Penguin68

I write as someone who has both taught and assessed academic research. One of the 'bias' problems with research, and it particularly reflects social research, is what is called 'confirmation bias' - 'A cognitive bias where researchers consciously or unconsciously focus on data that supports their hypothesis while ignoring contradictory evidence.'. Ms Aldred is a committed activist and it would be incredibly difficult to avoid such bias in any work she designed and undertook, even unconsciously, which makes her as a primary source of research evidence a very poor choice. This does not mean that her findings could not additionally be presented to help decision making, but it would be understood to come from a particular viewpoint. It is, in my view, inappropriate for her to be chosen as the primary research vehicle for an issue which sits directly with an area where she is an activist. If you wanted to undertake an assessment of the impact of the current Labour Government, you wouldn't turn to Starmer as your key source, or to Boris as your source for the impact of the Tory Government on the Covid pandemic. And if you want to look at the impact of LTNs or similar traffic measures, looking for an active travel enthusiast as your key researcher is equally concerning, however 'good' her research skills might otherwise be. The failure actually doesn't lie with Aldred (she is who she is) but on those who commissioned her, who I suspect knew exactly what sort of result they would get. For them, again I suspect, confirmation bias wasn't an issue.

And still is, and hopefully will continue to be with changed ownership, should that happen.

Absolutely do not follow the advice to turn on and check the outlet yourself, but the previous part of the post above about contacting the gas authorities. Amongst other things it us illegal for those not trained and certified to interfere with gas supplies. Which you can only check (if it should be live) by breaking the law!

It is most likely gas, with what looks like a stop cock, and although the pipe may well have been isolated later from the supply you should get in a gas safe engineer to remove it. At worst it might need to be capped off beneath the floor boards. Don't interfere with it yourself.

They've had 26 years or so of trading, and if anyone deserves decent retirement... In my view they're going out at the top. It's clearly being sold, assuming it all goes through as a very more more than just a going concern.

Arguably, as regards local needs for free(er) flowing traffic and some acknowledgement of expressed wishes he hasn't been. The 'active travel' and particularly the cycling lobby seems to have got far more of his attention than others. In that aspect, at least he would seem to be far more likely to be happy amongst the avowedly private-car hating Greens. A perfectly reasonable stance, of course, but one which certainly doesn't qualify as 'arguing for local needs'. He hasn't, equally, been very obviously supportive of those, his direct constituents I believe, who have been less than enthusiastic about Gala.

No doubt if he determines to stand for a ward he will enlighten us - at least his track record is one of using this site to communicate (inter alia). I would suspect that (1) his personal views on traffic will have remained consistent but that (2) his views on local democracy and proper consultation will have as well.

To be fair he also listened to his constituents and didn't press for what he preferred when he realised significant numbers of his constituents disagreed.

And I'm afraid very loud fireworks are rather a thing, the noise being necessary to scare away evil things at New Year.

It hardly matters that it's six years old. If I'd built a wall across a road 20 or a 200 years ago, the road would still be blocked. It only unblocks if the wall or the traffic restriction, is taken away.

Having quickly looked at this it is handled in road sections, it seems, so there is no obvious way to input my needs, previously expressed by others after the route was altered, for a re-introduced direct bus between Dulwich/ East Dulwich and Guys, where much of the cancer treatments from King's are outsourced to.

That's a helpful update. I hope you get it recovered and repaired without further difficulty. Annoying it should have happened just after a service. At least no one could drive it away in the meantime!

19 year old male, apparently. Very sad. The news says his family has been informed. No arrests, but increased police presence.

I would suggest that the time you spend picking quarrels on these boards would imply the contrary.

I never said it did, and you are misquoting me for trolling purposes. I said that the free flow of traffic benefited the economy, and it was precisely that lack of free flow which instituted the initial congestion charge justified by its economic contribution to London, based on the reduction of travel costs and the speeding up of e.g. delivery. The fact that different considerations driven by hated of private cars, inter alia, and a desire to drive funds then reduced road availability through dedicated lanes and the introduction of revenue generating box junctions have taken through speeds in central London back to the 12mph fiasco that the congestion charge was meant to address is a sad reflection on lost opportunity.