The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[hellymedic]

We have a dead Sainsbury's electric kettle to recycle. Finding out how and where to do this meant trawling through multiple websites:

Sainsbury's: after trawling through website, it seems they have conveniently discharged their WEEE obligations by putting money into others' recycling banks. They do not take goods back.

recycle-more.co.uk usefully gives me location of nearby recycling banks by road and postcode. Does not tell me where bank on Burnt Oak Broadway HA8 0BE actually is.

brent.gov.uk tells me recycling centre is at Abbey Road, which Google maps informs me is 5.7 miles away.

barnet.gov.uk tells me location of recycling bank is in Tesco car park.

It's hardly surprising people just put things in the bin...

[Basil]

We have a dead Sainsbury's electric kettle to recycle. Finding out how and where to do this meant trawling through multiple websites:

Buy a pound shop cycle lock and lock the kettle out front.  It will be gone in the morning. 

[jsabine]

Hmmm.

recycle-more.co.uk doesn't give information in a useful form for round here, nor is it complete. I can think of three small electrical appliance recycling bins within five minutes of here, each as part of bigger recycling banks. Two simply aren't shown on the map or listed, while the other is shown as being for batteries and waste electronics while it's actually for paper, plastics, the works ... And the only dump shown is for another borough.

On the plus side, it does seem to tell me most of the places I can recycle batteries.

[Kim]

Some indeterminate combination of Giffgaff / Nokia:  I appreciate that I'm getting what I pay for, but do you have to fail *silently*?

[Mrs Pingu]

Spent y'day afternoon doing some more bike building, which involved various degrees of finger contortions and turning strain trying to adjust the disc calipers.
As a consequence the 1st joint on my index finger is now all fat and sore. Damn you arthritis, I'm not old enough for this shit yet.

[Basil]

Dear cow-orker,
As far as I am aware, your mummy doesn't work here.  So you're probably going to have to clean up your microwave/porridge explosion yourself.
"Soon" would be good, muppet. 

[L CC]

Corduroy Paving.
These days, I'm kind of in the trade. We fit this stuff.

This is the guidelines:

On the cyclist side, the surface should be laid with the bars running in the direction of travel
(Figure 29 ).
This arrangement was chosen because it was felt the rumble effect created by the transverse pattern
would deter cyclists from entering on the pedestrian side.

However, your feelings were WRONG. Especially in the wet, the cyclist will ride over the bars at right angles, as then they wont catch their tyres and slip.

I should just take the road, really, but it's a nice path.

[Andrij]

Ugh.  The flat-top ones aren't too bad, but there are some cycle paths around here that have rounded-top.  Those are bad enough in dry weather, but in wet... *shudder*

[David Martin]

Ugh.  The flat-top ones aren't too bad, but there are some cycle paths around here that have rounded-top.  Those are bad enough in dry weather, but in wet... *shudder*

There is a standard for this and many installations are non-standard and dangerous to cycles. One moment..

here is an informative post from another place on how to tell whether paving is meeting the specification:

You may wish to point out to the local council that installation of tramline paving with dimensions that do not meet the specs (and round tops do not) pose a significant risk to cyclists and could leave them liable to a claim for negligence. Make sure that letter is dated.

Some folk may be aware that in the West of England a Council was landed with a substantial bill after the wrong profile of tramline paving was used on a cycle route, and this may assist you in doing quick and dirty surveys of any paving or other road defects (and tram lines/thermoplastic lines themselves)

The standard, extensively tested by TRL about 20 years go for DETR (but with the records apparently untraceable) included testing by riding obliquely over the ridges, on cast concrete 'tiles' when the conditions were varied from dry to wet + liquid detergent.  Similar testrs were carried out on the rumble lines moulded in thermoplastic 'paint'.

The conclusions have informed various specifications for the tramline paving and profiled white lines etc.

To the detail, and the picture

The ribs on tramline paving should be no higher than 5mm AND FLAT TOPPED with a width of 30mm, and a gap between them of 70mm.  The attached photo shows some which has been installed on a new cycle route in Glasgow and I've used coins of the realm as my scaling guide.

The 1p coin is 20mm diameter and can provide a useful scaling aid for the gaps between panels on a level crossing (Network Rail spec - no gap larger than 10mm). On the photo it suggests that the ribs are about 20mm wide (not the 30mm spec)

The ORR spec on tram tracks notes thet the rail should be flush with the tarmac surface and in Nottingham we did emphasise that the 6mm tolerance should be entirely taken by the rail being lower than the tarmac - with feathered edges (ie +0mm to -6mm), although the diagrams suggest that +3mm is the maximum height for railheads and road markings.  This is very significant as those who have hit a crack or ridge running along the road where a trench has been repaired - even a very small vertical edge will knock your tyre sideways.

The £2 coin is 28.4mm in diameter - so on the correct profile of paving it should just about sit on the 30mm wide ribs and 2 x 1p with 1 x £2 should just about fit the 70mm gap.  The £2 coin (newer ones) is 2.5mm thick so a stack of 3 £2 coins (if you are this rich) should have the third coin able to slide and bridge, level between the top of the rib and the 2 coins stacked in the gap.

The £1 coin is approximately 3mm thick, which makes it a good measure for over thick thermoplastic lines, and with 2 you get 6mm the tolerance on height for tram rails.

A rough table below - DIY survey kit!

1 Penny (from 1992) 20.32 mm diameter, 1.65 mm thick ~ 0.75"

2 Pence (from 1992) 25.90 mm diameter, 2.03 mm thick  ~ 1"

5 Pence (from 2011) 18.00 mm diameter, 1.70 mm thick

10 Pence (from 2011) 24.5 mm diameter, 1.85 mm thick

20 Pence (from 1982) 21.4 mm diameter, 1.70 mm thick

50 Pence (from 1997) 27.3 mm diameter, 1.78 mm thick

1 Pound (from 1983) 22.50 mm diameter, 3.15 mm thick  ~ 3mm (max height for railhead/t/plastic road lining)

2 Pound (from 1997) 28.40 mm diameter, 2.50 mm thick  = 5mm (2 high) = height of tramline ridges ~ 30mm width of ridges

Sheet of A4 paper 297mm x 210mm - long dimension ~305mm = 12"

[Kim]

Corduroy Paving.
These days, I'm kind of in the trade. We fit this stuff.

This is the guidelines:

On the cyclist side, the surface should be laid with the bars running in the direction of travel
(Figure 29 ).
This arrangement was chosen because it was felt the rumble effect created by the transverse pattern
would deter cyclists from entering on the pedestrian side.

However, your feelings were WRONG. Especially in the wet, the cyclist will ride over the bars at right angles, as then they wont catch their tyres and slip.

I should just take the road, really, but it's a nice path.

I saw some guidelines that used the word 'tramline' without a hint of irony.  Whoever came up with the standard was utterly clueless as to how a bicycle works.  I'll charitably assume that they were a disability bod, thinking that a bicycle was a bit like a wheelchair (and therefore hard work to push over bumps).

Unfortunately, it's an established standard, and visually impaired people would be stuffed by piecemeal changes.  The only sane approach is not to install it, and to pragmatically use the other side of the path as needed when cycling.  My experience is that blind people are usually sympathetic to the problem (they don't want us losing control or having to ride on the wrong side of the path either), and could therefore be useful allies when campaigning for better design.

[hellymedic]

Hmmm.

recycle-more.co.uk doesn't give information in a useful form for round here, nor is it complete. I can think of three small electrical appliance recycling bins within five minutes of here, each as part of bigger recycling banks. Two simply aren't shown on the map or listed, while the other is shown as being for batteries and waste electronics while it's actually for paper, plastics, the works ... And the only dump shown is for another borough.

On the plus side, it does seem to tell me most of the places I can recycle batteries.

Batteries are not a problem here as Brent collects them fortnightly from the kerbside.

[Andrij]

*snip*

Thanks, that's very useful.  One set is on a path along a busy road (N Woolwich Rd, for those keeping track) in my borough.  I shall do some ground work and and have our local cycling group make a racket about it.  The other path is across the river (Greenwich, I think) so will write as a 'visitor to the Borough' and cc: Greenwich Cyclists.

[Kim]

Why did I let my chain get into such a state?  I've just spent 15 minutes fighting with a powerlink.

[hulver]

Oi, bits of various bikes. Please stop breaking. I want to use you, not be constantly replacing little bits that don't appear vital but are annoying when gone. I'm looking at you, gear cable barrel adjuster. And you, seat post clamp. Fracturing like that last night was very annoying.

[hulver]

And now my lovely wireless mouse has stopped recognising half the clicks I give it

Although this might be related to me taking it apart to remove fluff from the wheel which was stopping the optical sensor registering scrolling, but it was working fine after I did that.

[Arch]

On the plus side, it does seem to tell me most of the places I can recycle batteries.

Assuming you mean AA and the like, not car batteries, they can be recycled* at any shop that sells more than X batteries a year. Can't remember what X is, but it's quite a small number. Many newsagents and the like will have a bin to deposit them in.

*Well, put in a specific recycling box, I have to assume they are then recycled, but I can also be fairly cynical.

[Biggsy]

After telling Tesco that they were breaking the law for not having a battery recycling bin at a certain store, to my embarrassment, I found out direct from the relevant authority that a retailer (selling >X) just has to be willing to take used batteries; they're not obliged to have a public battery bin.  I wonder if all the staff would be informed anyway?

[Mr Larrington]

HR / Occupational Health / GP.  Plz to be answering phone. kthxbai

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

I just got a jury citation for the High Court next month. Gah. Do they have nobody else to pick? I did jury service at the Sheriff Court in the late 90s, and I was cited but not used at the High Court a couple of years ago.

[Diver300]

Post office.

The 09:15 Saturday collection is far too close to the 16:30 Friday collection to be of much use.

When I post something at 09:13 it shouldn't be staying in the post box all weekend.

[tiermat]

Trying to watch The Jo Whiley Sessions on Sky Arts. Why, when showing the bands playing, do they use, constantly, that oversaturated effect? It is hurting my eyes and my poorbrain...

[Littlesox]

Thank God.

The football season has come to an end.

And being a year with a odd number, no Euro or World Cups to contend with.

Football.

Meh!

[mcshroom]

Thank God.

The football season has come to an end.

And being a year with a odd number, no Euro or World Cups to contend with.

Football.

Meh!

Still the Championship play off final next weekend

[Cudzoziemiec]

Corduroy paving - I've never measured the gaps but I've noticed that the square-profiled paving is fine to ride over, whereas the round-profiled is often rather dodgy. I reckon the profile seems to be the key thing, not the dimensions - but like I say, I've never measured it.

[Cudzoziemiec]

And this doesn't deserve a rant because it's not really any of my business but certainly provokes a groan: last Sunday was one of my Polish nephews' First Communion. A significant spiritual occasion for Catholics. To celebrate this my BiL has, I'm reliably informed, taken a 3,000-zloty loan to throw a party for the occasion. That's slightly more than he earns in a month (though his wife earns quite a bit more than him) and I bet the interest wasn't low. There were even horses to give kids rides. Still, at least he made an effort to keep costs down by organising a joint party with a colleague and his child. And you can't blame him that the tradition (convention) is such that doing without a party would be like standing up in church and shouting out atheist slogans.