Lot of people complaining about their Gas and Electric bills on BBC Three Counties Radio. I thought I'd recheck the letters I had from Atlantic Electric and Gas. Now, my bills are always quite low compared to most people's. £22 on electric and £18 on gas. One of the key reasosn I changed away from British Gas to Atlantic was that I found their customer service second to none. They provide an 0800 number to ring through the latest reading, and you're always straight through, no hanging around.
In their letter they were suggesting that as I was £73 in credit on the electric, there was no need for my direct debit of £22 a month to change. However, this was based on an estimated reading, so I checked the actual reading. This was lower than the estimate, so I've written by e-mail saying I don't accept their finding. Effectively I'm looking for a lower direct debit.
On the gas side, they were suggesting I should change from £18 a month to £30 a month. Again, this was based on a an estimate that was quite a bit higher than the actual reading. So, I've written asking for the suggested new direct debit to be revised (downward) pointing our that I think I am £25 in credit, never mind their £10 in debt.
Sunday 23 November 2008
Barack Obama
Ever since his election it has irritated me no end that the media refer to him as "black". He has mixed parentage, his mother was white. His father black. If it had been the other way round, would it make any difference? African American I can accept. Forget these labels black and white. We live in an increasingly multi racial world. Get used to it.
Thursday 20 November 2008
Hemel Hempstead Magic Roundabout
Magic Roundabout
In this article it is stated "Shortly after the opening the driver of an articulated lorry failed to understand the new junction so tried to drive straight across the middle." This is wrong information. The brakes failed on the lorry as it came down St Albans Hill dual carriageway. The driver went over the "top" of the centre of the main roundabout in an effort to spare lives. A stopping area for failed brakes was subsequently improved on the dual carriageway.
Prior to this design, the roundabout had spiral lanes spinning out from the centre. The idea was that motorists drove into the middle of the roundabout then got into the lane that would spin them off. This did not work because too many just ignored the lane markings.
When the present design was introduced I worked in a building overlooking the roundabout. Very early one Sunday morning there was a head on collision because someone was driving on it like one big giant roundabout and someone else was using it how it was supposed to be used, as a series of minis.
When the present design was first launched there were queues back to Berkhamstead while people figured out how to use it. The chairman of the council, Cllr Gordon Gaddes was asked by his transport department if they should abandon it. Cllr Gaddes told them to stick with it. And they have done ever since. It does handle thousands of traffic movements every day.
Underpasses for some routes through the Moorend Roundabout might be nice, but expensive, since the water table there is very low and would require lots of water to be pumped daily. Overpasses would be nice too, again expensive, and also likely to be ugly. The present roundabout does a grand job. Traffic moves much more fluidly than any set of traffic lights might.
In this article it is stated "Shortly after the opening the driver of an articulated lorry failed to understand the new junction so tried to drive straight across the middle." This is wrong information. The brakes failed on the lorry as it came down St Albans Hill dual carriageway. The driver went over the "top" of the centre of the main roundabout in an effort to spare lives. A stopping area for failed brakes was subsequently improved on the dual carriageway.
Prior to this design, the roundabout had spiral lanes spinning out from the centre. The idea was that motorists drove into the middle of the roundabout then got into the lane that would spin them off. This did not work because too many just ignored the lane markings.
When the present design was introduced I worked in a building overlooking the roundabout. Very early one Sunday morning there was a head on collision because someone was driving on it like one big giant roundabout and someone else was using it how it was supposed to be used, as a series of minis.
When the present design was first launched there were queues back to Berkhamstead while people figured out how to use it. The chairman of the council, Cllr Gordon Gaddes was asked by his transport department if they should abandon it. Cllr Gaddes told them to stick with it. And they have done ever since. It does handle thousands of traffic movements every day.
Underpasses for some routes through the Moorend Roundabout might be nice, but expensive, since the water table there is very low and would require lots of water to be pumped daily. Overpasses would be nice too, again expensive, and also likely to be ugly. The present roundabout does a grand job. Traffic moves much more fluidly than any set of traffic lights might.
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