The law has changed in that the Parking company can now pursue the registered keeper of the vehicle rather than having to prove who the driver was at the time.

Regardless their ticket (sorry invoice) is still no more valid than it ever was and my advise would be to simply ignore.

There seem to have been a few cases launched by Parking Eye in the courts but if you look at the details, then these cases seem to be costing Parking Eye far more in legal fees than they ever get back in tickets.

For instance their was a case recently in Manchester that went to court. The driver had parked twice in a paid car park without paying. Despite Parking Eye claiming legal costs of around £4,500 (having 4 solicitors working on the case) the judge awarded damages in Parking Eye’s favour of just £15 (the same £15 it would have cost the guy to pay for parking in the first place). In addition the driver had to pay Parking Eye legal costs of just £95.

Clearly taking drivers to court is not a sustainable business model for Parking Eye and I suspect that these very few cases that they are trying to take to court are meant for pure publicity – to try and scare the majority into paying up. Judges generally take quite a dim view of the tactics used by these parking companies in trying to extract money from descent people, particularly when exorbitant legal fees and charges are involved. These parking company’s don’t really have any other way of getting money out of people without trying to put the ‘fear of god’ into them.

Unless it’s a valid and proper court summons just ignore and see what happens. If it goes to court (unlikely) and if they find in Parking Eye’s favour (again unlikely) then it will cost them far, far more than it will ever cost you. In the case above £95 well spent I would say ;)

Despite around 15 trips to various parts of the Alps for snowboarding, had one of my best days boarding ever in Glencoe, Scotland 3 years ago. Stunning views, perfect powder and good snow cover all the way to the base station. Conditions in Scotland can be more challenging than the Alps though (due to mostly drag and T bar lifts, ice, narrow pistes, less than perfect piste grooming, etc) and when it’s cold in Scotland – it’s really properly cold. Never experienced cold like it in the Alps despite boarding in -23deg in France last year – Scotland felt colder.

To get the most out of Scotland then I’d recommend improving for a week or two in the Alps (or similar) first. Soldeu would be my choice in Andorra. Some fantastic value half board late deals, great tuition from English tutors (if you need it), huge ski area that’s perfect for beginners/intermediates, modern lifts, and cheap beer (UK prices rather than 6-10 Euros for a beer in France).

Googled my number – nothing comes up with any contact details – does that mean I’m safe?

So what are the long term symptoms of Lyme Disease – apart from the rash of course? Can it be cured?

Tom, couldn’t agree more. Sometimes it seems like the Media is more interested in the political in-fighting and one-upmanship in the House of Commons rather than the serious issue being discussed itself.

On the BBC news the question ‘what does this mean to David Cameron’s leadership?’ had more time devoted to it than ‘what does this mean for Syria’s women and children?’ Disgusting and irresponsible journalism from a supposedly respected news source.

As a result it’s sometimes no wonder that politicians feel they have to act accordingly to keep the media focused on ‘short termism’ and ‘points scoring’ happy. Reflects pretty badly on the British media I think and as certainly a detriment to the long term success and forward planning of this country.

Well thank god that common sense prevailed at the House of Commons vote.

I think that Cameron was right to open the debate (a decision one way or the other was needed) and I think that the right decision to oppose military action was taken in the end.

The media are now suggesting that Cameron is weak because a vote went against him? I don’t think that’s the case – just that he was very wrong on this issue. No one can be right all of the time and I’m pleased that some from his own party had the courage to make their justified concerns felt. Anyway why is that a problem? Surely the issue here is a good outcome for Syria and for the UK, not the daily tittle-tattle of our own political system.

For once the politicians seem to have listened to the will of the public not to get drawn further into yet another Middle Eastern saga that would only ever end up in trouble and the escalation of violence for all involved.

Hopefully diplomacy towards a good outcome will now ensue.

Great, just great – isn’t this all we need right now – getting ourselves involved in yet another pointless war we can ill afford with no likely good outcome either way.

Yes the scenes in Syria are terrible beyond belief, but what right have we to meddle when history has proved that the likelyhood is that we will just make things worse through our misguided actions. Wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afganistan etc have all been pretty much a disaster thanks to our UK/US military intervention. In particular how hypocritical is it of the US to decry the use of chemical weapons in Syria when the US developed and relied heavily on chemical weapons during their own Vietnam campaign.

Diplomacy is the only way forward, not military action. Bombing Syria or sending in the troops makes us just as bad as those fighting in the first place.

When oh when will we finally learn our lesson not to stick ourselves into other peoples business where we’re not needed or wanted.

I know Friends of Ham and Arcadia in Leeds very well – both top quality bars of the highest order.

A lot of the real ale houses in Manchester centre (Northern Quarter excepted) are little more than dirty old mens drinking dens (maybe I’ve simply not found the good ones). I appreciate real ale like the next man, but I also like to drink that ale in a pub where there’s little chance in ending up in a fight, but a good chance of oggling an attractive and intelligent lady or two.

If you’re after the quirky, youthful atmosphere you’ll find in Friends of Ham then head south of the city (10 mins on the tram), to either Chorlton – home of the fantastic bar called Pi, or three stops further on to Burton Road, West Didsbury where you have Mary & Archie or Folk.

If you insist on staying in town then Cask on Liverpool Road always have a large selection on real ale and continental beers in stock.

Hope this helps?

Another way of looking at it:

Buy new car at 25K, depreciation 12.5K in 3 years cost = £347 a month
Buy same car second hand 12.5K depreciation 6.25K in 3 years + additional put asside for tyres + repairs + cambelts etc (say £2k) = £229 a month

Thats £118 a month extra for the peace of mind of a totally new warrantied car that was 25K new eg octavia golf etc..

OK I havent included interest on the payments but you get the idea.

Bit exagerated to assume that a new car would require no maintenence, and yes you conveniently forgot the interest payments on your loan which at 7% typical would be around £70 a month (assuming you financed the whole car) or probably similar payable to a lease company (i.e. their profit) if you leased. Add an annual service (at main dealer prices to avoid voiding the warranty) and say a full set of tyres in the three years and you’re looking at around £1.5k or £42 per month.

So new car would cost £459 per month, second hand would be £229 a month – or £230 cheaper. If you’re a higher rate tax payer then you’d need to earn an extra £4k a year to cover that!

Don’t forget that with the way cars are made these days then a 3-6 year old car usually won’t require significantly more maintainace that a 1-3 year old car, particularly if you buy well, plus all the recalls or niggles that you often get with new cars will have normally been sorted by the first owner. With a car outside the warranty period you also have the option to service at an independant specialist, at around half the cost a main dealer would normally rip you off by.

Rather you than me, and my peace of mind comes from knowing I always actually own my cars and could sell whenever if circumstances change, plus splitting the extra I save between a retirement investment and the odd foreign holiday – paid for with money rather than a loan.

Whatever floats your though boat I guess.

agent007 – Member

what’s more unexpected than a £30k loss come trade in time as per the guy with the Lexus above?

That’s pretty much a perfect example of “expected” tbh.

He certainly didn’t sound like he expected that? Still, perhaps he should have realised and yes, entirely foreseeable.

Feel kinda sorry for people in brand new cars – particularly common base spec, Euro-box, dull as dishwater stuff like Vauxhalls, Audi’s, Peugeots, VW’s etc, or stuff that’s actually a pretty dull car but has a supposed prestige price tag/badge like an Infiniti or similar. If they’d have bought second hand then for far far less money then they could be driving round in something pretty damn special.

If you compare it to partners then what would you choose? A pig ugly virgin who’s no fun in the sack, or a good looking model with a tongue like an electric eel who happens to have had a couple of previous?

I guess if you don’t like driving/cars/women/men/sex then the above won’t matter to you I guess – but perhaps it’s food for thought none the less?

People say they buy new cars because they don’t want any unexpected bills – but what’s more unexpected than a £30k loss come trade in time as per the guy with the Lexus above? Cars are more reliable than they ever have been and a few components wearing out and needing replacement on a second hand car is small change compared to the hidden depreciation shocker, particularly as an out of warranty car can be serviced at an independent specialist at 1/2 the main dealer prices.

Anyway people, please keep buying expensive new cars, and I’ll keep buying them off you with a few thousand miles on the clock and full main dealer service history for 1/3 the price you paid in 5-6 years time.

I’m amazed at home many people, with quite modest houses, have the new squashed Range Rover thing on their drives, does seem an insane amount of money to spend on something that will depreciate £10k+ in the first year….

Makes me laugh. I’m a bit of a petrol head it has to be said yet have never spent over 12k on a car in my entire life, all of those bought outright with cash or a simple bank loan.

Interesting that for that first years 10k depreciation on one of those brand new ‘Cock Chariots’ you could afford some really unusual, deeply cool, fairly rare and fast machinery. How about a seriously cool and seriously fast B5 RS4 Avant, the manic mid engined Renault Clio V6, a duo of Mint Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo and Mint 205 Gti, A 8-10yr old BMW M3? The list could go on . . .

I know which I’d rather have.

PCP or leasing seems a mugs game to me. You have the depreciation of the car to pay for, plus the profit margin of the lease company on top, plus a ‘pants down shafting’ at the end of term when you’ve gone over your mileage allowance or there’s a small scratch to the paintwork – all spread over 36 convenient monthly payments.

the crowd opening up in front of the lead rider is one of the iconic images in sport.
makes me nervous though. one day a major stage/ race will be ruined by some over-excited dickhead dressed as a banana.

Ruined or improved? It’s crazy stuff like this that makes the TDF so watchable. I’ve always loved watching the old guy dressed as the devil running alongside the riders with his pitchfork. Nothing like a bit of drama to make things watchable – for example the big peloton crashes in the first few days of the race certainly make the otherwise boring flat stages a lot more exciting.

I’m looking at getting into kite-surfing, due to UK conditions seeming to favour it more than surfing.

Go for it – kitesurfing is easily as much fun as surfing, probably more fun and less frustrating 90% of the time (I do both). Plus you can kitesurf in waves – the best of both worlds. Not too much faff either – arrive at beach, choose kite size, pump up, unwind and attach lines and then out, 10-15mins maximum. What’s not to like?

I’d seriously recommend to anyone buying a board, even if only planning 2-3 trips per year. I spent years messing around on crummy hire boards and never really progressing. Last year took the plunge and spent £600 on a custom Magic Carpet from these guys:

Gulfstream

What a difference it’s made to my surfing – like night and day compared to the inconsistency of heavy and battered hire boards. Yes £600 is a lot of money, but I’ll probably keep the board for the next 10-15 years so it will more than pay for itself in the long run.

It also means that I’m not limited to beaches or hours when the hire shops are operating opening up a wealth of possibility – as proved at Whitesands last year when the waves were ridiculously clean, but my mate had to wait a whole frustrating hour on the beach watching everyone else until a hire board became available.

Could have spent half of that and gone for a generic moulded board from the Far East, but I like the idea of having something unique, hand shaped and personal, plus supporting the British shapers and local surf industry.

Do it – it will make a huge difference to the way you ride and progress.

Be careful though, saw some guy who’s sail seemed to have snapped off, it was about 50 feet in the air on a big lanyard dragging him along at a hell of a rate!

You mean a Kitesurfer?

Sounds like a good plan and about time this happened. Hopefully there will be more police on the road to enforce things.

Nice to see at last that the emphasis of road policing is becoming less focused on the soft target that is ‘speeding’ and more focused on the actual safety and quality of peoples driving.

Let’s hope the police/council put as much effort in to catch these people as they have with their war on the speeding motorist.

How tall are you? Do you mind sleeping in a coffin, or would you prefer a bit of room? Would you prefer a tent that goes up all in one or do you mind putting up inner first then putting the outer skin over the top?

I’m 6′ 1″ so would prefer a bit of room so 1 man tents are out, and I don’t really mind how it pitches, more concerned about weight than ease of pitching.

Must say, MSR are looking particularly good so far. I have one of their stoves and it’s ace – forgot they did tents too.

Nichewhore

You know I actually Googled that, thinking it was a brand.

All good stuff guys, keep them coming :)

Okay maybe just over 20min was pushing it but 30min is perfectly realistic outside of rush hour. I’ve done Macc Forest to West Didsbury in 27mins before at around 9pm and that’s a little bit further. Then again I do sometimes drive like a crazed lunatic ;)

Both Marple and Macc Forest have some great riding but the benefit of Macc Forest is that the OP will be on the right side of the Peaks to return home and won’t have to deal with the (most probably) gridlocked traffic around Stockport.

Macc Forest is just over 20mins from the airport :)

Maybe he had one too many beers at Pi and went MIA?

Hi Ed, yep West Didsbury. Always up for riding most weeks so will PM you.

I’m feeling kebab.

If you go this option then why not afterwards walk 5 mins up the road to Pi Chorlton Pi Chorlton

Always some quality real ales in, a huge menu of Belgian beers that could destroy even the most hardened drinker, plus you get a free cup of nuts with every round. What’s not to like?

Mmmm, that Turkish Delight place in Chorlton sounds pretty good Binners. Might have to pop past there next time I’m over that way.

sefton – Member

The Jai Kathmandu in Northenden

A lot of Indian friends tell me this is the best in Manchester!

Going to have to try this one at some point. OP you won’t go wrong with The Great Katmandu on Burton Road, West Didsbury. Great Kathmandu[/url] It’s my local and every time I go it’s good – Sag Gosht (Lamb) is great and the mushroom rice is like a meal in itself. Probably about £10-15 for a cab from the airport.

Forget the famous curry mile in Rusholme – there’s some very good places but unfortunately lots and lots that are mediocre or bad, and unfortunately without knowing it really well then there’s too much chance you’ll hit a bad one.

Plus when you’ve finished you’ve got all the pubs on Burton Road to go to. The Metropolitan is nice but expensive, The Railway is cheap as chips and a proper drinking den, or try Folk or Marie and Archie for somewhere chilled with a good range of drinks.

personally I like moving around!

Okay, but you’ve purchased a house in a fixed location . . .

I think this is 75% bollocks. I wanted to buy a house because I didn’t want my money lining someone else’s pockets

Very ironic considering that by buying your house you are actually lining the pockets of the land seller, the house builders, the estate agent, the insurance company, and your bank rather than that of your landlord.

Horses for courses I guess and at least you own your house after 25 years – unless of course you have one of those interest only mortgages?

Re Germany – isn’t home ownership really low?

Yes I think it’s about half the level of the UK, and many are happy to live in apartments. The difference I guess is that as a renter you are far more secure over there and renting is a viable long term option for families, whereas in the UK you can be given 2 months notice to ‘up sticks’ by your landlord. For that reason in Germany it’s normal to decorate a rented house/apartment as though it were your own.

Also people don’t often buy houses until much later in life than we do here in the UK, where the media and all the clap trap property TV seem to have brainwashed plenty of insecure people into thinking that they are a complete failure if they don’t own their own home.

I guess that’s why developers can flog low quality, shoebox homes as there’s so much pressure on people here to ‘buy at any cost’. If a developer tried to build a typical UK fake Georgian estate in Germany, (with windows and bedrooms the size of an average prison cell) they’d be laughed out of town.

It’s the pressure on housing that keeps the prices up rather than actual availability. Which means that buildable land is very expensive, therefore the developers have to keep costs down. Simple really.

Hmm, yes I suppose but lack of space is no excuse for poor quality, cramped homes. With the right design and architecture you can still create spacious, bright and airy homes with a small ground footprint – homes that stand out and that people would probably be prepared to pay a little extra for. Seems most contractors just go the lazy route though and are happy to create another ‘clone’ estate that in 20 years time will look dreadful.

You only have to go to Germany to realise how ‘prehistoric’ our house build standards are in the UK. Honestly, they are light years ahead over there.

Houses in Germany/Austria/Switzerland are generally priced and sold on a per m2 basis rather than on the number of bedrooms it has as we do here in the UK (or number of bathrooms – see below). This leads to modern, open plan houses, with lots of natural light and flexible living space and a good level of storage. Whereas in the UK we have small windows, tiny rooms, little parking and no storage space.

Went to see a new build near us recently. 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms – yes 4 bathrooms! (2 bedrooms had en-suites, a big family bathroom, plus a toilet and washroom downstairs). Yet all bedrooms were on the small side (as in you’d fit a bed in them but not much else) and there wasn’t a storage cupboard big enough to keep a bike inside anywhere. All for £345k – utter insanity 8O

Some of the German pre-fab homes are particularly innovative. Assembled on site in days and because they are made in a well run factory, build tolerances and quality is top notch. It’s a real shame that people in the UK seem to prefer lots of tiny little rooms and fake Victorian features to proper, innovative and well designed flexible living space. Such a shame and a real missed opportunity.

You can’t blame population density or land shortage either. Germany is almost as densely populated as the UK, and the Netherlands, who have a similar approach to housing to Germany has a population density approaching double that of the UK.

Who needs a boat?

World Speed Record

Has to be one of these:

Or these – Sugar Beet Harvester:

Watching the end of a BC training session once at the Velodrome and after the session and on on his way out under the track Chris made a point to come over and say hello to me, not knowing who I was, and we had a brief conversation.

Seemed like a thoroughly nice chap, and I have heard the same from others who have met or worked with him too. Not at all big headed, just a nice friendly bloke and someone you’d be more than happy to have a pint with.

Cheers Chris, I have enjoyed watching you on the track all of these years.

Just finished ‘Psycho Vertical’ by Andy Kirkpatrick. Very good read, very well written, hilarious in places and has inspired me to get out and do a bit more climbing this summer.

‘Into the Wild’ was also an interesting book although rather a hard read in places because of the way it’s written – just didn’t seem to flow that well.

Just about getting over my recent bout of injuries. AC seperated left shoulder now 100%. Frozen right shoulder almost better after 2 years of trouble. Sciatica much better than it was thank goodness and injured right knee feels much better than it did this time last year. Maybe there is hope? Mid thirties and counting :)

You really do need to be a good rider to get the best out of the Jones boards. I’d say try something like a K2 Slayblade. I’ve had one for 3 years, loved it and just bought another one here – absolute bargain:

Slayblade