.

Expecte encore de reports from France, until le petit problem avec le Police est decide en Bristol.

Uninhabitable living rooms

"You can only defecate so long in your living room before it becomes uninhabitable."

--Robbie Love Giles (quoted from an article on ClimateProgress.org about how Congress people are voting on anti-environment bills: http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/07/30/283648/the-most-anti-environment-house-in-history-how-is-your-representative-voting/

Montpelier: is our work done?

Youtube referred us to this (nonembeddable) video of an eight year old doing the school run by bicycle from York Road to Colston Primary School.

01:32 P232YEU. Seen them.
03:46 Eagle Coaches coach waiting in the bus lane. Seen them.
04:45 Family walking across the road. Seen them too.

When even independent videos include content that we already have on our web site, we can conclude that our attempts to build a mass-surveillance infrastructure out of google's datacentre facilities and community contributions are successful. At least for Montpelier, Stokes Croft, Cheltenham Road and bits nearby.

Does this mean it is time to retire: Our work is done? Maybe. But first, time to visit some other parts of the city.

Welcome to Clifton Week at Bristol Traffic!

54.5 mpg

It's great that auto makers agreed to a goal of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Actually new cars then will get more like 40 mpg, but the average is brought up by the presence of about 30% hybrids (currently 2-3%) and 5-10% electric cars. But 54.5 has to be seen as only a step in the right direction.

As I've argued before on this blog, the earth can only absorb 8 billion tons of CO2. Since there are almost 8 billion people, that gives each of us 1 ton to work with. If we drive 1200 miles per month (national average) and average 54.5 mpg, that is still 257 gallons of gasoline per year. At 21 pounds of CO2 per gallon (counting refining) that equals about 2.5 tons of CO2. And that's just for our personal driving; it doesn't include trucks, trains, boats, planes, or all the CO2 generated by industry and farming. Given all these other sources of CO2, and that it's difficult to replace natural gas for heating, we have to get cars completely off of fossil fuels if we are to stand any chance of stopping global warming; i.e. 2.5 tons of CO2 for personal driving is 2.5 tons too much. To get off of fossil fuels means 100% electric cars with the electricity generated by renewable sources such as solar. It also means more bike/pedestrian/transit friendly development to take the place of low density urban sprawl. I also think there is a place for biofuels if they are produced with a very low carbon footprint.

And we need to act fast. By the 54.5 goal year of 2025, at our current rate of increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, we will be close to 425 parts per million. Since 350 ppm is already identified by leading climatologist James Hansen as a danger point, continuing the rise is fraught with danger.

What we really need is a timetable to phase out all internal combustion engine vehicles. How about an agreement to stop making them by 2030, and to stop selling gasoline without special circumstances (e.g. antique cars, hardship cases for old cars owned by poor people, . . .) by 2040?

Discussions with the BSM and other Bristol Driving Schools

We always have a special place in our coverage for driving schools, as they have to teach beginners the hard art of driving and parking in a city which, excluding Clifton, is anti-car.

Here, up in Filton. Evolution WM10YHO show that the way to park is up on the pavement.

In front of it, a shared space. This eliminates the pavement entirely, and makes for some fun high-speed chicanes.

Speaking of driving schools, our ongoing discussion with one has had a new comment. The instructor does provide some good insight into what it's like driving a bus in the city, so those commenters slagging off FirstBus drivers should really save their anger for FirstBus management.

He also raises the issue of which laws should be ignored first:

I completely agree with people should not park on double yellow lines or zig zags or to close to junction corners all of which cause a danger to other road users but I do not count parking 2 wheels on the pavement in a very narror street that was never meant for parked cars in the first place as the same level of offence.

We don't bother with making decisions about which action is more defensible than others. We ignore them all, hence save time thinking about which action is more right than others.

We also note that we haven't seen that particular driving school in our database. The driving school that most pops is the British School of Motoring. The BSM may have more market share, but they are to be commended for something else: they are the only driving school that we have documented teaching people how to park in Montpelier. The other schools, they pick you up, then take you somewhere safe to learn to drive. The BSM actually hold their lessons in Montpelier.

In-town, in Richmond Road, Montpelier, we have a heartwarming sight. No, not the cyclist going up the hill with the Sainsbury's bag on the handlebars -it's the BSM instruction car WV60WJF.

We don't think driving and parking in Monty has its own test yet, so we're assuming it's a lesson. As Richmond Road is one of the hardest to drive and park on, we congratulate the BSM for showing their pupils the way forward -or at least the way up on the pavement without damaging your wheels, hitting the wall or paying the wingmirror tax on the way up the road.

So far, nobody from the BSM has got in touch with us. However, we are pleased to have video coverage of a discussion between some under-employed tax-dodger and the BSM car WR60CUY, which can be seen driving into the ASL on the red light: the bicycle doesn't get their green light until Shaldon Road is on red, so the car has had five seconds of red before it comes to a halt.

When queried about what the driver thinks the penalty for driving into an ASL is, the driving instructor comes back with the correct answer: anyone who cares about such things doesn't have a life. We actually think this summarises the entire country's cycling activist groups: they only do it because they don't have real lives.

Congratulations to the BSM for putting this tax dodger in their place!

World's most expensive road accident

This is the moment a blundering blonde caused the world's most expensive five-car pile-up — when her Bentley collided with a Mercedes, a Ferrari, a Porsche and an Aston Martin.

Hundreds of tourists watched in shock as the woman ploughed her £250,000 Bentley Azure into the supercars in Monaco.

The driver of a white Mercedes S Class worth £75,000 was the first victim as the 2.7-ton convertible scraped down the side of it before crashing into a £140,000 black Ferrari F430.

An Aston Martin Rapide worth £140,000 and an £80,000 Porsche 911 also both suffered heavy damage after being shunted in the bizarre smash.

The driver and her two passengers then had the humiliation of being surrounded by scores of sightseers as they tried to open the car's jammed doors.

It is estimated the crash will cost more than £40,000 with the Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin requiring new front wings and bumpers, while the Bentley needs the same repairs PLUS a new door.

Ruud Poot, editor of European motoring website Autogespot, said: "You probably couldn't find a worse place in the world to crash your car than outside Monaco's Place du Casino in the middle of the summer." - www.thesun.co.uk

PANDU UJI PROTON SAGA FLX 1.3L

Apa yang kita dapat lihat sekarang, banyak kereta-kereta luar negara dan import menggunakan teknologi CVT terutama kereta-kereta mewah khususnya. Untuk itu, PROTON mengambil inisiatif untuk menambahbaik model Proton Saga FL ini dengan menambah ciri-ciri CVT yang dipasang pada model ini serta dinamakan Proton Saga FLX. Didatangkan dengan enjin berkemampuan 1.3 liter sudah cukup memberikan kepuasan kepada penggunanya nanti.

Gear 6 kelajuan pada FLX ini akan melangkah ke Mod Auto yang dipanggil SAT yang melibatkan suis pada sebelah gear tersebut. Ia juga dipanggil sebagai Mod L. Seperti yang kita semua tahu, Mod L ini adalah mod dimana kereta berada dalam keadaan gear yang rendah dan ini menyebabkan kereta lebih 'pick up' dan ia sesuai digunakan semasa kereta hendak menaiki bukit ataupun boleh digunakan semasa menurun bukit yang curam.

Selain itu, dengan penggunaan kotakj CVT ini ia juga mampu menjimatkan penggunaan petrol dan ia mampu memanjangkan jumlah hayat enjin kereta anda.

Antara perbezaan lain yang kami dapati adalah untuk RPM kereta FLX ini, pada RPM 2,000 ia mampu mencapai kelajuan pada 80 km/h manakala pada RPM 2,500 pula ia mampu pergi kepada 100 km/h dan ini berbeza dengan Proton Saga FL Auto. Untuk FL Auto ianya lebih 500 RPM berbanding FLX. Pada kelajuan 80 km/h, RPM untuk FL Auto ini menunjukkan sekitar RPM 2,400 ke 2,500 manakala pada kelajuan 100 km/h pula pada RPM 3,000.

Saksikan video pandu uji Proton Saga FLX ini pada pecutan penuh.

Cool old Suzuki 1971 ADD..

Look at all those yummy 2 strokes!  Hat tip to http://racingcafe.blogspot.com/

Join the Bike Alliance for Five Bucks!

Click the picture to embiggen the poster and get the details. Use the coupon code 5BJOP3 and in the comment field tell 'em Kent's Bike Blog sent you.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

PaveParker of the Week! BSM car WP11PWK

This week's PaveParker of the week also gets our new 'Corporate Franchise' Award. So, congratulations to the Corporate Franchise PaveParker of the Week driver of BSM Aberdeen Car WP11PWK.



We were particularly delighted that this car has been parked on the pavement in Aberdeen's historic Ruthrieston Road by a driving instructor. You see, cherished traditions are always and everywhere under threat, and we recently learned of such a threat...

At present, PaveParking is not particularly illegal, indeed the beauty of PaveParking, is, of course, that traffic wardens (or those busybody anti-motorist warriors - the "dreaded" community wardens) can't touch you for it: enforcement of footway parking being a police matter, under the “causing danger to other road users” and obstruction provisions of the Road Traffic Act (1988) and the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (1986). However, police usually take the view that they need to observe the vehicle being parked on the footway and then demonstrate that the driver had the intention to obstruct in order to be able to enforce the law. And so in practice it is rarely - if ever! - enforced. Yes, the police know that they've better things to do (like making sure that photographers know that society regards them as dangerous outsiders) than harassing hard-pressed motorists who're just parking cleverly.

PaveParking! It's clever, It's quick, it's convenient, it's free and it's not really all that illegal!

Or so we thought... back in the springtime we learned that Ross Finnie MSP had brought forward proposals for legislation (pdf) to 'regulate' parking on dropped kerbs and pavements. We were horrified to read this personal introduction by Finnie...

Unfortunately, cars parked across a dropped kerb or on a pavement are a common sight across Scotland. Far too many people just don’t realise the difficulty they cause people with mobility issues, especially wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs.

Many constituents have told me first hand of their frustration at not being able either to travel along the pavement freely due to a parked car or, in the case of wheelchair users, of their dismay at being unable to get off or on a pavement at a dropped kerb due to a parked car. For many an inappropriately parked car can be an irritation but for those who are wheelchair users, have mobility issues and have young children in pushchairs the situation is an unnecessary difficulty.

We think this is political correctness gone mad. So we were absolutely delighted when, come the election in May, the electorate punished Finnie for his lapse in judgement, and he lost his seat.

But - and here's the horror of it - we recently learned that Joe Fitzpatrick MSP is intending to bring the legislation forward. While we were horrified, we were not particularly surprised. Can it be a coincidence that this MSP, who wants to ban PaveParking is the representative for Dundee East? Can it be a coincidence that a representative of our artist-loving rival city is instrumental in attempting to ban a cherished feature of our way of life in Aberdeen? We know that, having missed out on the oil bonanza of the last 30 years, the Dundonians have an axe to grind and have a vested interest in seeing Aberdeen fail. That they should stoop so low as to try to interfere with our parking arrangements is disgusting and endangers the economic recovery.

PaveParking enhances traffic flow, and lots of flowing traffic on lots of busy roads means that lots of aspirational people in nice cars are going about their nationally-important business with alacrity generating economic growth for Aberdeen "City and Shire". That is the same economic growth which will pull the whole country out of recession, Aberdeen being the key economic powerhouse of the UK. So this proposed legislation from Dundee is anti-car, anti-Aberdeen and, therefore, anti-growth.




So all that's why we were delighted that the BSM driving instructor has placed her vehicle on the pavement - she's making a stand for Aberdeen against the anti-capitalist Dundonians and setting an example to her pupils: "Yes! - learner drivers - the pavements are for you too!"

After all, she is a driving instructor, not a walking instructor! And, judging by her girth, (not shown on photo) she gave up walking many many years ago - why walk when you've got a car? All valuable lessons to those she is teaching to drive (and park!) in Aberdeen.

We were so impressed by this display of PaveParking that we have e-mailed the BSM management to be sure that this instructor is specially singled out.

Life On Cars is two years old

PERHAPS it was watching the caravan get torn to shreds. Or the moment I managed to max Toyota's IQ on the high speed bowl at Millbrook. Was it watching my MGB GT fire up for the first time? Or discovering that a Peugeot cabriolet is faster between Settle and Carlisle than the Settle to Carlisle Railway is?

It's hard to choose what my favourite moment from viewing the motoring world through the lens that is Life On Cars, which is two years old today, actually is. But what I can say is that it's been an absolute blast, and I'm amazed that a blog that crossed over into print in The Champion almost by accident is still going strong.

Last year I celebrated the first anniversary by launching the inagural issue of the Life On Cars Magazine, and while the new one's still a couple of weeks away, I can reveal that it's a special edition given over entirely to the Ormskirk Motorfest, which revs up on August 28. There's also the small matter of the Woodvale Rally next weekend (August 6 and 7) which as usual will be getting the full Life On Cars treatment, so there's plenty happening to keep petrolheads for miles around entertained.

What I've prepared this year is a sort of Life On Cars in pictures; what you see above are just 50 out of the hundreds of images I've accumulated on my motoring adventures, which show you a snapshot of some of my favourite stories from the past two years.

It really is hard to say which of the many motoring moments in the past two years has been my favourite, but I feel incredibly lucky not only to have experienced them, but also to be able to write about them and share them with people who share my passion for the world of motoring.

I will, for instance, never forget winding along a twisty Welsh road in an MX-5 and discovering the revelation that was its steering and handling (I still want one to this day), or being blasted down the West Lancashire backroads in a brace of E-Types (ditto). Then there's discovering those glorious ribbons of tarmac that remind you why driving is brilliant; Buttertubs Pass, Cat and Fiddle, Great Orme. Nor is it every day you get to dirt race an old Jag. The list goes on.

What started as just as a blog is also bigger that I imagined it ever would be; along with weekly updates in The Champion, a series of six newspapers read by 140,000 people, there's also been the magazines, the radio shows and the regular influx of road tests.

I am a journalist first and a car nut second, but by far and away this is the bit I love writing about most of all, and I'd like to thank everyone who's taken even the mildest interest in Life On Cars for your support. Hopefully you've enjoyed it... and there's plenty more to come.

Here's to another year...

IMPIAN MALAYSIA LEBUR KE PIALA DUNIA

Mungkin dengan ketiadaan pemain utama seperti Mohd Safiq Rahim, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha dan beberapa tunggak membuatkan Malaysia kurang menyengat ketika beraksi bertemu dengan Singapura di Stadium Bukit Jalil tadi. Walaupun Malaysia mendapat gol awal hasil jaringan Safee Sali namun ianya masih belum cukup untuk menaikkan semangat pemain dan apa yang dapat saya lihat pemain di bahagian pertahanan begitu longlai sekali dan lawan mudah mencari gol persamaan. Kesudahannya Malaysia tewas kepada Singapura dengan agregat 6 - 4. Walaupun kalah, tahniah kepada pasukan Malaysia sebab menunjukkan semangat juang yang tinggi.

MALAYSIA VS SINGAPURA (LIVE STREAMING)

Bagi anda yang tidak dapat menonton siaran langsung perlawanan Kelayakan Piala Dunia 2014 antara Malaysia menentang Singapura di Stadium Bukit Jalil, anda boleh tonton laman streaming yang kami sediakan dibawah ini...

Saksikan aksi-aksi anak-anak buah Dato' K. Rajagopal menentang Singapura dalam melayakkan diri mereka ke Piala Dunia 2014 nanti. Kita doakan skuad Malaysia dapat mengalahkan skuad Singapura nanti dengan sokongan ribuan penyokong sang HARIMAU!

LIVE STREAMING MALAYSIA vs SINGAPORE!


Stream videos at Ustream

Artistic Massage

People get in touch. They say "Dear Bristol Traffic, which Stokes Croft establishments do you recommend for your special needs".

Apart from Slix and Rita's for food, there is a whole set of massage parlours. Some of them are being gentrified, what with the free WiFi, the mineral water and copies of French newspapers -ideal for visiting heads of the IMF and similar institutes.

None of those matter to us, but we will draw attention to the recently repainted frontage of "The Massage Club"

Needless to say, our white van is more usually seen by "the back entrance"

Remember: say you came from Bristol Traffic and ask for a discount!

I just love a clean RD350...

When they're well sorted I think that they're one of the best looking bikes around.  For example..

I mean damm that's nice..

Fire up the... Mercedes SLK250

WE Brits, convertible sales statistics are always suggesting, are a right bunch of optimists.

You know that our collective glass is always half full because we buy more open-top cars than any other nation in Europe; more, in fact, than the French, the Spanish and the Germans put together. This despite our overcast skies, our never-ending showers, our cancelled barbecues and our flash floods. As a nation, we love our convertibles, our cabriolets and - best of all - our two-seater sports cars. Despite knowing they're going to get us soaked.

Mercedes, I've always reckoned, has understood this peculiarly British predicament because it revived the art of the folding metal roof for its original SLK, a car which not only looked great but combined the wind-in-the-hair thrills with the security and comfort of a coupe. As a recipe it was always going to be a hit with British buyers, and since the original's launch in 1996 it's got faster, smoother and handier in the handling stakes.

The third generation of the car, tested by Life On Cars in six-cylinder SLK250 form, has also updated its supercar styling cues; while its predecessor had a hint of SLR Mclaren about it, the new one's made more than a subtle nod to the stunning SLS coupe. I reckon in one of the most style-savvy sectors of the new car market it looks fantastic, managing to come across as fun-loving and free-spirited but hard charging and meaty with it. To my mind, better looking than both the Boxster and BMW's Z4.

But don't be fooled into thinking Merc's offering is going to be some uncomfortable, uncompromising roadster, because once that slick and secure metal roof's up you'd swear you were in a C-Class saloon. Putting its power to the rear wheels through an automatic gearbox - unusual for a open sports car - and blessed with sumptuous leather seats, a delightfully powerful heater to keep you snug even if you're al fresco on the chilliest of winter days, the SLK is as snug as a freshly-knitted jumper.

It handles the corners capably enough but if you're looking for seat-of-the-pants thrills this isn't the roadster for that; you're better off trying either Porsche's Boxster or Lotus' Elise, on offer for similar money, instead. The SLK is instead a sports car that's the sensible choice, because it'll cope better with our British summer.

What's left of it, of course.

As published in The Champion on July 27, 2011.

PROTON PERSONA ELEGANCE MODIFIED

Proton Persona antara salah sebuah model PROTON yang mempunyai ruang yang begitu luas dan sangat sesuai untuk digunakan sebagai kereta keluarga. Namun bagi anak muda ini, ia bukan penghalang untuk memberi sedikit modifikasi ke atas kereta ini...

Jika anda lihat bodykit yang digunakan, modifikasi yang dibuat atau ditambah adalah dari segi bumper hadapan dan belakang, bahagian tepi, spoiler dan bumper atas hadapan. Modifikasi ini membuatkan kereta yang dimiliki tampak berbeza dengan kereta Proton Persona Elegance yang standard.

Saya sendiri tidak dapat membezakan adakah ianya sebuah kereta Proton Persona Elegance atau sebaliknya tetapi apabila saya amati sebaik mungkin, ia adalah sebuah kereta Proton Persona yang dimaksudkan. Kosnya mungkin melebihi RM 5,000 namun kepuasan dimiliki oleh pemiliknya tiada bandingan.

Why I Bought A Trek Allant

Do you remember all those nice things I said about the women's Trek Allant back in March? It turns out they are all true. My lovely wife loves her lovely Allant and she gets this positively radiant smile on her face every time she rides it. And she rides it often. It's a nice riding bike, practical but not sluggish and, as she says, "very fun to ride. It likes to go."

Christine's bike got me thinking more about the men's version of the Allant. It's a good bike for this hilly, wet part of the world with its full fenders and wide range gearing. The swept back handlebars and ergonomic grips make for a comfortable ride. It comes complete with practical touches like a rack, a kickstand and bell.

Maybe all the practical considerations are what make the bike add up to something that just makes sense to me. Maybe it is that sense that appeals to my sensibility. But there is something in the Allant that makes me smile every time I ride it, that makes me think, "Yes, this is a very nice, very fun bike. It likes to go."

And my wife, my beautiful, wonderful, wise wife, said "If you want it, you should buy it." So I did. As Christine often says, "I married well."


Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

Audi TT Pickup

You see something new everyday!

This Audi TT was fabricated in Denmark, mainly to cater to their special tax discounts for trucks, and at the same time offering a small car for commute.

Porsche to announce new 911

Despite there being plenty of spyshots on the Internet to suggest what Porsche's next 911 will look like, there aren't any official pictures yet.

However, it's not unreasonable to assume the new arrival - codenamed the 991 - will look something like one of the above, or perhaps a bit like all of them.

Most new 911s, let's face it, usually do.

PaveStorage

This caught our eye on Aberdeen's Pitstruan Place. We were outraged that the driver of Aberdeen car S551BTE should leave their storage/trailer on the pavement for two whole days and one night.

Yes we were outraged and full of righteous indignation. We far prefer this pavement space to be left available for PaveParking.

Cornerish Parking

Now that Aberdeen Cars appears to have the edge in PaveParking, we are going to share another parking secret from Bristol. It's "Cornerish Parking"

We define Cornerish Parking as "to park one's vehicle within sight or walking distance of a corner, but not actually on the corner itself"

Here we see it in Kingsdown, just of St Michael's Hill. It is far enough away from the double yellow lines to be exempt

In Clifton, someone is showing, well, less imagination. That issue with Clifton and it's lack of imagination is something we'll have to get back to,

For now, just note that the further east you head, the more imaginative you have to get.

Even so, not even Kingsdown stands a chance against Montpelier.

Here at the junction of Cobourg Road and Old Ashley Hill, we can see a '205 that's been cornerishly-parked so long the front left tyre has gone flat.

Clifton isn't even a contender here, while Kingsdown, it tries, but doesn't really stand a chance. 

1939 Pontiac Transparent Car

Estimate:

$275,000-$475,000 US

AUCTION DATE:

To be auctioned on Saturday, July 30, 2011

Series 26. 85 bhp, 222.7 cu. in. L-head six-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. - Highlight of 1939-40 New York World’s Fair - First transparent car built in America - Pioneering Plexiglas collaboration between GM and Rohm & Haas - Excellent original condition - Single-family ownership since early 1980s Visitors to General Motors’ “Highways and Horizons” pavilion at the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair came away awed by a vision of the future. The work of renowned designer Norman Bel Geddes, GM’s “Futurama” exhibit foretold the communities and transportation systems of 1960, many of which came to pass. Other peeks at the future included “Previews of Progress,” inventions that seemed like magic: “Yarns made of Milk! Glass that bends! The Frig-O-Therm that cooks and freezes at the same time! The Talking Flashlight transmitting speech over a light beam!” exclaimed the exhibit’s guidebook. Sharing top billing with the Futurama and Previews of Progress, however, was the “Glass’ Car – The first full-sized transparent car ever made in America.” On the chassis of a 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six, GM collaborated with Rohm & Haas, the chemical company that had recently developed Plexiglas. The world’s first transparent acrylic sheet product, Plexiglas was a serendipitous discovery arising from Rohm & Haas’ work with laminated safety glass. Using drawings for the Pontiac four-door Touring Sedan, Rohm & Haas constructed an exact replica body using Plexiglas in place of the outer sheet-metal. The structural metal underneath was given a copper wash, and all hardware, including the dashboard, was chrome plated. Rubber moldings were made in white, as were the car’s tires. It reportedly cost $25,000 to build – an astronomical figure in those days. Plexiglas went on to important military uses – bomber noses, canopies and gun turrets – in World War II, where its strength and transparency contributed mightily to the war effort. After the war, Rohm & Haas developed countless civilian applications, in signs, lighting fixtures, railroad cars and automobiles. With the capability of being molded into virtually any shape and new dyes that allow unlimited color selection, it remains an important commercial and military material. According to the GM Heritage Center, a second car, on a Torpedo Eight chassis, was hurriedly constructed for the 1940 Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island, a man-made island in San Francisco Bay. Once their respective showcases had closed, both “Plexiglas Pontiacs,” or “Ghost Cars” as they were sometimes known, toured the nation’s dealerships. The 1939-40 Deluxe Six is the only one known to survive. Following the dealership tour, it went on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and was reportedly there until 1947. It was later owned by a succession of Pennsylvania Pontiac dealers. It appeared at the first annual meet of the new Pontiac-Oakland Club International in 1973 and was purchased by Don Barlup of New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. Barlup commissioned a partial restoration from S&H Pontiac of Harrisburg and sold it to collector Leo Gephart in 1979. The current owner’s father purchased it from Gephart in the early 1980s, and it has remained in the same family ever since. The car is in a remarkable state of preservation, a testament to the longevity of Plexiglas in an era when automotive plastics tended to self-destruct within a few years. Although it has acquired a few chips and cracks, it is structurally sound and cosmetically clear, showing off the Ghost Car’s innards as it did in 1939. The car rides on its original U.S. Royal all-white tires and sports the correct white rubber running boards. From the beginning it was a running car, although extensive use would have been unduly detrimental. The odometer currently reads 86 miles. The only recent mechanical work has been replacement of the fuel lines. Not surprisingly, it has no conventional vehicle identification number; even the machined boss for the engine number is blank. The identification number traditionally used for the car is 3113436, probably a part number, found on the radiator. A collection of period photos and other memorabilia accompanies the car, which still turns heads as much as it ever did. It is not, obviously, suited for touring, but as a unique artifact from automotive and cultural history, it deserves a wider audience. It will certainly be welcome at all manner of shows and concours, as well as being suited for a singular museum display. It is no longer the only see-through automobile, but surely the first full-sized transparent car ever made in America has a unique spot in history. Source:

http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=SJ11&CarID=r102#