BUS DRIVERS BLAME IRRESPONSIBLE E-SCOOTERS RIDERS FOR RISE IN INJURIES
People in Britain using illegal e-bikes and e-scooters have been blamed for an increase in injuries to bus passengers.
Bus bosses said drivers were having to slam on the brakes to avoid people riding the battery-powered devices recklessly — with elderly passengers the most at risk of being hurt as a result.
Pedestrians engrossed in their mobile phone and failing to pay attention to traffic, including walking in front of buses without looking, were also blamed. There is particular concern at the number of e-bikes that have been illegally adapted to travel in excess of the legal maximum of 15.5mph. Bike repair shops have reported seeing some able to travel in excess of 50mph.
The problem is not restricted to the UK, the number of people tearing around on e-scooters seems to double every week here.
It would be interesting to find out how many of these riders end up having accidents and being treated in hospital.
Last week I saw a stupid teenager on a scooter at night. The scooter had no lights, and he was dressed all in black with a black helmet and black scarf. He was an accident waiting to happen.
Teenagers never see any danger in anything, and so often do stupid things, but they should be told that there are many drivers in this part of Spain who are elderly, have failing eyesight, have difficulty seeing, especially at night, and their reaction is much slower. These scooterists are an absolute menace, especially if they are showing no lights.
WATER SCARCITY GIVES RISE TO CONCERN
You only have to take a short drive into the countryside in the Costa to see how serious the water shortage is here. All the grass is dead, bushes look as though they are seriously struggling and tall trees with longer roots won’t be far behind.
We haven’t had any serious rain for many months and the situation is grim. In other parts of southern Spain water restrictions are already in place in many cities, with taps turned off at night to save water. Reservoirs are at a small fraction of their capacity.
Yet we still see people hosing down their patios as if water is still in abundance – and I wouldn’t mind guessing that most of the culprits are ex-pats from northern Europe where it seldom stops raining and water problems never cross their minds.
So here’s a plea to everyone – don’t waste water. It will be good for your bank balance but more importantly this part of Spain just might get through another hot summer without Draconian water restrictions.
WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH UK’S BANKRUPT COUNCILS
What an appalling way to run a country. I refer to one council after another in the UK which is going bust. It’s calculated that one in five local councils in Britain is in danger of going technically bankrupt.
It means that after paying for the services which councils have to maintain by law, it hasn’t enough money to pay for all the other non-statutory services which people in Britain have come to expect from the council.
This could be maintaining parks and gardens, maintaining buildings which have been donated to councils, providing libraries, theatres, sports halls – so much that people take for granted and which improve the local quality of life.
But now, an increasing number of councils are being forced to look at their “assets” and consider putting them on the market to get the money to finance services which have to be provided by law.
Nothing is off the table – historic buildings, libraries, parks, entertainment venues, car parks and community centres – all are all at risk.
According to Locality, the organisation which represents nearly 2,000 small community groups across the country, about 6,000 public buildings and spaces are sold off by councils every year.
Tony Armstrong, CEO of Locality, said: “We’re calling on all parties to introduce a community right to buy, which would make it much easier for local people to take local buildings into community ownership.
But all this is totally unnecessary if only the government would introduce more council tax bands. It is bonkers that if you own a house worth 320,001 pounds, you will pay 3,523.80 pounds in council tax, the highest tax bracket. But if you own a house worth a million you will pay not one penny more.
It’s this dreadful Tory policy of looking after the rich and screwing the poor that is responsible and is forcing councils into an impossible position.
The sooner people in Britain wake up and put an end to tax havens and force the rich to pay their fair share of tax the better. Then Britain will have the money to start putting right all that has gone wrong – with the NHS, schools and school buildings, road and rail maintenance, social care…need I go on!
COURT TO RULE ON JEHOVA’S WITNESS BLOOD TRANSFUSION
Doctors sign an oath to do their utmost to preserve life wherever possible. The passage from the original version of the Hippocratic Oath reads, “I will use my power to help the sick to the best of my ability and judgement; I will abstain from harming or wronging any man by it.”
It orders doctors to do their best in their job and not use their skill or knowledge to harm or kill their patients.
This oath puts doctors in direct conflict when it comes up against religion – and I have written before in my column about how religion has over the centuries caused countless misery and death. The present conflict in Israel and Gaza is the current testimony to it.
So I was furious when I heard that the European Court of Human Rights has had to hold a hearing this month after a Jehova’s Witness filed a lawsuit against Spain because she received a blood transfusion from a Madrid hospital.
While the procedure saved her life, it was against her express wishes due to her religious beliefs. In other words doctors saved her life and she then set about causing them a whole mass of problems, distracting them from saving the lives of others.
The issue has been referred to the Grand Chamber of the European Court, presumably because of its importance.
I find it impossible to understand how any sane person can be so religiously motivated they are prepared to end their life because of a belief. It’s understandable in historic times, when superstition was rife, but not now. All it does is put doctors into an impossible position and I hope that the European Court legally overrules what I consider to be religious nonsense.
OBSESSION GROWING TREES MAKES ME SYCAMORE
There can’t be many people on the Costa who hasn’t been hearing of the appalling weather the UK has been having. Intense storms have resulted in road, rail and air chaos – the entire rail network in Scotland was put on hold for a day because of the dangers.
But so much of the disruption could be avoided if Britain did not have an obsession in growing trees near railway lines, along the sides of roads and close to houses.
In storms, trees are a danger to life and we have seen on TV screens trees crashing onto cars and into houses.
Britain needs to get rid of trees so close to roads, railway lines and houses. And no, I am not advocating an overall reduction in the number of trees, each one felled should be replaced, but in places where they will not be a danger to people.
