Let's be clear about drains

A drain doesn't need to be kept clear just because it's a drain. 

Devon County Council, cutting back everywhere, seems to have forgotten that the purpose of keeping a drain clear is to get water off our streets and pavements. Doh!

And - as global warming increases rainfall intensity - we more often need good clear drains to keep water out of our homes and businesses too.

Perhaps I notice more as one of Exeter's many cyclists and walkers, but the last few days have brought us plenty of rain, and too much of it stays around too long.

Puddles turn to pools. Pools turn to lakes. Walking becomes wading.

And as for cycling - some 'lakes' are too large to stop pedaling and coast all the way through. And all that water certainly hides nasty pothole surprises. 

But it's driver behaviour that seems to have become decidedly inconsiderate as drain maintenance gets worse. 

For goodness sake - just drive at 5mph for five seconds when going through undrained pools. Don't fling up water all over nearby walkers and cyclists.

Fly-tipping gets worse - why?

We have two excellent recycling centres in Pinhoe.

First is the new, superb Pinbrook Road Recycling Centre

The second is the small group of bins in the corner of Sainsburys  car park 

So why do people still fly-tip? 

Almost anywhere, 

but also right beside the Sainsbury's bins.

I asked at Sainsburys enquiry desk how frequently tipping happened.

Far more often now - was the reply - it's since people have had to pay to recycle.

I tried to explain that it was only building waste which was charged for, but really, that explanation needs to reach everyone, not only the person at Sainsburys enquiry desk. 

Because he was right. 

Purely by making one category of waste chargeable it has some-how sent a message that recycling centres now charge for anything. 

As a result, many more people are resorting to fly-tipping. And clearing up the fly-tipping costs a lot of Council money that could be better used. 

I wouldn't be surprised if it costs more than the income  made by charging for the building waste. 

An own goal, Devon County Council?

World warms before your eyes - scary

Today's Guardian brings a video showing how the world has grown steadily warmer 

global warming study - conclusive proof to climate sceptics

it's part of the paper's report of the most massive global warming study yet to be done - billions of records checked and cross-checked.

Report includes the reaction of Exeter University's leading climate system dynamics expert Peter Cox.

Not Scilly to recycle

We're back from a week with friends on the Isles of Scilly.

The stay was as wonderful as ever - but there's a spoiler. 

Apart from glass bottles there's NO recycling of waste. 

Eric Pickles would love it - everything just shoved into one bin. 

By the end of the week it felt like a desecration of the place you admire for its beauty and peacefulness.

It's high time recycling got started.

And I also mean the recycling of Labour ideals and achievement. 

I visited Harold Wilson's grave - saw how lovingly well it is tended.

His legacy contains bold moves and a greatness we need to remind ourselves about. 

• the Open University
• comprehensive schools
• a  welfare state where ordinary families benefitted from his Government's efforts to make British society more equal.- on a scale never seen since
• not being a yes-sir-USA-poodle for calamitous wars - he resisted huge pressure from the States to take Britain into Viet Nam
• his government repealed the restrictive laws on homosexuality, censorship and divorce

Harold Wilson inspired everyone with his 1963 conference speech about Britain forging ahead with the 'white heat of technology'. 
We now need to use the 'heat of green technology' to grow strong in the 21st century.
The Labour Party pushes for this progressive future.
The Condems don't.

Tories fail green-o-meter test

Check this link - see the truth about the Tories
greenometer-interactive-greenest-government?
And the Lib Dems can't counter-act the failure.

Not surprised.
Increasingly infuriated.
We can't afford a Government that sees little 'value' in the environment, biodiversity, nature, wildlife.

We don't want a Government that shows no grasp of the urgency of the biggest issue our planet has ever faced - that one of the species upon it is doing it and every other species massive harm.

Sustrans message gets great response

Ben, Hannah, Sue and I spent a hectic time yesterday at Exeter Uni's main campus. Our Sustrans stall was in the sports hall, though to us Sustrans is about transport rather than sports cycling.
So we split up and took turns covering the rest of the Freshers Day stalls.
As ever, masses of students with ever-growing armfulls/bag-fulls of literature.

And so many of them said "Yes!" and took our cycling leaflets.
Exeter is such a cycling friendly City, it's actually quicker and easier to get to campus by bike than by car.

Can't praise this company enough.
Seddon Group painters along with Danielle, their Public Relations manager, spent all last Friday and some of Saturday finishing off the painting of the children's play area in  Pinhoe's Arena Park.
They gave their time and materials free.

Exeter City Council's parks maintenance team quickly strimmed away the grass growing at the bottom of the railings and we were off! Residents, volunteers and Seddon's painters enjoying the great sunshine weather as we worked hard.
Thanks also to Jean, the volunteer from Exeter Parks Watch who most often gets stuck in with the residents on local projects.
The children's play area is far more attractive now. There's new play equipment. And with the plans in the pipeline there's more to come.