Banned

We don't usually like losing customers, but I think we are well shut of one that we have banned this week. It seems that she has some sort of fixation with taxi's and used them even for short journeys of a few hundred yards. Only problem was she never seemed to have any money to pay for them, and always asked the driver if she could owe him the cash. I had picked her up myself the other day and of course she did the same with me, but I noticed when I gave her a card with the I.O.U written on that she put it with a bunch of others as thick as a deck of cards. Most of them will have been for a couple of pounds or less, and so the drivers wouldn't bother chasing the dept up too much. But altogether I would guess she must owe a few hundred pounds out to drivers all over town. I found out later that our firm was just the latest on the list she had been diddling for months all over town. She will be added to the select few who are banned by every taxi firm in the town, most of them for good reason. One particular fare who is banned because of his many personal hygiene problems,( and no we're not just talking about a bad case of BO here) it seems he just won't accept the fact that he's banned . Because the computer recognises his number and tells the operator that he's banned he tries withholding his number or pesters a neighbour to ring for him. He then gives another house number and waits nearby for the cab, but most drivers recognise him and drive round him as he stands waving frantically in the middle of the road.

Green Wind?

I see that Barrow's Tesco supermarket have just installed a large wind turbine. Some folk might say that this is just a bit of window dressing, and that Tesco could do more for the environment by other more effective but less visible means. One obvious way is less and more recyclable packaging, and a more ethical but sadly less profitable choice of suppliers. Still I will wait to see how often I actually see it turning, most of the onshore wind turbines in this area never seem to be in use.

State of the Union

Check this out and try and spot the clever editing! But hey don't shout at me it wasn't me.

Lost Power

Today seemed destined to turn into one of those slow boring days, when all of a sudden the data screen started to light up with jobs in every part of town. We were run off our feet for a few hours with the next job waiting as soon as we cleared one. The reason soon became apparent when I noticed that half the towns traffic lights were out, a major power cut had occurred taking out half of the town centre. They say "it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good" well that was true for us but not unfortunately for our rival firm who lost their power. They like us rely on computers and radio as a backup, but neither works without electricity, even though our office is within the mile our power stayed on.

Thwarted

The rather drunk lass staggered into the back of the cab and started to curse and mutter, and so I asked if everything was OK. "No" she told me and then went on to tell me a tale of how she had been out the previous night with her male best friend who happened to be gay. He she told me had ended up paired up with another gay guy and they had all gone back to his house. Then after hiccuping a few times she went on to tell me that shortly after arriving there, her best friend had disappeared, leaving her alone with the other gay chap. " Well no problem there then you would have been safe enough" she swore and said "oh no I wasn't, he's just spent the last six hours trying to undress me". I asked if she needed the police or anything, and she said "no I think he was just trying to get my best friend jealous,I'll tell him off tonight". Well the truth of the matter is I simply don't believe a word she was saying! Six hours trying to undress her? when she could have left anytime she chose and believe me the two press studs and the wisp of elastic wouldn't have thwarted any guy who was half serious. Myself I think she had been playing the age old pastime of many a drunken women, that of trying to turn the gay guy straight. Well by the sounds of things I guess she wasn't successful!

Coniston

We tend to forget here in Barrow just how close we are to the Lake District. But what does a taxi driver who drives all day every day do on his day off, well on mine I drove the twenty miles or so to Coniston, just to drink in some of the stunning scenery. The strange thing is that you never see Barrow folk up there, hey never mind Barrow folk all the shops and cafe's I went in were staffed by eastern Europeans.
(Click to enlarge the photos, go on then what are you waiting for)

38 an a Half

Our small market town neighbours in Ulverston always seem to be a bit quirky to me, this was confirmed to me as I looked for a house number today and saw this one numbered 38 1/2.

Ice Storm

Let's hope we in the UK aren't due for any of this, we do seem to get the US weather a week or so later, but hopefully not as bad. This one pinched from Lugosi.

Cloudpunchers

This is an extract from a local blog by a Falkland's veteran, I've added him to my local links along with the other local blog where I found him Cynical Chatter From the Underworld.
Go on on check them both out, here's the full Cloudpunchers story.

"I joined the British Army at the age of 16 and enlisted into the Royal Artillery, I did 12 months training at the JLRRA (Junior leaders Regt Royal Artillery) and learnt my trade as a Gunner on the 25 Pounder Field gun used in WW2. I passed out in August 1979 and was posted to 12 Air Defence Regt RA in Dortmund, West Germany and learnt my new trade as an air defence gunner (Cloudpuncher) on Rapier missiles, little did I realise that I would be using these missiles in action during Operation Corporate, the liberation of the Falkland Islands from Argentina in 1982.
The initial warning was given at 10.45 hrs, Friday 2nd April 1982, two hours before we were officially on leave. Some other units had actually gone home and as soon as they got there they had to do an about turn and set of back. Everybody was totally hacked with life at first, with leave being cancelled, then once we had found out what the crack was, some Argentineans had invaded an island off the coast of Scotland. Well, the Falklands sounds like the Shetlands doesn’t it? We all got excited about the thought of going up there and giving them a good kicking.
Unbelievably, by 1800 hrs. on Saturday 3rd April 1982, we were ready to go and kick some Argie arses. It took us sixteen hours on a shagged out old army bus to get from Kirton to the docks in Plymouth. But we didn’t mind. We felt like heroes already as news had leaked out to the media by now. So, Joe Public had a good idea where we were going. All the motorists were beeping their horns and Union Jacks appeared from everywhere. It was a carnival atmosphere. We were all getting carried away by it. We will probably get to Plymouth and the Argies will shit themselves and sod off home for a corned beef buttie?"

Taxi Trash

A Taxi driver from the nearby town of Workington has been given his licence back after the council revoked it because he had been selling drugs. Why I ask myself, what use are rules and regulations to stop this sort of thing if they are not rigidly enforced. Without these rules what’s to stop any pervert or criminal driving a cab, the public expect and deserve better. This soft treatment does not help the taxi trade in any way, and as far as I am concerned it lowers the trust of the taxi trade in the eyes of the public.

James Dunn, 28, of Alexander Close, Workington, appeared before Magistrates yesterday to state his case against Allerdale Council, who revoked his hackney carriage licence last November after receiving a letter from Cumbria police informing them that Mr Dunn had been convicted of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply.
Mr Dunn appealed against the decision as soon as he received notification, and the council issued him with a temporary licence until the appeal was determined.
Mr Dunn said: “I broke up with my wife and was left with a lot of debt. I was working for my father-in-law, so lost my job at the same time.
“I was struggling to pay off my debts, so stupidly took an opportunity to make some money and decided to sell some ecstasy pills.
“I was not a drug user, and never have been. I was trying to claw my way out of financial trouble. I am now repaying my debts and trying to get my life back on track.”
Mr Dunn served 12 months of his 33-month sentence in prison, and is now serving a home detention curfew.
Before entering prison he worked as a taxi driver for Sparkys Taxis, ferrying elderly and disabled customers around the county.

Homing Instinct

One of my fares who had fallen asleep shortly after I picked him up was spooked when I dropped him at his house in Dalton this weekend. " Hang on I've just realised I never told you where I was going how do you know I live here". The truth was I had picked him up and delivered him home whilst he was in a drunken sleep every weekend for the last month or so, and on the first occasion a guy who lifted him into the cab had told me his address. Of course he couldn't remember any of his taxi rides home, and I guess it was just luck that I remembered his address, good job the guy who told me where he lived wasn't lying, or someone would have been getting an unwelcome guest. The same day I picked up a fare who's name hadn't come up on my data screen, and who just told me the street where he was going. When we reached his street I drove straight to the door of his house and stopped, the young lad looked at me quizzically and asked "how did you know I lived here". The reason for my correct guess was purely his face, he had one of those faces and colouring that could only belong to one local family, and I knew their house was on that street.

Painted Sky

What a great sunrise this morning, this looking towards Piel island from Cavendish Dock. (click to enlarge" go on you really need to")

The New Friday

At one time here in Barrow Friday night was considered as "the boys night out" and by some it was treated as a sacred right. Even when a bit older and married with children it would have been considered sacrilege to stay in, or even worse if you took your partner out this was an invitation to be mercilessly taken the mickey out of. But now since the old days of calling "time gentlemen please" at three o'clock have long since gone Sunday afternoon seems to be the new Friday. A lot of our fares on Sunday afternoon are groups of guys meeting up for a few beers in town. I've asked quite a few why the switch to Sundays? and the replies vary from "it's more relaxing"to "because theres less bloody women about". One guy did tell me that his wife even encourages him to go out with the boys on Sunday because of the mainly male pub goers," she feels more secure knowing theres no scantily clad bimbos about, like there is at night". Another man told me that he likes it because he can go home early and straight to bed and wake up hangover free for work on Monday morning.

Deartour

With one of Barrow main roads Holker St being blocked for repairs we cab drivers are having to think on our feet(mmm not true in reality it's on our butts ) to avoid long delays. But because this is one of the main thoroughfares it does lead to us having to take longer routes to get to certain places. For instance when picking up from the towns Asda supermarket today my fare was going to the Rawlinson St area which normally would be a mile or so straight on and cost about £1:80p. But of course with the junction being closed I had to detour round and back on myself and the fare clocked up £2:80p, and believe me the lady wasn't very happy. " But I only ever pay £1.80p" she said again and again and "it's not my fault the roads closed" With logic like that I can see some arguments happening over the few months that these road works are to go on for. The only logical solution is for Rawlinson St to be opened up for access from Abbey Rd in the out of town direction, but hey logic doesn't usually enter into these things does it?

Unlucky

Was this Australian comedian just unlucky or do you think they picked the worse of the bunch ? Do you see this as typical of inwardly looking Americans or as a contrived insult?
Do you think that maybe if the tables were turned and similar questions were asked in Australia or the UK would they fare any better?

Road Closed

Barrow's Hindpool Rd is closed tonight due to unsafe lamp posts. After all the recent road closures due to unstable lamp posts you would have thought that all town centre lights would have been checked out.

Abbey FM Tonight

The interview I did last night go's out tonight on Abbey FM listen live on the web, or you can listen to the recording via this link. Sorry if I sound a bit croaky but I've got a dose of the nasty virus that's doing the rounds. Check out Bills local radio blog or have a look at his downloads page, all sorts of stuff on there.

Abbey FM Studio

Last night I called into the local radio station Abbey FM studios to record a chat with Bill Clark, who does the evening show. While I was there Bill showed me round and I sat in whilst he edited last nights show, all fascinating stuff. The photo is of Bill in the studio, and he tells me that he will let me know when it's going out and I will post the link to Abbey FM live on the web.

See the Light

The high winds are back again, and just like last time bits and pieces started to fall of Barrows Cornerstone Park retail park whose main tenant is the huge Tesco extra. And just like last time it led to road closures and delays, surely it's not being too demanding to ask that they keep this place properly maintained. The light which was left hanging by a thread at least fifty feet above motorist's and pedestrians should have been checked after the last high winds which brought lamp fittings down elsewhere in the town.

Quiet Day

Walney channel with Jubilee bridge in the background
(click to enlarge, go on treat yourself)

Well it's that time of year again, mid January and as always it goes very quiet we know it's coming but when it does we are still surprised. It's the same for most self employed workers hairdressers, publicans and restaurant owners all are telling me the same thing, nothing you can do about it, except wait it out. The students have gone back to the college and sixth form at last so that helps a bit. But when you see the driving school cars outside waiting for them, and as a lot tell me they are just waiting for their driving test they are mainly short term customers. You can't beat regular repeat customers they are our bread and butter, some folk have been using us for years and know all the drivers by name. These regular folk know by talking to the drivers that it's quiet, and I find it quite touching especially with some of the old dears who can scant afford it that they try to help out by adding a few extra bob on top of the fare.

4x4Types

I was stuck behind an erratically driven 4x4 when going up Barrow's Rating lane one morning, this road has a 20 MPH limit and lots of speed bumps. The oversize gas guzzler was being driven at up to 40 mph between the bumps and then braked to a halt before each bump, and then driven over at less than a snails pace. I find this strange when you consider that these urban tractors are meant to be driven up mountains and off roads in fields and streams, maybe they didn't want to splash the shiny chrome wheels! Later that day I was swore at by another irate 4x4 driver when I pulled part way out of a junction in front of him. I pointed out that he was still indicating to turn left at the junction, but of course Mr macho wasn't to be argued with. This set me thinking about 4x4s and their driver's now don't get me wrong their are some genuine users who tow boats and livestock trailers or who live in the countryside, but most that I come across in town are just an unnecessary nuisance. There are three main types of town 4x4 drivers that I have come across, the first is the Mr machos usually with a shaved head and tribal tattoos he drives the big black or silver pickup type 4x4 with lots of chrome, always very aggressively. The next is the small suicide blond who is his WAG she drives the same 4x4 when Mr macho is at the gym or out earning enough money to pay for her nail manicures and sun -bed sessions, she spends most of the day outside the beauty salons trying to park, usually very badly. The third and final type is the chav grandpa in his thirties and easily spotted by the badly done tattoos and the glare off the excess bling, his smoke billowing 4x4 is usually well past it's sell by date and is used to carry his rottweilers or pit bull terriers alongside gypsy, fang, derv and wolf who are his grand kids. There may well be a picture of the rottweiler or some other beast on the spare wheel cover.

Taxi Hailer

Check out the Taxi Hailer

Coughs n Sneezes

This last week or so I seem to have been running loads of fares to various doctors surgery's and to and from the Baycall clinic at Furness General hospital. Most of them seem to be suffering from the nasty bug which is spreading locally like wildfire, they tell me that it's a 48 or at worst 72 hour thing. One lady, that I was taking to a doctors today asked "aren't you cab drivers ever sick, you must come into contact with all sorts of people breathing bugs over you" True" I replied, but maybe we build up immunity with coming into contact with so many people. But the sad truth is that we get ill just as often as everyone else but nobody wants to hear about our illnesses. It's one of the worst things you can do as a taxi driver, the odd one who does mention being ill gets known as a moaner and customer's will ask not to be picked up by them. Let's face it the customers paying the fare and if you simply ask if they are alright they feel perfectly entitled to list all the symptoms of their present illness and of every other that they and their family's have ever suffered in their lifetimes. When we got to the lady's doctors she reached into her bag and started to sort the money for the fare out from amongst the used cotton buds and snotty tissues. When she went to give me the handful of small change she sneezed loudly and wetly into the hand all over the cash. Without batting an eyelid she handed it to me and said "Do you want to count that?"

Swimwear

Thought this was a spoof site for Muslim swimwear at first but apparently it's genuine, no comment from me.

Spyphone

Who's spying on your mobile phone?
Virtually everyone owns a mobile phone, but few of us realise that this innocent device can be turned into a hidden spy inside our own homes.
The Internet is full of adverts offering to turn some mobile phones into sophisticated bugging devices. This sends a copy of every text that is either sent or received, and in some phones is capable of retransmitting every word spoken within a room back to the stalkers phone.
The spyware is being marketed to suspicious husbands and wives but it’s an even more worrying tool in the hands of a stalker.
Lawyers who specialise in stalking and harassment cases are worried because buying this bugging software is perfectly legal.
Spyphone software can be installed on some mobile phones in well under a minute.
How safe are you from mobile phone snooping?
But although it's legal to buy and own spyphone software, the companies that sell it are keen to keep one fact private - intercepting text messages is against the law
But the software is so well hidden, the crime is almost impossible to detect… and it has another highly intrusive feature.
Text alert - Whenever the phone is used, a copy is sent of the phone numbers of every one of the incoming and outgoing calls.
It's impossible to tell if spyphone software is on your phone.
Worse still, the person who put it there only has to send a simple text message and the software will self-destruct - it's as if it had never existed. UPDATE: Check out this video on you-tube

Red Light Tree

This somehow reminds me of Barrow's Abbey Rd, it's actually a sculpture by Pierre Vivant located at Canary wharf London.

Online Petitions

Did you know that you can actually create your own on line petition on the Prime Ministers Downing St web site? Some of the petitions on there range from the bizarre such as the one calling for live televised capitol punishment for losing contestants on reality TV shows such as Pop Idol, X-Factor, I'm a celebrity get me out of here, etc.25 votes for that one so far. and "force all ramblers/walkers to wave a red flag when on a public road" has 897 so far. But some which you would have thought more popular like "remove all speed bumps on UK roads only have 321 votes. Oh and one to "create a 99p coin" have attracted 9 votes. But top of the polls so far is the "scrap the vehicle tracking and road pricing policy" with 211498 and rising fast.

Black Box Spy

A petition against Government plans to force motorists to pay as they drive has amassed more than 190,000 signatures.
The protest appeared to be gathering steam with thousands of people adding their names to the website every day.
The number of signatories, collected at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/, has almost doubled in a week and at the current rate of progress the total will be in excess of 500,000 when the petition is taken down on February 20.
As a result Downing Street's exercise in internet democracy was threatening to rebound on the Government, with opposition to road-pricing dwarfing any other issue on the Prime Minister's website.
The revolt comes as the Government draws up plans to identify where the first road pricing trials will take place, in readiness for a planned national scheme in the middle of the next decade.
Although the protest is backed by the Association of British Drivers, a small group representing motorists, the initiative is the work of one man, Peter Roberts, 46 from Telford, Shropshire. "Under the current system of fuel tax, those who drive at the busiest times pay the most, which seems much better than fitting a black box.
"Unless the Government gets across how people will benefit, this will not work." Human rights campaigners also voiced concerns about the plans. "Road user charging may trigger the biggest campaign for rights and freedoms in recent history," said Simon Davies, the director of Privacy International.
"This ill-considered scheme goes to the heart of increasing anxiety over government control over law-abiding people.
Chris Grayling, the Tories' transport spokesman, criticised the Government's plans for a national scheme to track all cars.
"The Government's only strategy for transport seems to be a very unwise and headlong rush to an untested national scheme for road pricing," he said.
"Whilst there may be logic in using road pricing to fund individual road improvements, like the M6 Toll Road, and in allowing individual towns and cities to introduce local schemes if they wish to do so, I don't think the Government has thought this through at all."
A Department for Transport spokesman defended the Government strategy yesterday.
"Left unchecked, congestion could increase by 25 per cent in less than a decade," he said. "The Government's strategy for tackling congestion is based on sustained investment, adding road capacity where necessary, as well as exploring the scope for developing a national road pricing scheme.
"The public wants to see how road pricing can benefit them. The best way to do this is to show how road pricing would work in practice alongside complementary public transport improvements to reduce congestion and journey times and to make journeys more reliable."

Hidden Gem

This beautiful period cottage is hidden away down an unmade road in one of the oldest parts of Barrow Newbarns village. Not that it's a village now, having been built around over the years, but if you look real hard you can still spot the hidden gems.

Chicken Little?

You don't think he's biased do you?

Chrysler's chief economist Van Jolissaint has launched a fierce attack on "quasi-hysterical Europeans" and their "Chicken Little" attitudes to global warming.
His attack is in sharp contrast to the green image that the US car companies have been trying to promote at this year's Detroit motor show.
Mr Jolissaint was speaking at a private breakfast where the chief economists of the "Big Three" US car firms presented their forecasts for auto industry sales this year.
Most of the audience - which was mainly made up of parts suppliers - seemed to nod in agreement with Mr Jolissaint.
Mr Jolissaint, a Chrysler veteran said that since he started spending more time at the company's corporate headquarters in Stuttgart he had been shocked by the absurdity of European attitudes towards global warming.
In response to a question from the floor, he said that global warming was a far-off risk whose magnitude was uncertain.
He said that from an economic point of view, it would be more rational to spend lots of money on today's other big problems, and only make small and limited changes in policies relating to global warming, such as a slight increase in gasoline or carbon taxes.
Mr Jolissaint was particularly scathing about the Stern Report, which was recently published by the UK government.
The report urged governments to take urgent action now to tackle climate change, arguing that it would be much cheaper to act, rather than face the $10 trillion cost of not doing anything until later.
Mr Jolissaint said the report was based on dubious economics, did not include a discount rate, and was written by an informal adviser to Gordon Brown - in fact, at the time of the report, Mr Stern was the Second Permanent Secretary at the UK Treasury.
He said that he had been surprised by how much support there had been in the Daimler office in Stuttgart for these "quasi-hysterical" policies that smacked of "Chicken Little" politics - referring to the US children's story in which Chicken Little runs around in circles saying "the sky is falling".
But they are also consistent with the cynical view held by some in the US environmental lobby that announcements by car companies about the future development of green vehicles are nothing more than window dressing.
A drop in the price of oil will boost demand for larger vehicles he says, as a result, he argued, demand for big, gas-guzzling cars would recover.

Indian Road Signs

Red Mist

Well it's six pm Sunday when I'm writing this and I'm still angry about something that happened at four thirty pm this afternoon. I was given a job to pickup at the Kings which is a pub right at the top of Barrow's narrow Ormsgill Lane. It was dark and pouring down and, as it's a bad place to pick-up from I had my hazard lights on and was parked as close in as possible. I had been there a minute or two and four or five cars had passed without problem, then a car stopped alongside me and the driver blew his horn and wound his window down and began cursing and swearing at me for all he was worth. After a minute or two of this I'm afraid to say I saw red and blew my top, when he drove off I shot after him leaving my fare stood in the street. I overtook him and stopped intending to give him a piece of my mind. He jumped out of his car and squared up to me and started more abuse and swearing right into my face, it was then that I smelt the reason for the overreaction and over the top behavior. "You've been drinking I'm calling the police" I said, he backed off and didn't say another word, he just shrugged and walked slowly back to his car and drove away. Did I call the police? well no to my eternal regret I never, I didn't rate is a an emergency and so didn't think it appropriate to call 999. By the time I found the number for the local police station ,I had remembered that the last few times I had rang it only to be connected to a call centre seventy miles away and speaking to a civilian employee who said they would ring back in twenty minutes or so. Why oh why haven't we got the non emergency but urgent number that they were promising us last year. They say this was because of the cost, well I guess they are saving money on call outs if folk don't bother ringing in at all. But I did get his number and I shall pass it on to someone I know, maybe this will have scared him if not they will be watching.

Gay Times

As we drove past the pile of rubble that was recently a derelict town centre shop, the two ladies in the back looked over and started to reminisce about what it once was. Having gone through it's uses in the last few decades they started trying to remember what is was when they were young. Now seeing that as they later told me that they were both in their eighties they must have been talking about the 1930s and 1940s. After a few minutes of memory racking one of them suddenly piped up "I remember now it was that gay gents hairdresser." Yes your right said the other , and then seeing my mouth open and ears flapping wagged her finger at me and said "yes that was before it was fashionable, we did have gays back then, but we called them something else." "Yes" the other lady joined in " the younger generation think that they invented sex, well let me tell you there was just as much of it about back then, if not more" They went on to tell me that even though it was a working class shipbuilding town Barrow was very tolerant and did have a thriving gay scene. Even before the invention of the so called gay bar some local pubs were well known meeting places. Two they remembered were the Welcome Inn, where lesbian's met and socialized and the White Lion which was a notorious gay male pickup joint. Amid much giggling and shushing they told me of things that happened in the blackout that "would make your hair curl"and that Barrow's nightlife was much busier and naughtier back then. Because of it's docks and especially during the war Barrow had lots of sailor's and soldiers who drank in different pubs from the local munition workers and shipbuilders. The ladies told me of two they remembered, which are long gone now, the Snipe and the Bull which were the favorite hangouts of local ladies of the night. "Not that we went in there you understand" they said but they went on to tell the local legend of the ladies having a price written on the sole of their shoes, marvelous what you could get for half a crown back then.

Born Again

Early on new years day morning I saw the first of the born again joggers, dressed in the brand new tracksuit's and trainers that they had gotten for Christmas. Red faced and looking permanently down to avoid the pools of vomit left by the new years revelers on their way home. They puffed and panted down the quiet side streets to avoid being seen and jeered at by any passing friend's. Most of them will last about a week and then they will go and squander a huge membership fee to join a local gym, this of course will last for a month or so and then they just give it all up until next January. Staff from local gym's who I pick up tell me that most of the gym's income is made in January from folk who they will never see for the rest of the year. The other thing I saw on new years day was the first of the discarded Christmas tree's thrown carelessly out into the back streets, what is up with these people eh!

Crushed

At first I thought when I saw this display outside Liverpool police headquarters,that the police had gone into the used car business. But it's all cars which have been seized from the owners for having no insurance and are to be crushed. The sign tells us that they have seized and crushed ten thousand cars in the last year.

Location ;Location

If only some of the Liverpool buildings in the photos were just a mile or so to the south they would have been developed as " trendy waterside apartments" years ago But as they are in the old still working area of the dock road they are left to rot.