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I hear that Landells Road has had a spate of parcels being taken,

It is interesting that many in the Netherlands are worried that there are a generation of youngsters/teenagers who are getting much less exercise due to the popularity of e-bikes. Now, of course, in the UK the starting position is very different as most are not brought up cycling the in the way the Dutch are but I do wonder how many Lime bike journeys (which I am sure make up a huge number of the 43% increase) are actually replacing walking - a net active travel loss if so. If our kids are indicative they are beyond lazy and if they see a Lime bike will jump on it no matter how walkable the journey actually is - this may also be linked to their parents paying rather than them of course! I don't know about you but I did read the TFL headline and thought - is that all and I was shocked how low it was - there are times when I cycle where it feels much more but that does tend to be on cycling arterial routes so maybe it is the funnelling effect?

In the 1960s my husband went to a private day school, Although he was a bright child having won a couple of scholarships to other private schools, his father chose this particular one. He went from 11 - 14 years and left as unhappy with the set up which was based on ethnicity. All boys with both parents English were placed in the A stream regardless of academic ability, Boys with an Irish background were placed in B stream. All others were C streamed - this included boys with a Black or Asian background, mixed race or mixed European background. His schooldays came to an end when he wished to learn Latin and he was told that no boy in C stream could participate in this subject. His father (not English) was very upset at this and withdrew him from the school and sent him to a country boarding school. The experiences he had with his schooling culminated in a breakdown of his mental health and several months in Maudsley. He had low self esteem and it took several decades for him to understand that it was the school system and not his ability which had failed him

But not particularly well lit are they?

Actually, one of the reasons Sylvester Road was closed was that the space available as more and more parcels were part of the mix was insufficient (and the facilities were primitive). And that was before Covid when parcel delivery numbers soared. Sylvester Road as it existed then would not have coped, probably (and the move to Peckham, when Covid arrived, showed that that wasn't sufficient either!).

Actually, I'm not sure it is 'good news'. Nor that it's bad news, of course. Necessarily. As Spartacus says, it may have knock on effects on others, or on other cost decisions. For those who are in some way disabled, by age or other problems, either on a permanent or temporary basis, a 100% cycling infrastructure would be wholly terrible. For them. And the more other options are reduced in value, or increased in cost by having such an infrastructure, the worse it is. Equally, for those considering cycling is 'healthy' - well I imagine many keen exercisers might be dismayed if that was the only choice open. If you prefer to run, or swim, or work out in the gym, then being told that the answer is cycling might not be what you want to hear. Oh, and if the 'more people cycling' are doing so in the flat areas of central London and using electric assisted bikes then the health benefits are probably limited as well.

I have been trying to work out why the cycling fraternity is so resistant to suggestions that cyclists should wear reflective clothing, and use lights at times of poor visibility (like dusk and nighttime) and I wonder whether it's some sort of 'victim blaming' response. We all know (or should know) that when a woman or girl is attacked the response 'look what she was wearing - she was asking for it' is wholly repulsive - I wonder is this sits in the back of their minds - that identifying that a cyclist has been injured because they are not appropriately dressed for the conditions is some sort of 'victim blaming' equivalent. And clearly people can indeed freely choose to dress themselves inappropriately for the time or season. As they can choose to rock climb without the appropriate kit. Despite any 'official' advice to the contrary. But I am saddened that those of us who would urge cyclists to make best efforts to be seen are being effectively attacked - cyclists who are injured because they haven't been seen have not been injured because 'they were asking for it' - but because the driver couldn't see them or see them in time. No driver sees an 'invisible' cyclist and goes for them because they weren't wearing the right clothing. But if you are a driver and can readily see a cyclist you will naturally take efforts to avoid them, as you do in good light conditions when they are not effectively invisible. It is of course not helped that modern car headlights make those not illuminated by them even more 'invisible' - because of the dazzle effect (LED lights are up to 1000 times more powerful than traditional headlights) - but this makes the argument for reflective clothing even more urgent, I would suggest. I suppose I wonder why cyclists (some) are so adamant that they don't want to help themselves, and so entitled that they think that's an OK response. Everyone needs to contribute to road safety if they use roads. And particularly to their own safety.

Aria came round a couple of weeks ago to take a look at a radiator that wasn't working properly. He did a fabulous job, and was very generous with his time and his expertise. We will absolutely look to him again for any plumbing needs.

I know, back when it was in the news, I read most of it. I said many public schools feature, I didn't say it was exclusively public schools. And Dulwich was one of the schools that stood out to me because I know it, and some of the stories I read stuck in my memory.

Only if it doesn't impact other forms of public transport, if buses are slower and with the now more common shorter route forcing passengers to change to get to their destination (thus incurring additional waiting time) some may just give up and drive everywhere thus defeating the drive to have fewer car journeys As ibsaid earlier, thete is a balance to be achieved.

Having lights and reflectors is not just "right", it is a legal obligation.

Yes, of course it is. Do you think the growth is aligned with the spend of £800m in cycling infrastructure in London and promises of a 10x increase in cycling numbers made by those spending the money? Seems a lot of money for not a great return when considering the impact on other transport modes. Yes or no.

Hey, We never intend to hurt the customer but thing is we are getting more than 300+ Parcels everyday and we don’t have that much capacity. we try to accept as many as we can but at certain point we need to send them back. We did complaint to Inpost and yodel about this situation but they are not responding to it. After the merger of this 2 companies- inpost and yodel it is all mess. Sorry for inconvenience.

Black is obviously the new fluorescent (bless, you lot argue about s41t at times) Fine Earl, Mal and March, if you want to not use lights or wear reflective clothing then don't be surprised if a driver or pedestrian doesn't see you on a dark, foul and rainy night. Personally I would make myself as visible as I could on the road, regardless of lighting conditions. As simple as.

But surely it is good news if more people are cycling. Yes or no?

Hiya! Anyone got a couple of supportive chairs I can borrow or buy for visitors over Christmas? Something like an upright wingback that's easy to get in and out of? Thanks

The points that at least three of you continue to miss, I really don't know why is, in London is far more important than lights and clothing that.: (a) the cyclist being in an appropriate position and being aware of what is going on (b) drivers both see cyclists and giving them enough space Our streets are lit. The local boroughs are all 20 mph, there is virtually no excuse for not seeing a cyclist. If you disagree you should not be driving and please make an urgent visit to your optician. Or surrender your license. Obviously having lights is right, and wearing all black, on a black bike, with no reflectors, is a bit daft. I think we surely all agree on the above, And as such this thread has served its time. The title of the thread is cyclists visibility. There are other threads for you to moan about poor cycling. If you feel so inclined.

That wasn’t my point. My point is that Everyone’s Invited has submissions from across the full spectrum of educational establishments: state and private; junior, senior and universities. There are 108 pages of institutions with about 80 institutions per page. To say it is Dulwich College and maybe some other fee paying schools is wide of the mark in the extreme.

I think that was related to letter delivery and not parcel delivery. I think the parcel delivery and drop-off options we have now (such as lockers and pickup / drop-off locations) are far better than they were twenty years ago.

Yes, but how would you propose changing all that back to "the good old days" now?

Lambeth and Southwark are two different councils, unless you are referring to four festivals run by Lambeth?