http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/blogs/el-gordo/ TRC is a UK motorbike forum community, it also provides motorbike blogs, free uk motorbike classifieds, motogp discussions, motorbike reviews, motorbike articles and much more en Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:05:52 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/customstyles/default/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/blogs/el-gordo/ http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/blogs/el-gordo/38-saving-lives-writing-letter.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:16:58 GMT In December, I had a bit of a mishap on the roads. Afterward I discovered that a procedural change had been in okace... In December, I had a bit of a mishap on the roads. Afterward I discovered that a procedural change had been in okace since the summer that had it not have happened, meant I may well have avoided having a collision.

The change in procedure in question is that the Highways Agency will no longer put up hazard warnings on a motorway matrix board of debris in the road, or a blocked lane, unless either a police officer or HATO is on scene to verify the report, or it can be seen by controllers on CCTV.
So, you or I can spot a major hazard and ring it in, and until someone gets there to say "yup, it's there", nobody else will be warned to slow down, or to get out of the blocked lane. A whole flow of traffic could hurtle headlong toward a stranded car, a spilled load, or an errant animal and be none the wiser. The consequences could be horrendous.

It goes without saying that the police themselves aren't happy with the change in procedure. In counties such as my own where there may be 2 cars on duty to cover the whole divisional area, 1 crash in one location and a pursuit in another could leave a whole stretch of motorway without any kind of cover, so when an incident occurs the nearest available traffic officer could be at the other end of the county, 20-30 minutes from getting there to deal with it.

And so I wrote the letter that I hope may save a life, or at least prevent an injury. I wrote to my MP. I utilised one of the few methods of voicing my democratic right to demand answers from those who make decisions that impact on our daily lives and safety.

Elliot Morley may be a card carrying tree-hugger, and directs around 80$ of questions at his former minitry DEFRA, but he's also a former biker. I asked if he would find out if the change in procedure is true, or if I was being spun a line by the police to explain why no matrix signs were up - and if the information is accurate, to confront the Ministry for Transport about it.

Needless to say he's shocked by the suggestion such a change took place. And the latest news is that he has now written to the Ministry for Transport, so we can only assume the change in procedure is in fact accurate.

I fully expect to be fobbed off by the ministry over how it's saving the rainforest by saving electricity and so the polar bears are more important than a few bikers on the motorways.

I'll let you know what the outcome is, as and when it happens. ]]> El Gordo http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/blogs/el-gordo/38-saving-lives-writing-letter.html http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/blogs/el-gordo/37-stimulus.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:00:05 GMT Or lack there-of.

What's a boy to do?

Lack of girlfriend means sum total of social interaction is direct family. TV is going down the tubes, the internet seems to get smaller every day as more websites launch, and there's only so many laps you can drive and nazis or terrorists you can shoot before you feel like counting the artex ridges on the ceiling will be more exciting.

And then you remember you have ears, and eyes... Books and music! Two of the finest developments in the history of humanity, and so much to choose from.

There's the classics, the great writers, and various shades of aural heaven to choose from.

So, in order to celebrate these greatest of things I've decided to mix the two, and ordered an audio-book. And so, it is with great excitement I am about to peel the celophane off the first in the Harry Potter series, "The Philosopher's Stone". Yeah, you can laugh... A kids story, and I'm only 11 months shy of 30... But the bit that made me click that button and make an order is this.

Stephen Fry.

One of the greatest living Englishmen, who can give eargasms with his mellow accent, is the voice who reads totally unabridged the tale of the boy wizard.

Can't wait! ;D ]]> El Gordo http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/blogs/el-gordo/37-stimulus.html http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/blogs/el-gordo/25-reflections-about-online-bike-community.html Mon, 28 Jan 2008 05:01:26 GMT They say you don't know what you've got till it's gone, and for many here, we nearly experienced the loss of a community we all share a bit of lives within.
Fortunately there was an alternative venue for the community to move to, and the loss was averted.

But VD still exists right? So how can I say the community was nearly lost?

Well, a community is a machine of many cogs and springs. It is also only as good as the people who make up its population.

Now that isn't a dig to say all the good folks left our old haunt and came here and everyone left is not worthy. Plainly good people will join the old lands and either settle or wander on. Some go back and forth, others can't face leaving. Equally there will always be some who join us here who we would rather joined an e-leper colony.

The point I'm trying to make about community, is that we have quite a special one here, unlike anything I've experienced elsewhere.

I've been on huge boards elsewhere and there's real cliques that blows anything we might observe in our midst into the middle of next week for scale and being closed to others. I've used small friendly bike sites and they're lovely but invariably the pace can be slow and when there's a disagreement it's like someone locked a bunch of drunks in a coal bunker and started piping fart-bombs in. Ugly, bloody, and the aftermath lingers on beneath the surface in a way that leaves a nasty taste.

No, this place - or rather the people who make it into a community are here in sufficient numbers to mean it's diverse, but few enough to be cosy.
We're comfortable enough with each other to laugh and be coarse, but it's not in danger of being a love-in and so fall-outs can still happen - and yes, that is a good thing.
People come together online to socialise and meet up in real life. There is love, there is hate. There is joy, pain, anger, and pure unadulterated glee and laughter. We share our highs, our lows, and there are usually people who want to know how we are getting along.

But most of all, we look after each other, even those we've never met. To me, that is something special and something I didn't realise we really had until just before we nearly lost it all.

As you know (since I keep mentioning it as often as I would was I a kid who just won an x-box in a christmas raffle) I had a bit of misfortune on the roads a few weeks before Christmas. I told you all, and I recieved so much support and well-wishes I was frankly amazed. People sent cards, some visited, and others made the most simple effort to ask how I was, which made my day time and again during a lonely time where I feel left out of everything else.
But it goes beyond this. People in our community have offered to come hundreds of miles to help if I need the bike moving, and without me even asking for offers or volunteers. Just out of the blue, random offers. People have offered to help with the simple things to make life bearable. Books, DVDs, music, games, or just a phone call for a chat. People I've never met before in the flesh, and some people I've barely interacted with on the boards.

THAT is what makes this community so special. We care. We look after each other, and are prepared to give of ourselves to help those who we think might need it.

As far as I'm concerned, some of our cogs, springs and gears may be misshapen, look a bit funny, and some might not even fit in too well with the other components. They may squeak a little now and then, and occasionally even make some worrying noises... But they're all solid gold.

(well, some are iron pyrite but they shine quite nicely too most of the time :) ) ]]> El Gordo http://www.therevcounter.co.uk/blogs/el-gordo/25-reflections-about-online-bike-community.html