[gueremaisse]

Totally agree with you Chaby.

I wrote to my local council some time ago pointing out that here in Darlington we have a very effective and green system of traffic calming so we did not need to create any artificial ones such as those god-awful humps in the road.

the 'system' I had seen is used in a place called Carmel Road and it has trees that line the road. Now this would not be considered as Traffic calming except that these trees sit astride the path AND the road; they also have preservation orders slapped on them because without them the local houses would sink into the mud that would become should all the trees be destroyed. I have driven along this road many timesand you simply have to slow down for the trees - partly because they jut out quite far but mostly it is a visual thing. They seem to jump out at you and this causes you to slow down.

Now in my view. trees are pretty, good for the environment, good for cleaner air etc etc so what reasons did the council give me for not deploying more trees to aid road safety?

1. The beloved EC give them a grant for traffic calming but not for planting trees so they did not feel it was "responsible" to plant trees using this money.

2. Health and Safety. Apparently trees are a health hazard because every once in a blue moon someone will fall out of one or a conker will drop on someones head and give them some kind of nasty illness like Imustsuesomefuckerforalltheirworthbecauseigotabito fabumpontheheaditis.

It make me want to weep.

I now know why people die. It's not because old age or disease kicks in - its because they have quite simply have had enough of beaurocracy.


sigh..................................